Ayesha Kapila
she/her
I'm a BACP-registered integrative psychotherapist and counsellor, offering in-person therapy in East London (E2, Bethnal Green) and online across the UK.
I work primarily with people from the Global Majority, including British South Asian communities, exploring grief, trauma, relational wounds, and the effects of growing up between cultures.
My approach is integrative, depth-oriented, and shaped by a background in arts and culture. I'm interested in liminality, otherness, and the stories we carry that haven't yet found their shape.
My approach
Integrative psychotherapy draws from different therapeutic models and evidence-based practices, shaped around your individual needs.
I work primarily from a psychodynamic tradition, with additional training in trauma and grief work — working responsively and intuitively, rather than following a fixed method.
Relationship is at the heart of how I work. My practice is grounded in the understanding that our inner lives are shaped not just by personal history, but by the cultural inheritances, community expectations, and systemic experiences we carry — often without language for them.
My thinking has been shaped by a long background in arts and culture and by working with a women's mental health non-profit in East London, with women who have rarely felt safe enough to tell their stories. Both have permanently shaped how I understand what it means to hold someone's experience with care.
My work is professionally supervised and guided by the BACP's Ethical Framework.
What I help with
I offer a calm, thoughtful, and culturally aware space to explore what's bringing you to therapy. People come to me carrying many different things. Some arrive with a name for it, but others simply know that something isn't right:
Anxiety and depression
Cultural and cross-cultural concerns
Trauma, including childhood, intergenerational, and relational experiences
Neurodiversity, self-discovery, and identity exploration
Spirituality, belonging, and meaning
Identity, self-worth, and self-esteem
The emotional impact of illness and chronic conditions
Sex, intimacy, and relational challenges
Sessions and fees
I offer both short-term therapy (typically 6–12 sessions) and open-ended work, for adults online across the UK and in person in Bethnal Green, East London. Sessions are 50 minutes, scheduled weekly at a regular time that works for both of us.
The first session lasts one hour (£80) and is a chance to explore what's brought you to therapy, think about what approach might suit you, and get a feel for how we'll work together — with no obligation to continue.
My standard fee is £80 per 50-minute session. I also hold a small number of reduced-cost places for those on a low income.
To learn more about how sessions work, read my FAQ.
What clients say
“Therapy with Ayesha has helped me on both a foundational and a practical level. It's given me the space to make sense of things from my past and understand myself more deeply — which has created a stronger emotional foundation. At the same time, it's given me practical tools I can actually use in everyday life. Together, both aspects have made a real difference in how I feel and cope.”
“When I first arrived at therapy, I couldn't see a future for myself. Now I can. After six months, I'm much more independent. I'm hopeful — for my own business, finding my own home and creating a safe space for my family, for my future travels around the world.”
Contact
I currently have limited availability to take on new clients. You're welcome to book a free 15-minute consultation to explore whether we'd be a good fit — if I'm not able to offer ongoing sessions right now, I'll let you know honestly and you're welcome to be added to my waiting list.
If you have any further questions that aren't covered in the FAQ, please get in touch at hello@ayeshakapila.com. I aim to respond to all emails within two working days.
You can also find me on Substack, where I write Understory — essays on psychotherapy, culture, and the inner lives of women navigating multiple worlds.