Matteo Oriani

Counselling & Image-based therapy

Approach
'The way we imagine our lives is the way we are going to go on living our lives’. James Hillman.
​​I believe that our lives are shaped by the stories that we tell ourselves about ourselves and the world. These define who we believe we are, how we feel with ourselves and others, and how we act in the world. ​
As these stories originated in your past, I will sit beside you and guide you in exploring your past experience to understand how it keeps creating your present. ​
At the same time, we will work creatively to connect with your imagination and gradually change your inner narrative to include new possibilities of thinking, feeling and being.
I work relationally, which means I do not behave like a blank screen, but instead we will engage in a deeply reflective dialogue.
When it feels right, I will offer the use of creative techniques like guided imagery and drawing techniques to delve into imagination and find hidden insights.
I may also offer the use of mindfulness techniques such as body meditations and breathing techniques that help calm disturbing thoughts and feel more in control. ​
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My main therapeutic approach is Psychosynthesis, a psychological modality that stress self-development, meaning and growth. When beneficial, I integrate elements from other modalities such as CBT, Jungian and Person-centred.
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We will meet weekly or fortnightly depending on your needs, on an agreed day and time.
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The work arrangement can be short-term if you want to address a specific situation, or open-ended for deeper transformative work. I suggest to initially agree to meet for 6 weeks, to see how that works out. This may be a sufficient number of sessions or you may then decide to continue open-endedly.​​​​​​
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Published articles
The importance of journaling for mental health, Mar 2023
3 imaginal techniques to calm anxiety and get unstuck, Feb 2023
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An imaginative method to tame self-critical thoughts, Feb 2025
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Healing the feeling of being misplaced, Jun 2025