francesca lo verso counselling and psychotherapy
My name is Francesca. The following bio may offer some more background on why I
work the way I do. I grew up in Italy, but I spent half of my life outside my
country of origin. This brought me face to face with the challenges of finding a
sense of belonging and home elsewhere. This makes me particularly attuned to
cross-cultural dynamics, multi-lingual living and the struggles of understanding
who we are in this new reality. My early studies (a degree in International
Relationships and Peace Studies) helped me understand human distress from the
perspective of power dynamics and systemic oppression, hence why my framework of
reference is systemic. A decade later, when I retrained as a counsellor, I
combined my earlier studies and previous work experience in the third sector
(ranging from supporting victims of human trafficking and refugees to the
homeless) to find voluntary and subsequently paid work within a counselling
service for people who use substances and are involved with the criminal justice
system. Through my time at this counselling service, I understood trauma from a
systemic point of view and learned to convey safety and support clients to find
it in their life and within themselves. I am now a senior counsellor for a local
charity for alcohol use. Since 2017, I’ve volunteered as a counsellor for the
therapeutic community Time and Space, supporting people who hear voices,
dissociate, and self-harm. My experience here has taught me how to look beyond
the labels, centre the person in the work we do together and trust, no matter
what, that the person knows best what works for them in their healing journey.
Alongside this, over the years, I have nurtured a deep connection with nature,
which kinship brought me a sense of connection, dignity and respect that I now
extend to the other-than-human beings and world, too (hence why I have embraced
a vegan lifestyle).
