Maria Dokanari Psychotherapy / Child, Adolescent & Adult Therapy

Maria Dokanari Psychotherapy / Child, Adolescent & Adult Therapy Psychotherapist & Clinical Supervisor, UKCP reg./ Ψυχοθεραπεύτρια & Κλινική Επόπτρια Τηλ. 6979009255 Welcome. I am Maria. My approach is Integrative.

I am a qualified Psychotherapist and Clinical Supervisor and I provide therapeutic support to children, adolescents and adults. This means that I am trained in several psychotherapeutic approaches, which enables me to create a therapy based on each individual's needs. I am also trained in the Therapeutic use of the Arts. My private practice is in Muswell Hill, N10. To book an initial consultation,

you can contact me at mariadokanari@yahoo.com or on 07956699601. I can offer sessions in English or Greek language. Psychotherapy:
I work on a one-to-one basis to help children or adults who experience emotional difficulties or go through a life crisis, as well as with both, parent and child in joint sessions, to help strengthen their relationship. I also offer support and consultancy to parents. My work takes place in the context of an empathic therapeutic relationship. In a safe, caring and confidential space, I help children and adults work through psychological pain and trauma and improve their relationship with themselves and others, as well as cope with every day stressors and live more fulfilling lives. Part of the work can be using image, metaphor, play and the Arts (clay, paint, music, puppetry, poetry, drama, sandplay, dance and movement), that can encourage self-awareness, enable creativity and offer individuals a language to talk about their feelings in a safe and non-threatening way. With children in particular, the Arts can be a powerful way of sensory or non-verbal communication, which, through a trusting relationship, can be an emotionally regulating and therapeutic experience. I have experience in working with children, adolescents, adults and families with a range of difficulties around: trauma, bereavement, anxiety, social anxiety, negative body image, low self-esteem, depression, self-harming, aggression, withdrawal, ADHD, Autism, bullying, abuse, s*xual abuse, neglect, domestic violence, divorce, illness, substance and alcohol abuse, fostering, difficulties in social skills and peer relationships, attachment and relational difficulties, gender and s*xuality related difficulties. Past experience:
Past experience includes working at CAMHS, NHS (National Health Service – Schools and Triage), where I supported therapeutically high-risk clients who struggled with complex issues, and within education (nurseries, primary and secondary schools), where I provided therapy to students and supervision to school staff. I have trained in child & adolescent psychotherapy, parent-child work, psychology, art psychotherapy, counselling, relational psychotherapy. I have also undergone official training and have qualified as an accredited clinical supervisor. I work sensitively and support clients around difference, diversity and equality (e.g. LGBTQI, s*x, gender, s*xuality, race, culture, physical ability, neurodiversity). Supervision:
I offer supervision, support and guidance to adult and child Counsellor and Psychotherapists, coaches, practitioners of helping professions and practitioners who work in health and education. I also offer reflective practice and consultancy to all professionals (non-clinical) who want to benefit from a supportive space in which they can reflect on their work and gain insight into their personal and professional development. I offer one to one or group supervision. I have regular clinical supervision and I abide by the code of Ethics of the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) and the Institute for Arts in Therapy and Education (IATE). Initial consultation
To book an initial consultation, please contact me on the provided contact details. In the first meeting, we will explore your concerns (or your concerns regarding your child), I will answer any questions you may have and we will decide together if therapy is suitable for you (or your child). The initial consultation (and subsequent parent meetings) are charged at the standard session rate. The duration of therapy depends on the individual circumstances and we regularly review the work together. Sessions last 50 minutes and take place on a weekly basis, on the same day and at the same time. All sessions are confidential.

🤍
06/04/2026

🤍

31/03/2026

Ending Conversion Therapy Must Include Trans Youth

A country cannot claim to ban conversion therapy while simultaneously forcing transgender young people to suppress who they are.

If the United Kingdom is serious about ending conversion therapy, then the principle has to apply consistently. Conversion therapy is defined by researchers and policymakers as any attempt to change, suppress, or discourage a person’s s*xual orientation or gender identity. 

That definition matters. It does not only refer to discredited “pray the gay away” programmes or coercive religious counselling. It also includes practices that pressure people to deny or suppress their identity.

The UK government’s own evidence review on conversion therapy acknowledges that these practices are linked to serious harm, including depression and suicidal feelings among those who experience them. 

For decades the scientific consensus has been clear. Major medical and psychological organisations agree that attempts to change a person’s s*xual orientation or gender identity do not work and can cause significant harm. 

That is precisely why countries around the world have moved to ban the practice.

But there is a growing contradiction in the UK debate.

On one hand, politicians say conversion therapy should end because it forces people to deny who they are.

On the other hand, policies affecting transgender youth increasingly remove or delay access to gender-affirming healthcare. Puberty blockers and related treatments have been restricted outside research settings after the Cass Review raised concerns about the evidence base. 

This has created a situation where many young people experiencing gender dysphoria must wait through puberty while their bodies change in ways that intensify distress.

Gender dysphoria itself is not a political slogan. It is a documented medical condition describing the severe distress that can occur when a person’s body develops in ways that conflict with their gender identity. Research shows this distress can affect mental health, social development and vulnerability to self-harm. 

Gender-affirming healthcare developed precisely because clinicians recognised that simply telling young people to “ignore it” or “wait it out” often worsened suffering.

That is why the conversion therapy debate cannot be separated from the question of healthcare.

If conversion therapy means trying to suppress a person’s identity, then policies that systematically remove medical pathways while insisting young people must remain in bodies that feel profoundly wrong raise serious ethical questions.

The scientific discussion around transgender healthcare is complex and still evolving. Some clinicians argue that more evidence is needed about long-term outcomes. Others emphasise that delaying care can itself cause harm.

But one point is broadly agreed across the medical literature.

Attempts to force someone to abandon their gender identity do not work.

They have never worked.

And they have consistently been associated with psychological harm.

The UK therefore faces a fundamental question as it debates a conversion therapy ban.

Is the goal truly to end attempts to suppress LGBTQ identities?

Or is the ban only meant to apply to some identities while others remain politically negotiable?

If the principle is that no child should be pressured into denying who they are, then the policy conversation must reflect that principle.

Ending conversion therapy should mean ending all practices that try to erase identity.

Not simply changing the language used to describe them.

21/03/2026
09/03/2026

Reactive abuse is a trauma response, when the partner who is being repeatedly abused, therefore the victim of abuse, reaches breaking point and finally reacts. They are then being told by the perpetrator that they are the abuser (gaslighting). If this is happening to you, you are not “crazy” or “hysterical”, you are suffering abuse and trauma, your nervous system is under constant stress and you need to reach out for help. 🫶

Η Μέρα της Γυναίκας δεν είναι γιορτή ούτε διακοσμητικό γεγονός. Όσο υπάρχει έμφυλη και διαθεματική ανισότητα και όσο γυν...
08/03/2026

Η Μέρα της Γυναίκας δεν είναι γιορτή ούτε διακοσμητικό γεγονός.
Όσο υπάρχει έμφυλη και διαθεματική ανισότητα και όσο γυναίκες, θηλυκότητες και καταπιεσμένες ομάδες σκοτώνονται, βιάζονται και καταπιέζονται εξαιτίας των πατριαρχικών δομών, το να λέμε happy women’s day είναι gaslighting.

Αναγνωρίζουμε τις ανισότητες και το προνόμιο μας. Μιλάμε όταν βλέπουμε καταπιέσεις. Ακούμε τις καταπιεσμένες ομάδες και δείχνουμε ενσυναίσθηση στις καταπιέσεις, στα συναισθήματά τους και στους αγώνες τους. Αγωνιζόμαστε για τα ανθρώπινα δικαιώματα και για έναν ασφαλή κόσμο για όλα μας, με όποιο τρόπο μπορούμε, είτε μικρό είτε μεγάλο

Καλή μας δύναμη. 🫶

+

Address

London

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Maria Dokanari Psychotherapy / Child, Adolescent & Adult Therapy posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to Maria Dokanari Psychotherapy / Child, Adolescent & Adult Therapy:

Featured

Share

Category