Gabriella Maceiras — Child & Adolescent Psychotherapist
Gabriella Maceiras
Online psychoanalytic psychotherapy for children, teenagers, young adults and families.
Pronouns: She/Her
How Gabriella can help
I offer a service to children, adolescents, and young adults to allow them to begin to understand and explore how their past experiences have impacted on their lives, to be able to regulate their emotions and behaviours in order to cope with life’s challenges. Often the problems experienced are related to or are the result of past traumas or even just finding it hard to cope with life generally with all its pressures and difficulties.
I can also see families and parents who can sometimes struggle to understand the problems facing them as a family unit. I am offering a safe and non-judgemental space, where we can begin to understand
Qualifications and experience
I am a Psychoanalytical Psychotherapist and a registered member of the BPC (British Psychoanalytic Council) and the Tavistock Society of Psychotherapists. I have a Post-grad Diploma in Family Therapy from the Institute of Psychiatry at the Maudsley Hospital. I am a qualified RMN with 30 years’ experience in Nursing, mainly as a Clinical Specialist in CAMHS.
Through the therapeutic process, we will aim to build understanding and insights into the issues and difficulties that brought you into therapy. To help you build some resilience to deal with the past and the present and move forward
Conditions & Difficulties Treated
Specialist Areas
Anxiety, Mood & Stress
Anger
Anxiety
Death Anxiety
Fear of Abandonment
Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Health Anxiety
Panic / Panic Attacks
Performance Anxiety
Separation Anxiety
Social Anxiety
Depression / Low Mood
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
Emotional Regulation
Loneliness
Low Self-Esteem
Menstrual Health
Menopause
Mood Disorders
Perfectionism
Procrastination
Stress
Trauma, Abuse & Loss
Bereavement / Grief / Loss
Childhood Sexual Abuse
Childhood Trauma
Complex PTSD
Dissociative Disorders, including Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Sexual Abuse
Trauma
Risk & Crisis
Risk Management
Self-Harm
Suicidal Ideation
Neurodevelopmental & Behavioural
ADHD
Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Behavioural Disorders
Impulse Control Disorders
Psychosis
Eating Disorders
Eating Disorders
Overeating and Weight Management
Family, Parenting & School
Adoption
Blended Families
Carer Difficulties
Family Conflict
Family Issues / Family Work
Parenting Issues
School Issues
Relationships
Attachment Issues
Codependency
Communication Difficulties
Doubt in Relationships
Infidelity, Affairs and Betrayal
Separation and Divorce
Physical, Reproductive & Women’s Health
Acute and Long-Term Health Conditions
Cancer
Infertility
Miscarriage
Life & Work
Life Transitions
Workplace Bullying
Workplace Problems
Redundancy
Work-Related Stress
Therapeutic Approaches & Models
Psychodynamic therapy
Family Therapy
Mindfulness
Interpersonal therapy
Person-centred therapy
Psychodynamic therapy
Systemic Family therapy
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
BABCP Accredited CBT Therapist
Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT)
Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy
Solution Focused Therapy
Structural family therapy
Systemic Couples Therapy
Gabriella works with:
Children (Under 10 years)
Adolescents (10 - 15 Years)
Adolescents (16 - 18 Years)
Young adults (Up to 21 years old)
Families of the above client groups, as necessary
Professional Training & Accreditations
Masters degree in Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy from Tavistock Centre (2002–2004)
Clinical Specialist with Lambeth CAMHS, in SLAM (South London and Maudsley NHS Trust) for over 20 years)
Post Graduate Diploma in Family Therapy from Institute of Psychiatry at the Maudsley (2005-2007)
Post graduate Diploma in Psychodynamic Infant Observational Studies
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Family therapy is a way of working with the whole family, rather than just one person. When a child or young person is struggling, it often affects — and is affected by — everyone around them. In family therapy, we come together to understand the patterns, pressures and communication difficulties within the family unit, and how each person experiences them. It's not about finding someone to blame; it's about helping the family understand each other better, so relationships can improve and everyone feels more able to support one another. Sessions may involve the whole family, or just parents, depending on what's most helpful.
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Psychodynamic therapy is based on the idea that our current feelings and behaviours are often shaped by past experiences — sometimes in ways we're not fully aware of. Rather than only managing symptoms, this approach explores what lies beneath them: early relationships, past events, and patterns that keep repeating. For children and young people, this might happen through talking, or through play and creativity. By making sense of these underlying experiences in a safe, trusting relationship with the therapist, difficult feelings become easier to understand and manage — and lasting change becomes possible.