Lisa Alhadeff
Specialist therapy, without putting you in a box.
For when you're feeling stuck, hopeless or frustrated.
You might not know what you need, only that you want things to change.
I offer a trauma-informed space to explore what is shaping your reactions and to support you in finding your own ways forward. Our work together is more than simply talking things through. It is a chance to notice patterns, build awareness and begin to relate to yourself differently.
Together we will work to develop a toolkit to support you now that you can continue to draw on in the future.
Experienced in working with trauma, bereavement, eating disorders, bipolar disorder, intrusive or obsessive thoughts and behaviours, BPD and intense or overwhelming emotions.
Working with the whole picture
Most of us can’t neatly describe what we’re struggling with in just one headline.
Your experiences interact with one another and shape who you are.
My work focuses on how these experiences link with each other.
Many people come to see me because they are looking for specialist understanding rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. The problem is that support is often organised around single issues or diagnoses. This can mean receiving help for your eating but not for the thoughts and feelings behind it, or being offered structured approaches that don’t always fit with neurodivergent ways of thinking.
Drawing on specialist training across eating disorders, trauma, bereavement, BPD, autism and ADHD, I work with these connections rather than treating issues in isolation. I use strategies from a range of approaches, including CBT, ERP and DBT, adapting them to fit you rather than following a single model. Where helpful, I also bring in grounding and regulation techniques such as EFT tapping, focused breathing and sensory grounding.
Where helpful, I can bring in additional ways of working that support you feeling calmer and more grounded, including EFT tapping in which I am a Level 2 practitioner, as well creative techniques.
Starting where you are right now, we will develop a way of working that feels right for you.
How I work
Using approaches that fit you best
Rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach, I draw on a range of therapeutic tools and techniques to help you make sense of what’s shaping your reactions, while also supporting emotional regulation and coping. I adapt tools to meet your specific needs and play to your strengths. If something doesn’t feel helpful, we adjust our approach.
Beyond talking
Our work is more than just talking. I support you to explore and develop new ways of responding, and bring in experiential or creative approaches when helpful.
Working with neurodivergence
Therapies that don’t fit how your brain works can feel unhelpful or demoralising. I adapt sessions to suit neurodivergent needs, making practical adjustments around eye contact, imagery, movement, interests, fidget tools, or breaks when helpful.
Flexible and evolving
Although we may have a longer term plan I respond to what feels most important in the moment rather than forcing a fixed structure.
Building trust and working at your pace
Therapy isn’t a quick fix. Meaningful change takes time. The first sessions are about building trust and getting a sense of what feels safe and helpful for you, so we have a steady foundation to work from. Whatever you bring, and whichever approach we use, research consistently shows that the therapeutic relationship between you and I matters most. During our work together, we'll keep checking in with what you want from therapy.
A Different Approach
Adapted to you
I adapt therapy to meet your specific strengths and needs, instead of using a "one-size-fits-all" approach. Strategies that don't fit you or how your brain processes won't work well.
Working with interconnected experiences
I bring specialist knowledge and experience across overlapping areas, allowing your therapy to reflect the whole of who you are.
Evidence based specialist approaches
My work is grounded in evidence-based approaches. This includes CBT-informed work for eating disorders and anxiety, ERP-informed strategies for OCD or health anxiety, DBT-informed skills for intense emotions and tailored approaches for ARFID.
Active, involved work
I work with you in an active, collaborative way that involves doing and noticing as well as reflecting, so therapy feels like something you are part of rather than something that happens to you.
Issues I Work With
“I don’t even know where to start, everything feels tangled.”
“Some days I feel fine, so I keep wondering if I should even be in counselling.”
“It feels like I should know how to cope with this, but I'm lost.”
Many of the people who come to see me don’t arrive with one clear problem. Their experiences overlap, change over time, and interact, making it hard to know where to begin.
You don’t need a diagnosis, a crisis, or one single defining event for what you’re going through to be worth exploring here.Counselling is not about where you start from, but about finding a way forward that feels right for you.
I work with or without a diagnosis. What matters is that you feel understood and supported.
I specialise in the following areas, informed by training and clinical experience:
Services I Offer
Initial Assessment
£65
The assessment session helps us map out what you would like from therapy and what support might be most useful.
Counselling
£70
Sessions last 1 hour, paid for upon booking.
Eating Disorder Therapy
£80
Per 1-hour session (both assessment and ongoing).
Therapeutic Assessment & Formulation for Eating Concerns, Food & Body Image
£215
Covers the standard assessment and planning stages at a lower overall cost than booking these sessions separately. You’ll develop an understanding of what’s been keeping you stuck, so you can make informed choices about what comes next. This understanding can be used as a solid foundation for ongoing therapy.
Full assessment, formulation and initial therapy plan
(pre-session questionnaire, 1 hour initial assessment followed by 2 x 1.5 hour sessions)
Includes a written summary of my observations and possible next steps.
Tuesday - Friday
Morning
Afternoon
Evening
I may be able to offer reductions in price for those in receipt of certain benefits and in some other circumstances, please contact me to enquire about this.
What to expect
Starting counselling
I offer a no-cost 30-minute initial consultation by phone, Zoom or face to face. You can contact me by email, telephone, WhatsApp or text to arrange this.
During the consultation we’ll talk about what’s going on for you and I’ll explain how I work. You can then take time to decide whether you would like to continue.
If you decide to continue, I’ll send you my contract and we will book a 60-minute assessment session at the usual rate. In the assessment I’ll ask some guided questions to help us define what you want from sessions and begin to shape your goals for therapy.
Sessions
Sessions last 60 minutes and are usually weekly, though this can be discussed. I work mainly face to face, with online sessions available when needed.
Location
I work from a private therapy room in my home in Sheffield. It is warm, light and quiet. If you have sensory needs, let me know and I will make adjustments where possible.
Please note the room is accessed by stairs due to the building being Victorian. If you have mobility needs, contact me so we can explore alternatives such as online sessions or a different location.
Training
I hold a Princes Trust Level 5 diploma in Counselling and Psychotherapeutic Practice (NCPS accredited) and have the following specialist training:
Eating disorders and ARFID
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Diploma in Practitioner Skills for Eating Disorders – National Centre for Eating Disorders (NCFED)
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Advanced Diploma in Practitioner Skills for Eating Disorders – NCFED
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Certificate in Practitioner Skills in Eating Disorders and Nutritional Interventions
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BPS-approved Autism and Eating Disorders / Disordered Eating (ARFID) – National Centre for Autism and Mental Health
Working with neurodivergence
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ADHD in the Therapy Room – a Neuroaffirming Approach (Aspire Autism)
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Sensory Awareness and Regulation – National Centre for Autism and Mental Health (BPS approved)
Emotional regulation and complex mental health
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Working with Personality Disorders – Level 3 (ABC Awards & Certa Awards)
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Community Mental Health and Psychiatry – Level 4 (ABC Awards & Certa Awards)
Somatic and additional methods
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Certified Level 2 EFT Practitioner – trained by Ashley Meyer
Professional Registration
Accredited member (no. NCS21-02711) of the National Counselling & Psychotherapy Society
Registered member (no. 00999496) of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy
Member of the National Centre for Eating Disorders (NCFED) professional network
Accredited certified practitioner (no. 24115310) with EFT International
Insured to practise and registered with the Information Commissioners Office (00019525147).