Counselling, Psychotherapy, Embodied Movement Psychotherapy and Supervision

in North London, Islington and Online

English & Greek speaking

Many issues people have with ordinary living, personal relationships, their place in the world or with their education can be helped by counselling and psychotherapy.

My clients can choose whether to work verbally, or using movement, or with a combination.

These are some of the reasons why you might consider embarking on a therapy journey:

-Relationship issues

-Issues relating to identity and GSRD (gender, sexuality and relationship diversity)

-Loss of meaning and purpose in life

-Stress

-Depression and anxiety

-Pain, chronic pain and illness

-Bereavement

-Trauma (childhood and/or current)

-Eating issues

-Socio-political oppression

English and Greek speaking.


My psychotherapy, counselling, supervison and embodied movement psychotherapy practice is in North London, Islington (close to Finsbury Park, Holloway, Highbury and Upper Street, Angel) - easily reached by tube, train or bus.

What I Do

Therapy can help people who face a crisis or difficult long-term emotional problems. But it is also useful for those who would just like to live better lives or make better choices.


Some of the thoughts and feelings that people bring to sessions are:


- 'I want to improve my relationship'

- 'I can't get my needs met. How can I be more assertive?'

- 'I feel so uncomfortable within my own body'

- 'I feel so depressed'

- 'When it comes to exams – or speaking in public or with people in authority - I become petrified'

- 'I feel stressed and never have enough time'

- 'I cannot adjust to my new reality/country/family status'

-'It is confusing to live in this body'

-'This world feels overwhelming and unfair'

It needs lots of courage to explore ourselves, looking at past experiences and present feelings, but counselling and psychotherapy can be the first step to solving short and long-term difficulties.

For some people, the aim is to achieve a creative integration of the past with the present. By exploring how your childhood might have contributed to the problems you have to deal with now, you may be better able to understand your present situation and change it. However, some people don't go back into their pasts but work on their issues in the here-and-now.


Whichever direction the work takes, as your therapist, I will be there to support you in your exploration and to provide you with a safe, confidential and stimulating space for you to actively engage in your personal journey.

When words are not enough, and if you like the idea, we can use the movement and the meaning our body provides. Embodied movement psychotherapy is a well-established approach, understanding how your mind-body continuum reacts, interacts and moves in relationships and in the world.


My work is integrative. This means that I am not theoretically rigid and deliberately use elements from both psychodynamic and the person-centred approaches to suit the individual client. I believe that there is a special kind of 'equality' in the therapy relationship and that clients are active self-healers. My focus is on supporting clients to develop their sense of inner balance, interpersonal skills, and positive self-image. The human imagination can contribute to working things out when all seems lost. In an era of financial stringency, I believe there is a power in the imagination that can contribute to the management of economic, social and practical problems. My practice is LGBTQIA+ affirmative.

About Me

I was born in Athens. Originally, I trained to be a dancer but injury intervened. I studied psychology, specialising in counselling. After some years working as a psychologist, I moved to London and did an MA in Dance Movement Therapy at Goldsmiths College, University of London (scholar of the Onassis Foundation).


My clinical experience includes work in the NHS (Maudsley Hospital), private therapy centres, care homes, children’s centres, as well as film and acting schools. As a practitioner who is extremely interested in how diversity is not just a concept but an embodied reality, both in our everyday lives and in therapy, I am engaged in my own ongoing personal exploration as well as in workshop facilitation for organisations, universities and charities. I have co-founded Open Wings, a community interest company for the promotion of arts therapies in deprived communities.

I have also worked as a clinical researcher with the Psychology Departments of the University of Heidelberg in Germany and the University of Athens in Greece.


After many years in academia, I have now chosen to work as an independent academic which has led me to some very rich teaching, researching and writing experiences. My academic roles include programme leadership of the MSc in Contemporary Person-Centred Psychotherapy at Metanoia Institute and the MA in Dance Movement Psychotherapy at Edge Hill University. For several years I lectured and supervised on the MA in Integrative Psychotherapy at Regent's University, the MA in Dance Movement Psychotherapy and the PsychD in Counselling Psychology at Roehampton University, the PsychD in Psychotherapeutic and Counselling Psychology at the University of Surrey and was, also, part of the training team of Re-Vision, an integrative transpersonal counselling and psychotherapy institute. I continue my long-term collaboration with CPPD, an integrative humanistic institute and I am the external examiner for the MA in Dance Movement Psychotherapy at Goldsmiths College, University of London. I have, also, been fortunate to have taught or presented in conferences in several countries in the world, which has given me a deeper insight in different cultures and societal rhythms.

My experience includes the leadership of the clinical community and of outreach projects at Stillpoint Spaces London, an international community of counsellors and psychotherapists with a special focus on in depth psychotherapy outside the consulting room. I have also served on the steering group of Psychotherapists and Counsellors for Social Responsibility, on the editorial boards of the international journals 'Self and Society' and 'Body, Movement and Dance in Psychotherapy' and have been a book reviewer for major academic publishers.


In an effort to expand my creativity and continue my learning in an organic and congruent way, I have been writing books, articles, book chapters and creating interactive performances that connect the personal with the relational, political and spiritual. I recently co-edited the book 'Trauma in the Creative and Embodied Therapies: When Words are not Enough' and I am in the process of writing a book on the fundamentals of therapy in general (both published by Routledge).

Professional Qualifications

MA in Dance Movement Therapy (Goldsmiths College, University of London)


PGCert in Person Centred Counselling (Institute for Counselling and Psychological Studies, University of Strathclyde)


Diploma in Creative Approaches to Supervision (London Centre for Psychodrama)

Ptychion (Greek degree equivalent to BA (Hons) plus one year of clinical specialisation and research) in Psychology (Panteion University for Social and Political Sciences, Athens, Greece)

Professional Memberships and Affiliations

UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP)

World Association for Person-Centred and Experiential Psychotherapy and Counselling (WAPCEPC)

American Psychological Association, Division 32 - Humanistic Psychology (APA)

Psychotherapists and Counsellors for Social Responsibility (PCSR)




I am registered as a psychotherapist and supervisor with the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) and I work under its code of ethics.

My Location

My psychotherapy, counselling, supervison and embodied movement psychotherapy practice is in North London, Islington (close to Finsbury Park, Holloway, Highbury and Upper Street, Angel) - easily reached by tube, train or bus.

I am sorry but my practice is not accessible to wheelchair users or people with mobility difficulties (i.e. there is no lift). I can offer, though, online sessions which is something I also offer to people living outside London or outside the UK.

Practical Information

E-mail: sissylykou@gmail.com

Tel: 07944 878003


Individual therapy sessions

Length: 50 minutes

Frequency: Weekly

Fee: £85


Individual supervision sessions

Length: 50 (single session) or 90 (double session) minutes

Frequency: Weekly/ Fortnightly/ Monthly

Fee: £85/single session or £160/double session


Registered as a psychotherapist with the ComPsych Employee Assistance Programme.

Contact Me

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about how therapy works, or to arrange an initial assessment appointment. This enables us to discuss the reasons you are thinking of coming to therapy, whether it could be helpful for you and whether I am the right therapist to help.


You can also call me on 07944878003 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.


All enquires are usually answered within 24 hours, and all contact is strictly confidential and uses secure phone and email services.