Rita Pancho

Rita Panchoo is a trainee counsellor and a student member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). She is currently working towards a Diploma in Integrative Counselling at The Awareness Centre and works with NHS Talking Therapy Services in Lambeth. Rita is developing her clinical experience by supporting clients with a range of emotional and psychological difficulties. Her integrative training enables her to draw on a variety of therapeutic approaches, tailoring her work to each client’s individual needs and creating a therapeutic relationship that is collaborative, compassionate, and responsive.

Rita provides a non-judgemental space where individuals can talk openly at their own pace. She supports clients in identifying their own strengths and resources to live a meaningful and fulfilling life. Rita believes that everyone can benefit from therapy and that it can help individuals understand and change unhelpful thought patterns and behaviours. Her goal is to support clients on a journey of self-discovery, helping them develop greater self-awareness and acceptance of their authentic selves. Rita’s approach is relational, empathetic, and tailored to each individual, enabling trust and a strong therapeutic relationship. She draws on a range of therapeutic interventions depending on each client’s needs, supporting them in finding healthier ways of managing emotions, stress, and life’s challenges.

Before training as a counsellor, Rita spent 10 years working as a Substance Misuse Practitioner within the criminal justice system, supporting individuals presenting with a wide range of risks to themselves and others. This experience has given her particular knowledge of drug and alcohol addiction, offending behaviour, and the complex emotional and psychological factors that can contribute to these difficulties. She has previously used Solution-Focused Brief Therapy and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to help individuals understand triggers and develop relapse prevention strategies, alongside healthier ways of managing emotions, including meditation techniques. Rita now works within the Offender Personality Disorder Pathway, specialising in personality disorder, and has developed a growing interest in trauma-informed therapy and psychoanalytic thinking through her counselling training. She also has experience supporting clients with anger, bereavement, and issues relating to racial identity, bringing a thoughtful, respectful, and compassionate approach to her therapeutic work.