Alessandro Castellini

Alessandro uses a Gestalt approach to counselling. This is an approach that recognises the potential of an authentic relationship between counsellor and client to promote transformative change. He provides a non-judgemental, empathic and supportive space where client and counsellor can meet and, through dialogue, explore the client’s pressing needs, difficult or painful thoughts and feelings, and the challenges that life sometimes throws at us. He is committed to a person-centred, holistic approach that equally values mind, body and spirit. The aim is to become more aware of how we make sense of the world we inhabit, to appreciate the unconscious and conscious strategies we may have developed to protect ourselves from pain, and to recognise when those creative adjustments no longer serve us. In an environment that is profoundly respectful of difference, he helps client to rediscover themselves, to feel seen and heard for who they are, and to explore new ways of being in the world.

With an MA and a PhD in Gender Studies, Alessandro is highly attuned to questions of gender and sexuality and how they are informed by the social and cultural environment in which we live. In his academic writing he aims to counter the stigma surrounding the experience of maternal ambivalence, while through his work in higher education, where he continues to teach young people from all over the world, he never stops learning about the many faces of diversity and the importance of sensitive intercultural communication. His views on healing, growth and compassion are coloured by a keen interest and engagement in a variety of spiritual practices.

He is currently in his final year of the Gestalt Counselling Diploma at the Gestalt Centre. Alessandro is a Gestalt counsellor trainee and a member of the BACP. He is working with the NHS counselling service in Wandsworth.