Services
Depression & Low Mood
Persistent sadness, emptiness, or a loss of interest in life can make even the simplest things feel out of reach. Depression affects people from all walks of life and rarely has a single cause. Working with Maya, you will explore the underlying patterns keeping you stuck and develop practical, compassionate strategies to help you reconnect with yourself and the life you want.
Anxiety & Stress
Anxiety and chronic stress can leave you feeling constantly on edge, overwhelmed, or unable to switch off — even when nothing is visibly wrong. These responses are real, and they are understandable. Maya works with you to understand what is driving them, challenge unhelpful thought cycles, and build lasting tools for calm and resilience.
Trauma & PTSD
Traumatic experiences — whether recent or from the distant past — can leave a lasting imprint on how we feel, think, and relate to others. You do not have to keep carrying them alone. Drawing on approaches including EMDR, trauma-focused CBT, and body-aware techniques, Maya creates a safe, paced space in which healing genuinely becomes possible.
Relationships & Communication
Difficulties in relationships — whether with a partner, family member, colleague, or friend — can be a profound source of pain and confusion. Struggles with communication, boundaries, attachment, or recurring conflict often reflect patterns that began long before the relationship itself. Maya helps you understand those patterns and find new, healthier ways of connecting.
Life Transitions & Identity
Major life changes — a new role, the end of a relationship, becoming a parent, loss of purpose, or simply a growing sense that something needs to shift — can unsettle even the most grounded of us. These moments, though difficult, can also be powerful catalysts for growth. Maya supports you in making sense of who you are now and who you want to become.
Chronic Illness & Long-Term Health
Living with a long-term health condition or chronic pain affects far more than the body — it can challenge your sense of identity, independence, and emotional wellbeing. The psychological toll of ongoing illness is real and deserves dedicated attention. Maya brings both clinical expertise and genuine empathy to support you in adapting, coping, and finding meaning alongside your experience.
My Approach
Healing Begins With Acknowledging The Problem
Reaching out for support is already a profound act of courage — and it matters.
Maya's approach to therapy is integrative and deeply client-centred, meaning that no single method is applied uniformly. Instead, she draws from a broad palette of evidence-based frameworks — including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR), Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT), and Mindfulness — selecting and blending techniques that genuinely fit you. She also makes use of metaphor, guided visualisation, and imaginative exercises to make complex internal experiences more accessible, always working within a systemic understanding of the individual.
At the heart of Maya's practice is the belief that real therapeutic change happens within a trusting, genuine relationship. Every session offers a confidential, non-judgemental space — a place where you can begin to explore the patterns, emotions, and behaviours that may have felt impossible to examine on your own. There is no pressure to move faster than you are ready for. You set the pace. Whether you are navigating something acute or have been carrying a burden for years, Maya meets you where you are and walks alongside you at every step.
Take the 1st Step Towards a New You
Confidentiality and Trust
Everything you share in sessions with Maya is held in the strictest confidence, in full accordance with the ethical codes of both the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and the British Psychological Society (BPS). Your privacy is not simply a professional obligation — it is the bedrock on which meaningful therapy is built. In the rare circumstances where confidentiality may need to be carefully considered (such as serious safeguarding concerns), Maya explains this openly and transparently at the very start of your work together, so there are never any surprises.
Collaborative Relationship
Maya views therapy as a genuine partnership — she works with you, not on you. From the very first session, she prioritises building a strong, honest working relationship, because research consistently shows that the quality of the therapeutic alliance is one of the most powerful drivers of lasting change. You remain the expert on your own life. Clients set the pace, shape the focus, and guide the direction of the work — Maya's role is to offer expertise, perspective, and steady support as you find your own path forward.
Emotional Exploration and Support
Therapy with Maya is a space to gently turn towards thoughts, emotions, and behaviours that may have felt too overwhelming, confusing, or painful to examine alone. She draws on a rich range of techniques — including deep relaxation, guided visualisations, and the careful use of metaphor — to make even the most difficult internal territory feel approachable and manageable. You will never be pushed into territory you are not ready for. The work unfolds at a pace that respects both your courage and your limits.
Dr. Maya Starling,
I became a psychologist because I believe every person deserves to feel understood, supported, and capable of change. Whatever you bring to our sessions, I will meet you with care, honesty, and complete dedication. Your wellbeing matters deeply to me — and I am committed to earning your trust, every single session.
I work within a code of ethics set by the Health and Care Professions Council and the British Psychological Society
London Office
Langdale House, 11 Marshalsea Road, Unit 306, SE1 1 En, London bridge
Brentwood Office
55 Corwn Street, CM14 4BD, Brentwood, Eessex
drmstarling@serenitymindspace.co.uk