Alexandra Pacher PhD, DipCouns, MBACP
Counselling and Psychotherapy in Teddington and Twickenham, Richmond upon Thames
"The good life is a process, not a state of being. It is a direction, not a destination."
(Carl Rogers)
Hello, and a warm welcome to my website
Are you feeling low, anxious, or hopeless? Have you been facing significant life changes or ongoing stress, that keeps you up at night?
Challenges like these can impact your sense of self, self-esteem, relationships, and many other areas of life. I offer a warm, confidential space where you can explore your thoughts and feelings and gain insight into what may be causing your distress.
I believe each person has the inner capacity to find their own way through life’s difficulties. My role is to walk alongside you - to listen, reflect, and hold our therapeutic relationship as a safe and supportive space for healing.
Before training as a psychotherapeutic counsellor, I spent many years in the corporate world, gaining firsthand insight into the pressures of today’s fast-paced environment. I saw how the strain of balancing work, relationships, and life events can impact mental health - often leading to anxiety or depression when left unaddressed.
These experiences continue to shape the compassionate way I work with clients.
My qualifications and professional memberships
Advanced Postgraduate Diploma in Humanistic Psychotherapeutic Counselling
(encompasses Person-Centred Therapy, Gestalt Therapy, and Transactional Analysis)
Metanoia Institute, London
PhD in Biochemistry
University of Vienna
My background in science enables me to integrate the biological aspects of mental health with the compassionate, holistic approach I bring to my counselling practice.
Before starting my practice, I worked for several years in the NHS and with various counselling services.
I am committed to making mental health support accessible to everyone and currently volunteer as a counsellor with Mind, a leading mental health charity.
As a registered practitioner with both the BACP and UKCP, I work in accordance with the ethical and professional standards outlined in the BACP Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions and the UKCP Code of Ethics and Professional Practice.
These codes underpin my commitment to integrity, client welfare, confidentiality and ongoing reflective practice.
How I can help you
My practice
Working across Teddington and Twickenham in the London Borough of Richmond, I specialise in supporting adults facing emotional challenges such as stress, burnout, depression, anxiety, or PTSD - often rooted in trauma or other difficult life experiences.
Additionally, I offer counselling for parents and carers of children with SEN, as well as support for adults with ADHD, to help them manage daily challenges and care for their own wellbeing.
My therapeutic approach is rooted in empathy, non-judgmental acceptance, and seeing you as a unique individual. As a humanistic psychotherapeutic counsellor, I support you in exploring your relationship with yourself and the world around you. Drawing on techniques from humanistic psychotherapy, we will explore your experiences from different angles to increase your self-awareness, make sense of your challenges, and develop strategies tailored to your needs. This process aims to empower you to recognise your choices and make positive changes in your life.
If you want to learn more about humanistic psychotherapy, please visit my blog on this page.
Trauma therapy
If you think that you may be experiencing early trauma or PTSD symptoms, we will explore different aspects of your personal history to identify potential triggers that could be contributing to your current challenges. By acknowledging the depth of your distress and by recognising emotions you may have suppressed in the past, we will proceed cautiously and at a pace that allows you to confront and work through these feelings effectively before advancing to the next stage of exploration. Many clients I work with start to feel better after a short period of time, and typically, their emotional wellbeing keeps improving as they continue their therapeutic journey.
Living with adult ADHD
Getting an ADHD diagnosis as an adult can be challenging.
You may experience a shift in your self-perception, which can cause you confusion or doubt about your capabilities and past behaviours. Or you may struggle with the stigma attached to ADHD, which can lead to a sense of shame or embarrassment. Your usual coping mechanisms might be questioned, disrupting your life, and you may need support during this adjustment period to develop more effective strategies for self-management.
I am here to help you deal with these challenges and explore your personal experiences, thoughts and feelings. With the right support, a diagnosis can eventually provide a sense of validation, explain past difficulties and offer clarity and a framework for understanding yourself better.
Living with a clinical diagnosis
I have worked with clients from diverse backgrounds within the NHS and several mental health organisations, where I supported individuals with a range of mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety disorder, Bipolar disorder, and Borderline Personality Disorder, as well as neurodevelopmental conditions such as ADHD and ASD.
If you have been diagnosed with a condition, I am committed to ensuring that your unique experience is integral to our therapeutic journey. This approach allows us to create a safe and supportive environment where you feel heard and valued. Together, we will develop effective strategies to address your specific challenges. My aim is to provide you with a safe and understanding space where you can freely explore your feelings and experiences, ultimately leading to enhanced mental well-being.
Support for parents and carers of children with special educational needs
I provide emotional support to parents and carers of children with special educational needs.
I understand the unique daily pressures and challenges you are facing, and I offer a compassionate, safe space where you can freely express your feelings, concerns and experiences and are genuinely heard and supported. Together, we can develop coping strategies for a better way forward.
How counselling can help
Speak in confidence
Counselling takes place in a safe space at the Wellbeing Centre Teddington, where I will listen your story with sensitivity, empathy and without judgement. In our therapy space you can express your thoughts and feelings freely and in confidence.
A problem shared...
Many people face difficulties in their everyday lives that can be hard to get on top of. Counselling gives me a set of tools I can use to help you gain a better understanding of what is causing these problems, and how you can move towards managing or resolving them.
Make better, healthier new choices
Working together, I will help you gain greater insight into the difficulties you are facing, help you understand why you act or react to them the way you do, and support you in exploring your options to make better, healthier choices moving forward.
What issues can I help you with?
Clients come to me for support for a wide range of issues:
Trauma and PTSD
Anxiety & Stress
ADHD
Autism
Bipolar Disorder
Relationship conflict and divorce
Borderline Personality Disorder
Self Esteem
Self-Harming
Codependency
Narcissistic Abuse
Suicidal Ideation
Women's Issues
Depression
Domestic Abuse
Emotional Disturbance
Family Conflict
Life Transitions
Mood Disorders
Burnout
Work-Related Stress
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Recommendations
Sessions & fees
I offer counselling in both English and German languages.
If you are interested in online therapy, I can offer sessions via Zoom.
Sessions typically take place on a weekly basis and last 50 minutes. My fee is £70 per session.
I am registered as a provider with private insurers Cigna, Vitality and General&Medical.
Please contact me if you would like to learn more or to arrange your first session.
Location
Sessions take place at the Wellbeing Centre Teddington, Station Rd, TW11 9AA.
I work with clients from nearby areas including Hampton Hill, Isleworth, Kingston upon Thames, Richmond, and Twickenham.
Get in touch
Please send me an email if you have any questions about how counselling works or to arrange an initial chat. This enables us to discuss the reasons you are thinking of coming to counselling, whether it could be helpful for you and whether I am the right therapist to help.
You can also call me on +44 7555 654430 if you would prefer to leave a message or speak to me first.
I am happy to discuss any queries or questions you may have prior to arranging an initial appointment.
Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required
On work days, I aim to respond to your enquiries within 24 hours, and all contact is strictly confidential.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between counselling and therapy?
Counselling is usually a good way to help with a current problem; something that can be discussed and - hopefully - resolved within a limited number of sessions. Over a certain number of weeks the understanding of the problem improves and away forward becomes clear. Therapy often describes work that goes a bit deeper, towards more substantial life issues and problems having a deeper effect on the client’s life. Therapy often requires a long-term approach, so the number of sessions can be open ended.
Which option is most suitable depends on you, the client, and the difficulties you are facing. In some cases counselling works well as an ongoing, longer-term option, or therapy can manage to resolve an issue in just a few sessions.
How long will I need to have counselling?
How long a period of counselling lasts will vary from person to person and depends on the depth of the issues you are facing. For some people a couple of sessions helps to bring their problems into focus, and they feel ready to move forward; other problems may require more of an open-ended approach.
During the first few sessions, we will look at your challenges and explore what you bring into the room. After 8 to 10 sessions, we will review our progress. As long as we both agree further therapy will be of benefit to you, the sessions can continue.
How long will I have to wait for an appointment?
My aim is to offer a first appointment - known as an initial assessment - within 1-2 weeks. Then we would arrange the counselling sessions to take place at the same time every week, that is convenient for you and where I have availability. How quickly these sessions can begin will depend on the availability of that free ‘slot’.
Will everything I say be kept confidential?
Everything that is said within the counselling room is private - this is one of the main ways counselling and therapy differ from talking to a friend or relative. Once you are comfortable with the format of weekly sessions and the safe space they provide, you will find that the freedom to speak in confidence is of great value.
Please note that there are some situations where you may be a risk to yourself or others. In such cases the law requires that I notify an authority, which means that I may not be able to keep total confidentiality. Breaking confidentiality is very rare though, and only happens after the person concerned has been informed.
Can I bring a friend or relative with me?
Usually I am asked this question by people who are nervous about entering into counselling, or when they are looking for support in coming to see a therapist. This anxiety is understandable, but a key aspect of therapy is that you should feel free to talk about any issues you feel are important to you. Having someone else with you, who may be connected those issues, makes this opening up more difficult, so for this reason I do not see clients accompanied by friends or family.