The Awareness Centre
The Awareness Centre (TAC) is one of London’s leading providers of in-person counselling, psychotherapy, and psychosexual and relationship therapy. Our services are BACP accredited. We also offer online appointments. We offer a warm and welcoming environment for clients seeking support for their mental health. With over 300 therapists specialising in a wide range of issues in more than 20 languages, we provide confidential therapy services tailored to adults, adolescents, and children. Whether you are looking for individual counselling or family or couples therapy, we’re here to help you find the right therapist for you – you do not need a GP referral. Call our team on 020 8673 4545 or book an appointment online.
Our Training School offers a complete professional journey from Foundation level through to our BACP Accredited Diploma in Counselling, equivalent to Levels 3–5. Our Diploma includes an in-house counselling placement, where you’ll gain meaningful experience working with real clients in a safe, supervised environment. You’ll build your skills, deepen your confidence, and graduate ready to practise. We also offer Clinical Supervision Training, empowering qualified counsellors and therapists to expand their expertise and enhance their practice. Call us on 020 3051 8235 or email training@theawarenesscentre.com.
Our Therapy Services
Therapists practicing in our private therapy service are qualified and experienced counsellors and psychotherapists and are registered or accredited. They work in person and online and are specialists in working with many issues.
We also have a team of therapists coming to the end of their training and working towards full qualification and registration who offer low-cost therapy from our Clapham & Tooting centres and online.
You do not need a GP referral to see a private therapist, unless you are using your private healthcare insurance. We work with adults, children, and adolescents and we have no waiting list for our services. Book an appointment online or call our team today on 020 8673 4545 to be referred to see a therapist at a time that works for you.
Our qualified private Counsellors, Psychotherapists and Psychosexual & Relationship therapists are all either registered or accredited with one or more of the following professional bodies.
Working with Sunah Ahktar has been an incredible, transformative experience. From the very first session, I felt heard, supported, and understood in a way that I had never experienced before. She created a safe, non-judgmental space where I could open up about my challenges, and her empathetic and insightful approach helped me navigate through them with greater clarity and confidence.
Not only did Sunah Ahktar provide me with practical tools and strategies to manage my mental health, but she also empowered me to develop a deeper understanding of myself. The progress I’ve made during our sessions has been life-changing.
I am deeply grateful for her kindness, professionalism, and dedication to my well-being, and I highly recommend Sunah Ahktar to anyone seeking compassionate and effective therapy.
I was looking for a therapist to help me following a trauma. I wasn’t able to eat or sleep and had worry and anxiety. I had lost a significant amount of weight and was continuing to do so, that had begun worrying me further. After several months I wasn’t feeling any better. When I contacted Nick I knew instantly during a free introductory phone call that Nick was someone I could talk to. He made me feel comfortable and safe. Although we could not schedule appointments immediately due to my commitments and his availability I eventually opted to conduct our sessions via what’s app and that worked. I finally had the help I needed. I wish I had opted for that sooner. Nick really listened and with patience. He was skilfully alert to what might help me. He gave me small amounts of food for thought that I could digest and contemplate. He was also solution focused where I couldn’t be, and that enabled me to have a breakthrough and take action that set me free me from my merry-go-round . After that I immediately started to regain my weight and I’m back to normal – perhaps actually in better physical shape. He identified what was holding me back and gave me that incentive to make that shift. Things are so much better for me now. I’ll be forever grateful. I’ve had other counselling therapy and there’s just no comparison. I can’t recommend Nick highly enough.
I was sceptical on how effective therapy would be but seeing as my life was a total mess with me having no joy, no hope and no clue on how to deal with it I thought I may as well give it a go. I’m extremely happy I did. On 28th of September, which was the day before my first session, I was as low as could have possibly got – I didn’t want to socialise, I didn’t want to go to work, I didn’t want have any contact with anyone to the point where I had hardly been outside the house for the best part of a year! With Minoo’s help however, my life has changed dramatically. She managed to get me to ask questions of myself – questions I would never have even thought about without her assistance – and I now feel empowered enough to make drastic changes. Now I’m not going to say that my life is now perfect and there is quite a way to go but for the first time in a long time (and by long I mean at least 6 years) I feel like I have the ability and the strength to change things around. Like I said at the beginning, I was sceptical on how effective Therapy would be but after the sessions I’ve had with Minoo for the last 3 months I would recommend it (and have been) to anyone who is struggling with there mental health as she has really helped my to turn things around!Thank you Minoo – you really have helped me more that I can put into words!
Eleanor is a fantastic therapist and is continuing to help me work through my issues. I find our sessions very helpful and can already see a significant shift in how I feel about myself/the world at large. I would strongly recommend Eleanor as a therapist. I find her approach very soothing and comforting. She helps me regain a sense of perspective when I feel overwhelmed
I’ve been seeing Lisa for over two years now. Over that time she has provided me with a safe space within which to work through some complex feelings after my divorce, the breakup of a subsequent relationship, and a difficult period at work. In her company I’ve felt able to open up, exploring areas of my life and childhood that I haven’t before. Her gentle yet astute lines of questioning have been a mirror, helping me truly see connections and behaviours that had been hidden. Her guidance has been invaluable in prompting me to work between appointments. Throughout, she has reminded me to be kind, to myself, whilst on a journey that has been really important…
Philippa is amazing – it’s hard to put into words how much she has changed my life and how highly I think of her and her work. She provides a safe space for her clients with no judgement and has a unique way of helping you get to the answer and working out the best way forward. I wish I had found her years ago.
Finally – an affordable, consistent counselling service that doesn’t have to cut off treatment to a deadline when you are finally getting somewhere. My counsellor has helped me to transform the way I see things, and given me the tools to go it alone. I haven’t had to worry about huge debts either. I couldn’t recommend this service enough.
Magda was an excellent art therapist for our daughter aged 8. Over many sessions she helped her navigate some tricky friendship dynamics, work tougher he own feelings and give her confidence to start managing conflict herself. This greatly helped her self esteem. Magda was open and supportive and communicated well with us as parents throughout.
I met with Matt, weekly, over the course of a year and we worked through relationship difficulties, family struggles and personal battles of mine. Through open conversation, Matt offered tools and skills to help me understand myself and look at my patterns of behaviour. Almost a year out of therapy I feel I know myself better and continue to draw on these tools.
Ann supported me for over a year through a journey of grief after losing my father to cancer. I was feeling low and confused and she helped guide me through these feelings and learn to acknowledge and accept them in order to process them. Not only did she help open my eyes to how normal my feelings were but helped me navigate difficult relationships that I have with other family members. Talking about these feelings and opening up about some difficult memories from the past I have been able to improve my approach to these relationships. I can’t thank Ann enough for her patience and feel grateful for her guidance.
I attended 6 weeks of face to face counselling sessions with Ann at the Awareness Centre during a period of heightened worry and anxiety in my life as a result of various family problems. I really feel that this process of having the space to explore what had happened to me and the feelings that I experienced as a result of this, was invaluable. I felt re-assured and was helped to see something of how I had carried patterns of behaviour that had resulted in a period of overload and crisis. I am very grateful to Ann for her insight and her skill in supporting me.
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Low-Cost Counselling & Psychotherapy Service at The Awareness Centre
We believe in making therapy accessible to everyone. We offer affordable therapy at our Clapham and Tooting centres and online, with therapists coming to the end of their training at our training school or with our external training providers. Our trainee counsellors and psychotherapists are carefully selected and develop their clinical experience with The Awareness Centre, while working towards full qualification and registration.
Whether you need short or long-term support, our trainee counsellors and psychotherapists are here for you. They offer confidential, affordable support from Monday to Saturday. Book an appointment online or call our team today to be referred to see a therapist at a time that works for you.
We Are Here For You
The Awareness Centre is open Monday- Saturday, with early appointments from 7am and the latest sessions at 9pm. Book an appointment online at a time that works for you, or call us on 020 8673 4545.
Our clinical team is on hand to assist you in deciding what type of therapy is right for you. We’ll talk to you about what you’re experiencing and help you take the right step forward.
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Introducing A Bunch of Therapists – a new podcast opening the door to real conversations from inside the therapy room.
Ever wondered what makes therapists… therapists? Step into a world where mental health professionals become the storytellers, sharing their own raw, unfiltered journeys and insights. Join hosts Michaela McCarthy and Dipti Solanki as they flip the script, turning candid conversations with fellow therapists into powerful revelations about the human experience – from both sides of the couch.
Whether you’re in therapy, considering it, or simply curious about how it works, this podcast offers real insight into the therapeutic journey – what it feels like, why it matters, and how it can change lives.
New episodes every Thursday.
We provide short-term NHS Talking Therapies in Lambeth, Sutton and Wandsworth. Our counsellors and psychotherapists are either in training or have qualified in many approaches to therapy. We offer face-to-face or online sessions. You can self-refer or be referred by your GP. All NHS clients must be 18+.
The NHS will triage you for this counselling service by phone. Therapists work with clients who want to explore their symptoms of anxiety and depression.
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Take the first step and book your counselling appointment today. We do not have a waiting list.
FAQs
The first step in starting counselling is to find a therapist you can work with. If you’d like to make a start, check out our team of therapists to see which have the experience and expertise for the issues you’re bringing to therapy.
If you’d like more guidance in deciding on the specific mental health services or professionals that are right for you, please call our team on 020 8673 4545 and they will point you in the right direction.
If you are seeking private therapy or low cost counselling , you can self-refer and call us on on 020 8673 4545 or book an appointment online. However, you do need to be registered with a GP to use the low cost service. If you are using your private healthcare insurance to pay for your therapy, you will need a GP referral. For our NHS counselling service, you can either self-refer or be referred by your GP.
Once you’re booked in for an appointment, your therapist will call to confirm day and time, check any details, and to answer any practical questions you might have. Your counsellor won’t be able to provide a therapy session on the phone before you start. You’ll be able to talk about your issues during your first full session.
We don’t offer interpreters for our low-cost and private counselling services; however, our multilingual therapists offer counselling in over 20 languages.
Our Diploma in Integrative Counselling was accredited by BACP in May 2024. BACP do not accredit Foundation Certificate or Supervision courses. However, our courses are created according to BACP guidelines and the competence framework for supervision.
We welcome students with no formal qualifications or previous experience to join our Foundation Certificate In Counselling. To join our Diploma in Integrative Counselling you will need the TAC Foundation Certificate in Counselling, or equivalent qualification from another training provider. For the Diploma in Clinical Supervision, you need to be a qualified counsellor, psychotherapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist. Please see the individual course pages for more detail about enrolment requirements.
Our courses are not currently eligible for student finance. However, we do offer a direct debit monthly payment system to support your monthly budget