Umberto Crisanti – EMDR and CBT Therapist for Trauma, PTSD and Attachment
BABCP-Accredited CBT Therapist, Supervisor and EMDR Europe-Accredited Practitioner
✓ Over 20 years of clinical experience
✓ BABCP-accredited CBT therapist and supervisor
✓ EMDR Europe-accredited therapist
✓ Specialist experience in trauma, PTSD and attachment difficulties
✓ More than 10 years’ experience working in the NHS
✓ Online therapy for adults across the UK
✓ In-person therapy in Canterbury, Kent, if currently available
Online EMDR and CBT for Trauma, Attachment and Relationship Difficulties
Umberto Crisanti is an experienced BABCP-accredited Cognitive Behavioural Therapist, CBT supervisor and EMDR Europe-accredited therapist. He has over 20 years of clinical experience, including more than a decade supporting adults within the NHS.
Umberto specialises in helping adults affected by trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), complex trauma and painful experiences from childhood. He also works with attachment difficulties, low self-worth, anxiety in relationships and patterns such as fear of abandonment, difficulty trusting others, people-pleasing and repeatedly becoming involved in unhealthy relationships.
Using EMDR, CBT and Cognitive Constructivist Psychotherapy, Umberto helps clients understand how earlier experiences may continue to influence their emotions, beliefs and relationships. Therapy is adapted to the individual and may include processing distressing memories, developing practical coping strategies and finding healthier ways to relate to yourself and others.
Umberto offers a warm, thoughtful and non-judgemental therapeutic relationship. His aim is to help you feel safer, understand yourself more clearly and make lasting changes without feeling blamed or defined by what has happened to you.
Umberto has particular interest and expertise in working with trauma.
Problems Umberto Can Help With
Trauma and PTSD
Attachment and Relationship Difficulties
Fear of abandonment or rejection
Difficulty trusting or becoming close to others
Anxious attachment and reassurance-seeking
Emotional dependency and codependency
Difficulty setting boundaries
Low self-worth within relationships
Communication and conflict
Recovering from infidelity or betrayal
Repeating unhealthy relationship patterns
Relationship doubts and uncertainty
Anxiety, Fears and Avoidance
Compulsive Behaviours and Addictive Patterns
Problematic alcohol or substance use
Smoking
Compulsive sexual behaviour or pornography use
Emotional eating and food-related compulsions
Digital or smartphone overuse
This work can be open-ended or structured as a one-off consultation with psycho-education and guidance tailored to your needs.
Psychological Support for Living With Tinnitus
Umberto offers psychological support to people experiencing tinnitus, including practical strategies informed by his personal experience. Depending on your needs, this may involve a focused consultation or longer-term therapy exploring the anxiety, distress, memories or emotional responses associated with tinnitus.
This support is not a substitute for an appropriate medical or audiological assessment.
About Umberto
Umberto is a warm-hearted, compassionate, and highly experienced online therapist with over 20 years of clinical experience across diverse therapeutic settings. Originally trained as a Psychologist in Italy, he later qualified as a Cognitive Constructivist Psychotherapist — an attachment-based, non-blaming approach that supports clients in creating new perspectives and courses of action. After relocating to the UK, he became a BABCP-accredited CBT Therapist and Supervisor.
For over a decade, Umberto worked in the NHS, supporting adults struggling with anxiety, depression, stress, trauma, and relationship issues. As a CBT Supervisor, he provided clinical guidance to over 50 practitioners, particularly in suicide risk assessment, reflective practice, and professional development.
Now in private practice in Canterbury, Kent, Umberto offers specialist support for PTSD, trauma, and complex PTSD. His approach integrates evidence-based therapies with warmth, depth, and a strong focus on human connection and meaning-making.
In addition to his therapeutic work, Umberto collaborates with USERN (Universal Scientific Education and Research Network) to promote peaceful and humanitarian education. He is also a published contributor to Springer Nature in the field of integrative psychotherapy.
Clients describe Umberto’s presence as grounding, kind, and genuine — someone who helps them reconnect with their inner strength and move forward with clarity and confidence.
A Reflective and Buddhist-Informed Perspective
Where this is meaningful to the client, Umberto can bring a Buddhist-informed perspective to therapy, influenced by principles of dignity, courage, compassion and personal transformation. Spiritual ideas or practices are never a requirement: therapy is led by your own beliefs, needs and preferences.
Avoid implying that chanting is a clinical treatment unless Umberto has an appropriate and carefully worded evidence-based explanation for its use.
Models & Methods Umberto is trained to use in his online practice
Clients Umberto works with.
Adults (18-65+ Years)
Professional Qualifications and Accreditations
BABCP-accredited Cognitive Behavioural Therapist and Supervisor — membership number 120830
EMDR Europe-accredited therapist
Member of the EMDR Association UK
MSc in Psychology, magna cum laude — University of Palermo
Diploma in Cognitive Constructivist Counselling Psychotherapy
Qualified High-Intensity CBT Therapist
Long-Term Conditions and Medically Unexplained Symptoms Certificate
Completed the eight-week Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy programme
Member of the European Association of Clinical Psychology and Psychological Treatment
Client Feedback About Therapy With Umberto
Practical Support for Stress and Overwhelm
“I have never had any kind of therapy before. I have found this process incredibly helpful and supportive. I feel I have been guided skilfully on a path to help me address the areas that have been causing me stress.”
Feeling Safer and More in Control
“When I was first referred, I didn’t want to come and it took a lot of persuading. After the third session, I realised you were a nice counsellor and a human being. Some of the advice was helpful, and I feel more in control and able to put my foot down. I have learned that I’ve got the right to say no and that it is okay to ask for help. All the coping mechanisms seem to be working.”
A Safe and Non-Judgemental Space
“It’s great that I can talk and you don’t tell me how to solve problems, but you give me hints. I felt safe and never judged.”
Making Sense of Therapy
“It’s been amazing. It has made so much sense. It’s practical, but you need to understand what it is about—and then you understand what’s going on.”
Understanding Yourself More Clearly
“It was a great, safe space to talk openly about how I was feeling. Even when I didn’t really know how I was feeling and went into a bit of a spiral of words, somehow my ramblings made sense to you. I really liked that it was a way to gain a better understanding of myself. Before, I thought therapy was a place where the therapist sits and tells you about yourself. I am happy that I was in control of the process of gaining those insights.”
Developing Skills for the Future
“I feel it has really benefited me and given me tools to use in the future. I have skills and strategies that I can use to prevent myself from becoming overwhelmed.”
Feeling Heard and Understood
“You listened to me without prompting me. This made me feel comfortable and enabled me to feel better and recover. It helped me understand how I really feel, and I thank you for that.”
Reducing Worry and Building Confidence
“It’s been really helpful. It has reduced my worry, which I didn’t think I would be able to stop. I have learned a lot.”
Frequently Asked Questions About Therapy With Umberto
-
Umberto specialises in working with trauma, PTSD, complex trauma, attachment difficulties and repeating relationship patterns. He also supports adults experiencing anxiety, low self-worth, phobias, compulsive behaviours and difficulties establishing safe, fulfilling relationships.
-
You do not need to decide before starting therapy. Umberto will take time to understand your difficulties, history, goals and preferences before recommending an appropriate approach. He can work integratively, drawing on EMDR, CBT, Cognitive Constructivist Psychotherapy and attachment-informed approaches according to your individual needs.
-
Umberto works with adults affected by childhood trauma, emotional neglect, PTSD and complex trauma. EMDR may help some people process distressing memories and reduce the effect those experiences continue to have on their emotions, beliefs and relationships. Umberto will assess whether EMDR is suitable and help you prepare carefully before trauma-processing work begins.
-
EMDR does not always require you to provide a detailed spoken account of everything that happened. However, Umberto will explain the process, assess your readiness and agree a pace that feels manageable. You remain involved in decisions about your therapy throughout.
-
Yes. Umberto supports people experiencing fear of abandonment, difficulty trusting others, emotional dependency, people-pleasing, low self-worth, relationship anxiety and repeated unhealthy patterns. Therapy can help you understand where these responses developed and find safer, more helpful ways of relating to yourself and others.
-
Umberto offers online therapy for adults, allowing you to attend sessions from a private and comfortable location. If he currently provides in-person sessions in Canterbury, add: “He may also offer in-person appointments in Canterbury, Kent, subject to availability.”
Complete our confidential form and the MTO team will contact you with Umberto’s availability, fees and next steps.