Aisha Otaru

I currently have limited availability, so please contact me for details about appointment options. 

I aim to respond to enquiries within 48 hours during my working days. 

My regular working hours are:

No issue you bring is too trivial for us to explore together. I will meet you with professionalism and without judgment and to help you decide if we could work well together, I offer a free 30 minute consultation.

Sometimes, understanding how or what we are feeling, or why we feel a certain way can be confusing. At other times, we may know exactly what feels most pressing. Knowing where to begin in resolving some of these difficulties can prove challenging and overwhelming, impacting on your relationships, including the relationship you have with yourself. You may experience this as:

• Low self esteem
• Anxiety
• Conflict
• Sexual issues
• Disconnect
• Inner critic
• Loneliness
• Uncertainty
• Procrastination
• Feeling stuck
• Unwanted patterns of behaviours
• Sleep problems
• Racing thoughts
• Anger
• Low mood 

Therapy is a personal and intimate process, focused on your emotional and relational needs. Through discussion and careful exploration you will have the opportunity to safely process, reflect and make better sense of what feels most important to you. Therapy can provide you with tools and strategies to better manage life’s challenges and relational difficulties. Therapy is a great opportunity to recognise and understand just how resourceful you are. The work we do together will be supportive and collaborative, enabling us to work towards the outcome you desire.

I offer a relaxed and pragmatic approach within a therapeutic relationship based on:

• Equality
• Inclusiveness
• Openness
• Confidentiality
• Compassion

So that you feel seen, heard, valued and understood.

I have vast experience working with all aspects of difference, such as:

• Ethnicity
• Cultural
• Sexuality
• Gender
• Abilities
• Class
• Life stages
• Religion
• Neurodivergence

I support people from all walks of life on a variety of experienced difficulties, for example:

• Trauma
• Sexual abuse
• Work stress
• Bereavement
• Conflict resolution
• Relational needs/issues
• Low mood
• Anxiety
• Identity
• Sexuality
• Addiction
• Childhood adversity
• Transitions
• Relationships

I have extensive experience supporting people in the context of relationships, including:

• Individual
• Couples/multi partnerships
• Parental relationships
• Siblings
• Work colleagues

Fully invested in my role as a counsellor, I undertake continuous professional and personal development training, to ensure I offer best practice with therapy that is current, safe and effective. I am a Person Centred therapist offering an integrative approach which may include various methods and tools, such as:

• Brainspotting
• Brief therapy
• Psychotherapy
• Single session therapy
• Solution focused
• Mediation
• Trauma informed therapy
• Psychoeducation
• Mindfulness
• Imago relationship therapy
• Compassion focused therapy

This flexible approach allows us to work collaboratively to best support your therapeutic needs. 

I work part-time as a Student Counsellor at a local university and have previous experience as a Youth Mental Health Instructor, Independent Sexual Violence Advisor, and Support Worker for the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. These roles have shaped my understanding of trauma, resilience, and the many ways people cope, survive and recover.

I have a particular interest in how sexual behaviours can impact wellbeing and relationships. This includes the ways in which sexual choices, desires, experiences, or concerns can influence a person’s emotional world, identity, and connection with themselves and others. I recognise that this is an area many people struggle to speak openly about often due to shame, confusion, or fear of judgement.

I hold a deep understanding, personally and professionally, of those who identify as being from a minority group and appreciate the potential discomfort and impact this can have on the sense of self. I offer a space free of harmful judgments and attitudes and welcome all difference seen or unseen. The opportunity to explore and express your identity freely, in what can sometimes feel like a limiting world.

If you have any questions about me and the way I practice, please do get in touch, I’d be happy to answer any queries.

My personal pronouns; She/Her/Hers