Maria Malapheeva

Maria Malapheeva is a trainee counsellor and a student member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). She is currently completing an Advanced BACP-accredited Diploma in Integrative Counselling with The Awareness Centre and works with The NHS Lambeth Counselling Service. Maria works with clients experiencing a range of emotional and psychological difficulties, including anxiety, emotional overwhelm, low self-worth, relationship difficulties, isolation, loss, and life transitions. Her integrative training allows her to draw on different therapeutic approaches, including person-centred therapy, somatic awareness, and psychodynamic understanding, tailoring her work to each individual client and their unique experiences.

Maria offers a warm, confidential, and non-judgemental space where clients can bring what feels difficult, confusing, or overwhelming. She works gently and relationally, supporting clients to explore their thoughts, feelings, and experiences at a pace that feels safe for them. Maria recognises that present difficulties can sometimes be connected to earlier experiences, unmet needs, or patterns that repeat within relationships, and she helps clients gently make sense of what may be happening and what might support them in feeling more grounded, understood, and connected to themselves. Her approach pays attention not only to thoughts and emotions, but also to the body, past experiences, and inner conflicts. Maria aims to offer a calm, steady, and compassionate therapeutic relationship where clients feel respected, supported, and accepted.

Before training as a counsellor, Maria worked in business, which gave her insight into the pressures of work, responsibility, stress, and life transitions. Having lived and worked in different countries, she also understands how questions of belonging, identity, and adaptation can affect emotional wellbeing. Maria values working with people from diverse backgrounds and lived experiences and is particularly attuned to those who may feel highly sensitive or easily overwhelmed. She offers sessions in English and Russian and brings an open and culturally sensitive perspective to her therapeutic work, supporting clients as they explore their experiences, strengthen their self-understanding, and develop a deeper connection with themselves.