
The Awareness Centre
The Awareness Centre (TAC) is one of London’s leading providers of in-person and online counselling, psychotherapy, and psychosexual and relationship therapy. Our services are BACP accredited. 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 Certificate level through to our BACP Accredited Diploma in Counselling, equivalent to Levels 3–5. With our Diploma, there is an opportunity for 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 a Diploma in Clinical Supervision, empowering qualified counsellors and therapists to expand their expertise and enhance their practice. During the course, trainee supervisiors have access to an in-house supervision placement to support them in building valuable experience with supervisees. 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.
Trainee counsellors and psychotherapists can access therapy with one of our qualified therapists at a reduced fee while completing their professional training.
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.











I attended Shirley, to treat me for PTSD, which I had for 2 years. It had gotten to crisis point. The guidance and help I received from Shirley was exceptional. Shirley introduced me to EMDR, which worked incredibly well for me. She guided me through each step and checked in with me at all times. I was amazed at how quickly I came to terms with the trauma that brought me to be treated by Shirley. I am continuing with good mental health, and am very grateful for Shirley’s expertise and professional skills. I have had therapy sporadically over a long period of time and would rate Shirley as being one of the best. I would highly recommend her therapeutic skills and knowledge.
I was going through a troubling time after the epidemic and the lockdowns, which I had found very hard. I started seeing Karlene hoping to deal with the troubles that were at the “surface” level of my day to day thinking.
Karlene was calm, kind, non-judgemental but most of all an extremely skilled therapist. It turns out that the troubles that were at the “top level” of my brain were that – only the surface. I hadn’t been able to see this for myself, but Karlene very carefully and gently helped me to unpick this. There were layers to my issues, going back decades, which we began to peel back. I came to an understanding of certain events that had taken place in the past that were colouring my experience of the present.
Having this understanding is hugely helpful – I now have the ability to watch my own thought processes and understand when they are going down certain avenues coloured by past experiences, and to redirect where necessary.
I cannot recommend Karlene enough. Sometimes it is simply not possible to see beyond our own day to day thinking patterns, to begin to understand why we experience life or certain situations the way we do, without the help of a skilled “other”. For me, Karlene was exactly what I needed at that point in time, and I cannot thank her enough.
I started to visit Riana on a weekly basis at a very low point – and when I had run out of tools to help myself independently. Almost two year later, and Riana has helped me navigate some massive changes in my life, such as a new job, mending rifts with family and friends, and embarking on a new relationship – each change coming with its own unique challenges, and learning a lot about myself in the process. Riana met my issues with patience and wisdom and allowed me to find inner strength by being a source of stability for me when I felt life was turned upside down. I thoroughly recommend Riana and The Awareness Centre – thank you!
I have been doing therapy for just under 6 months with Berenice. She helped me navigate through some traumatic events, and given me amazing tools to deal with pressure and anxiety. I value our weekly sessions so so much and I always feel like we tackle my issues practically and effectively.
Berenice is a thoughtful, insightful, supportive and empathetic therapist, who is also willing to challenge me on things when it is necessary. I would highly recommend Berenice to anyone.
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.
BOOK AN APPOINTMENT
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.
BOOK AN APPOINTMENT
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.
BOOK AN APPOINTMENT
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



















































