A Bunch of Therapists Podcast

A Bunch of Therapists Podcast goes behind the doors of the therapy room, turning candid conversations with fellow therapists into powerful revelations about the human experience - from both sides of the couch.

Hosted by our CEO, Michaela McCarthy, and Dipti Solanki, each episode shares insightful and sometimes unexpected stories from people who’ve experienced counselling and psychotherapy – and the lessons they’ve learned along the way.

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 other Thursday. Listen and watch wherever you get your podcasts.

Subscribe, listen and watch wherever you get your podcasts

Season 2, Episode 1: From Outsider to Renowned Psychosexual Therapist – Silva Neves

This episode contains discussion around homophobia, family dynamics, identity, feeling different, sexual health, heteronormative standards, and therapeutic practice.

Join us for an inspiring and deeply personal conversation with psychosexual therapist and author Silva Neves as he shares his extraordinary journey from feeling like an outsider in a tiny rural French Alpine community to building a thriving practice in London challenging conventional approaches to sex and relationship therapy.

This engaging discussion explores how feeling different can become your greatest strength, and why seeking out environments where you truly belong is essential for personal and professional fulfilment.

In this compelling episode, Silva openly shares:

  • Growing up as an only child in a complex family dynamic in the French Alps
  • Feeling different from an early age and longing to ‘see the horizon’
  • Discovering a diverse London environment on a school trip aged 15
  • The bold decision to leave home at 18 with just £50 and a one-way ticket
  • Working a succession of low-paid jobs whilst building a new life
  • Finding his calling supporting schizophrenic patients in the community
  • Discovering a capacity for listening and curiosity about clients
  • Training as a therapist and specialising in psychosexual therapy
  • Challenging heteronormative standards in sex and relationship therapy
  • Building a successful practice and becoming a published author
  • The transformative power of seeking out where you belong

This essential conversation offers valuable insights for anyone feeling like an outsider, navigating identity, or interested in progressive approaches to sex and relationship therapy.

Key Topics Discussed:

  • Growing up feeling different in a small community
  • Family dynamics and early identity formation
  • The courage to leave home and start afresh
  • Finding your people and your place in the world
  • Career discovery through meaningful work
  • Psychosexual therapy and relationship dynamics
  • Challenging conventional approaches to sex and intimacy
  • The role of curiosity and listening in therapeutic practice
  • Building a successful therapy practice
  • Using lived experience to inform professional work

Learn more about Silva Neves.

Subscribe, listen and watch wherever you get your podcasts

More from A Bunch of Therapists

Your hosts

Therapy in Marylebone with Michaela McCarthy

Michaela McCarthy

Michaela McCarthy is a psychotherapist, entrepreneur, and the creator and host of A Bunch of Therapists podcast. Born into a working-class Irish immigrant family, Michaela was exposed early to the realities of mental illness and addiction within her own home. Her personal experiences, including witnessing her mother’s psychiatric hospitalisation and her father’s struggle with alcoholism, shaped a deep commitment to understanding the human psyche.

Feeling different from a young age and struggling with her own issues, Michaela embarked on a long and transformative journey towards self-discovery, healing, and belonging. Years of personal therapy led her to train as a counsellor, psychotherapist, psychosexual & relationship therapist and clinical supervisor. Her mission has always been clear: to support others in navigating their own paths, allowing space to explore, heal and grow.

Michaela is the founder and CEO of The Awareness Centre, The Awareness Centre Training School, and Michaela McCarthy & Associates. Through these platforms, and now her podcast, she brings together insight, empathy, and unfiltered conversations to de-stigmatise therapy and empower others.

Grounded in lived experience and professional expertise, Michaela describes herself as a “person of knowing” who approaches life with honesty, grit, and a passion for connection.

Dipti Solanki

Dipti Solanki

Dipti Solanki is a therapist, grief coach, and founder of Grief Matters 4 All CIC, with 19 years of experience supporting people through life’s transition and emotional crossroads. Whether that’s loss, identity shifts, emotional overwhelm, or navigating complex relationships. Her work sits at the meeting point of therapy and coaching, helping people feel seen, supported, and reconnected to their own sense of self, even in the most difficult seasons.

Dipti brings a unique depth to her work, blending the insight of therapy with the action-oriented clarity of coaching. Whether she’s holding space one-to-one, facilitating group work, training organisations on grief and wellbeing, or speaking to larger audiences, her approach is grounded, inclusive, and always real.

She’s been featured in a range of media, including a BBC documentary ‘Living with Loss’, BBC London Radio, The Independent, The Observer, and OK! Magazine, and is the creator of ‘Grief, Heartbreak and Hope – There’s So Much More to Say’ a guided journal designed to help people gently process and make space for their grief after losing a loved one.

Dipti is passionate about creating emotionally honest spaces. She works at the intersection of emotional wellbeing, compassion, and cultural sensitivity, with a deep commitment to making mental and emotional support feel accessible and human.

On this podcast, Dipti brings all of that and more: therapist, coach, speaker, and human – offering honest, heart-led conversations about therapy, life, healing, and what it means to grow through the things that shape us.