Understanding what sits behind a behaviour can be the first step towards changing it
I work with people who find themselves caught in behaviours or patterns that are affecting their health, relationships or everyday life. You may already understand what you would like to change, but find yourself returning to the same behaviour despite knowing its consequences — leaving you frustrated, confused or critical of yourself.
My approach begins by understanding what that behaviour may be doing for you, rather than simply trying to stop it. Difficult patterns can develop as ways of coping with painful experiences, thoughts or feelings. By approaching them with curiosity rather than judgement, we can begin to understand what keeps them in place and find different ways of responding.
- 15+ years’ experience working with clients
- BACP Accredited Psychotherapist
- Specialist NHS weight management experience
Could we be a good fit?
You may find my approach useful if:
You know there is a behaviour you want to change, but understanding what you “should” do hasn’t been enough to make that change possible.
You struggle with binge eating, restrictive eating, body image or your relationship with food and want to understand what may sit beneath those patterns.
A behaviour such as drinking, shopping or an OCD-related pattern has become a way of managing difficult thoughts or feelings, but is now having a negative impact on your life.
Earlier experiences or trauma continue to influence the way you cope, relate to yourself or respond emotionally today.
You’re struggling to balance work, family and other responsibilities with your own emotional or physical needs, leaving you feeling overwhelmed or burnt out.
You’re living with obesity or using GLP-1 medication and would value psychological support that recognises the wider biological, psychological and environmental factors involved.
What working together can look like
When we first meet, I am interested in understanding the behaviour you would like to change — but also what that behaviour may have come to mean or do for you.
We might explore what was happening when the pattern first developed, how it helped you cope at the time and how it affects your life now. I’ll also want to understand the wider picture: your relationships, family and work life, physical health, earlier experiences and what you hope might become possible if things begin to change.
Looking at behaviour without judgement
My style is conversational, exploratory and reflective. You will generally decide what feels important to focus on in each session, and I’ll help when you’re not sure where to begin.
I’ll ask questions, share observations and offer explanations where I think they may help. At times I may gently challenge something we notice together, but sessions are not usually highly structured or driven by predetermined goals.
An important part of my approach is helping you become curious about behaviours you may previously have judged yourself for.
I draw particularly on Internal Family Systems (IFS). This approach can help us understand behaviour as coming from different “parts” of ourselves that may have developed ways of protecting us from difficult thoughts, feelings or experiences.
A behaviour that is causing problems today may once have served an important purpose. Understanding that can create space to move away from shame or self-blame and begin exploring whether that part of you could respond differently now.
Making change possible in the present
Understanding where a behaviour comes from is only part of the work. I also draw on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help you develop ways of responding differently in the here and now.
This can include mindfulness-based strategies and exploring the values that matter to you, so that change becomes less about fighting with yourself and more about moving towards the life you want to live.
When a problem keeps returning, I also consider factors outside your immediate psychological control. Biology, physical health, genetics, family circumstances and your wider environment can all influence behaviour and make long-term change more difficult.
We’ll look at those barriers together rather than assuming that difficulty changing means you simply aren’t trying hard enough.
We can judge progress through what you notice changing — both in the behaviours that brought you to therapy and in how you understand and respond to yourself.
Areas of experience
My work includes supporting people across a range of behavioural, emotional and health-related difficulties, including:
Binge eating, restrictive eating, eating and body-image difficulties, obesity and health-related behaviour change.
Trauma, anxiety, self-criticism, emotional regulation and recurring emotional or behavioural patterns.
Alcohol, shopping and other behaviours that have become difficult to control or are negatively affecting everyday life.
Relationship and family difficulties, burnout, work-related pressures, life transitions and balancing other responsibilities with your own needs.
About Maya
Maya brings a particular understanding of the relationship between psychology, behaviour and weight through her work as a Specialist Psychotherapist within an NHS weight management clinic.
Her experience means she approaches obesity as a complex, multifactorial chronic condition rather than reducing difficulties with weight to individual choices or willpower. Psychology can be an important part of the picture, but so can biological, genetic, medical and environmental factors.
Maya also has extensive experience working with people using GLP-1 medications, providing psychological support as part of their wider care. This informs her understanding of the emotional and behavioural aspects of treatment and the broader support that may be needed alongside medical interventions.
Across her work, Maya is particularly interested in a question that can easily be overlooked: if a behaviour is causing someone difficulties now, what might it have helped them survive or cope with before?
Understanding that function can help replace judgement with curiosity and create a different starting point for change.
Qualifications & Professional Credentials
Maya began working with clients in 2009 and qualified as a counsellor in 2012.
Diploma in Person-Centred Counselling
Metanoia Institute (2012)
British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy
BACP Accredited Member
Registration number: 033315
Membership number: 00637255
Selected specialist training
View selected specialist training
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IFS Online Circle
IFS Institute -
Web-Centred Training in Enhanced CBT (CBT-E)
Centre for Research on Eating Disorders Oxford (CREDO) -
Essential Obesity: Psychological Interventions
National Centre for Eating Disorders
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Practitioner Skills for Eating Disorders
National Centre for Eating Disorders -
Trauma-Focused ACT
Psychwire
Currently undertaking
What happens when you get in touch?
Start with a conversation
Your free 20-minute discovery call is an opportunity to tell us what has brought you to therapy, what you are looking for and ask any questions you may have.
Find the right fit
We’ll consider your needs, preferences and what you would like from therapy, then recommend the practitioner we believe is best placed to support you.
Agree the next step
If you feel comfortable with the recommendation, our team will talk you through availability, fees and how to arrange your first session.
Fees
Maya’s session length and current fees were not included in the questionnaire response and should be confirmed before publication.
We’ll confirm current availability and answer any practical questions during your discovery call.
You don’t have to have it all figuer out
You may know exactly what you want help with, or simply know that something needs to change.
A free 20-minute discovery call is a chance to talk through what’s been happening, ask any questions and understand the right next step for you.
Confidential – No pressure – Clear next steps