Zsófia Elek

I can help with...

• Anxiety
• Attachment issues
• Bereavement and loss
• Body image
• Communication problems
• Depression
• Eating disorders
• Feeling stuck in life
• Identity issues
• Lack of motivation
• Low self-confidence
• Low self-esteem
• Major life changes
• Parenting
• Relationship difficulties
• Somatic illnesses
• Stress
• Trauma
• Work-related issues

Types of clients I see

• Individuals

Languages I speak

• English
• Hungarian

Location(s)

• Maple Room, Langdale House, 11 Marshalsea Road, London SE1 1EN
• Online

Types of therapy I offer

• Psychedelic integration
• Psychoanalytic psychotherapy

My approach

I work psychoanalytically, which means I’m interested in what’s happening beneath the surface – the patterns, feelings and ways of relating that shape your life, often without you fully realising it.

I am also influenced by existential, humanistic, transpersonal and systemic approaches. Alongside unconscious patterns and early experience, I hold an interest in questions of meaning and purpose, in how you exist within your relationships and wider systems, and in experiences that may go beyond the ordinary or the easily explained.

There is no homework and no agenda. You talk about whatever comes to mind, and together we notice what emerges, including what’s difficult to talk about. The places where words don’t come easily are often where the most meaningful material is.

The work is open-ended. Some people come for months, others for longer. What matters is that the process moves at a pace that feels genuine rather than forced. The changes this kind of therapy produces tend to be deep and lasting, because they come from real understanding rather than techniques.

I have a couch in my therapy room. Some people find it easier to talk while lying down. This is entirely your choice.

I also offer psychoanalytically oriented psychedelic experience integration: a space to process and understand a psychedelic experience, including challenging ones, so that what emerged can find its place in your life.

Training, qualifications and experience

I have been practising as a psychoanalytic psychotherapist for over 5 years, working with adults presenting with anxiety, depression, relational difficulties, eating disorders and trauma. I trained at The Association for Group and Individual Psychotherapy (AGIP), where I continue to work under supervision.

Before training as a psychotherapist, I completed a BSc in Psychology at Károli Gáspár University, Budapest, and an MSc in Occupational Psychology at Goldsmiths, University of London.

Alongside my private practice, I work as a study therapist on psychedelic clinical trials at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, delivering preparation, administration and integration sessions for psilocybin therapy across multiple indications including major depressive disorder and functional neurological disorder.

In my clinical operations career, I have spent over 4 years leading therapist training and selection for international clinical trials across the US and 9 European countries, interviewing and assessing over 400 clinicians. This work has given me an unusually direct understanding of therapeutic process, clinical competence and what makes the difference between adequate and genuinely effective therapeutic work.

I have over a decade of experience working with families and children from infancy to adolescence, including in residential and community settings with children with epilepsy, learning disabilities and autism. I also completed infant observation as part of my psychoanalytic training. This has given me a deep understanding of early attachment, emotional development and how relational patterns established in the earliest years continue to shape adult life.

I also work as a systems-psychodynamic leadership coach through my practice Reflective Leader, coaching senior clinicians and executives. This work draws on the same psychoanalytic thinking and deepens my understanding of how people function under pressure, navigate complex relationships and take up roles of authority – themes that frequently arise in psychotherapy too.

I have additional training in:

– eating disorders and body dysmorphia (Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust)
– group facilitation (Tavistock)
– the clinical applications of the Adult Attachment Interview (International Attachment Network)
– working with narcissistic dynamics (Tavistock Relationships, with Nancy McWilliams)
– psychedelic therapy and integration (Fluence, King’s College London, ICEERS Academy)

I am also a member of the International Forum for Psychoanalysis and Psychedelics.

Professional affiliations

I’m a member of:

• AGIP
• the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP)

Code of ethics

I follow the UKCP code of ethics and professional practice.

Fees and availability

• £70 per session for in-person or online psychotherapy
• Sessions are 50 minutes
• I offer once, twice or three times weekly psychotherapy
• Please email or call for current availability