Testimonials
Anita helped me following my diagnosis of burnout, depression and anxiety which occurred following a number of successive major life events. She is a knowledgeable, experienced and astute professional with a supportive and flexible approach. Her insightful input improved my awareness and understanding of the difficult and unhelpful thoughts and feelings I can have and provided me with a variety of different tools and techniques to use when they occur. Before meeting Anita I was feeling overwhelmed with life and having difficulty coping. The sessions have definitely contributed to an improvement in my overall wellbeing and functioning. If you are considering a CBT therapist you are in very safe hands with Anita! 'Dr D', Jan 24
Dr. Anita Goraya has helped me to manage my health anxiety. I found it very easy to talk to her as she put me at ease and made me feel comfortable. After the first few sessions I was starting to feel more confident in managing my health anxiety, and towards the end of my CBT course, I was managing it well. The techniques I have learnt along with the resources have been very helpful, and are tools I will continue using. Thank you, Dr. Anita, for your help. 'Jay', Feb 22
At a time when I felt overwhelmed with my family and working life, I was introduced to Dr Goraya through the Practitioner Health Programme. I was new to therapy and CBT, but I was aware that there is a large evidence base for this treatment and I was keen to try anything to make me feel better.From the very start, in spite of virtual appointments due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr Goraya put me at ease and clearly explained the process. I found her feedback and encouragement very positive and exploring my strongly held (unhelpful) beliefs about life were very revealing. With her expert guidance I made rapid progress and now feel more resilient, armed with strategies to help maintain my improvement.From a personal viewpoint, taking to a fellow doctor and trained CBT therapist made the whole experience easier for me. Although with her engaging manner and sensitivity, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her to anyone. In fact I have already encouraged a friend to see her! 'Dr B, 2021'
Anita helped me to look constructively at my unhelpful and debilitating patterns of thinking. She did this with compassion, empathy and a welcome practicality. As a result of our sessions, I now have a constructive psychological ‘toolkit’ to return to when I need this and I have experienced a positive and consistent pattern of change in thought since we met. The colour is coming back into a world that’s been grey for a while. I’m sure that this change would not have happened without her wisdom and support. I highly recommend her CBT services.'Em', Oct 2021
I came to Anita with a diagnosis of complex trauma, the effects of which had become completely overwhelming and debilitating. The past was something I was living with every day. I had never felt less connected to myself or less in control. I had tried therapy in the past but my sessions with Anita were the first time I felt comfortable and safe enough to delve into the real issues and understand them as not intrinsic to myself. Anita’s patient, compassionate and level-headed approach made a world of difference to me. CBT gave me the tools I needed to better understand my patterns and incrementally move beyond the beliefs that were tied to past experiences and the cycle of reactivity and sadness that resulted. It gave me the practical tools to regulate my emotions, which will be a lifelong benefit of my time with Anita. Anita is a talented professional and I am very grateful for her support. 'Fay', 2021
Dr Anita is easy to talk to, warm, empathetic and down to earth. I’m so much happier since my CBT sessions and couldn’t have made the changes I needed without her support. CBT has taught me about myself which has not always been easy. It’s meant thinking about emotions and events that I find very difficult but I was able to trust Dr Anita and she gave me space to find my answers. CBT’s given me tools to challenge my thoughts and logical ways to consider my emotions. I feel much more confident in myself and having these new skills is a huge part of that. 'Lee', 2021
I came to Anita struggling with agoraphobia which had been going on for several years, to varying degrees. In the first session, I found standing at the end of my driveway difficult. After sixteen weeks of working with Anita, including a revelatory diagnosis, I am able to walk my dog again and have even stopped some of my medication. It was the best CBT I've ever had. 'Lou', 2021
I've suffered from chronic pain for the past 8 years, and before starting with Dr Anita, felt that it was a defining aspect of my life. She helped me reframe my relationship with pain, making me feel in control and helping me develop life long, actionable skills that I can use to reframe my relationship with pain and leaving me in control of the relationship. I am hugely thankful to her and would recommend her to anyone struggling with chronic pain. 'Pete', 2021
I came to Anita after suffering with un-diagnosed anxiety for 4 years, which culminated in me being unable to sleep several nights a week. Not only did we tackle the insomnia, but we also went to the root of my anxiety and explored the reasons for why it had occurred. The techniques that I learnt in CBT were nothing short of life changing and quite frankly live saving. Following 3 months of therapy I was able to conquer my fear of sleep. Anita instantly made me feel comfortable and by the end of our sessions she had taught me how to deal with the anxiety that I had been suffering with. ‘Jay’, 2018
I found the sessions very well structured. Anita helped me understand the root cause of my anxiety which caused Irritable Bowel Syndrome symptoms at times. This allowed me to work on how I could manage the anxiety moving forward with different strategies and techniques. I was then far better equipped to handle situations (particularly at work) that I would have found very problematic and almost impossible, by using the new techniques and thought processes I had learnt during the sessions, providing me with the tools to better manage day to day. Anita empathized with how I felt, she is professional, pragmatic and a good listener. Following my CBT therapy with Anita, I’m able to use the techniques I learnt in the sessions, greatly reducing my anxiety and IBS to the point where it’s no longer a big issue for me and I can now live my life. ‘Fran’, 2017
Anita is a very gifted Therapist and clearly very dedicated and hard working. Through defining my anxiety condition clinically and breaking it down in a simple way, I feel less overwhelmed, more able to deal with it and less guilty for having it. The sessions have given me a more objective, manageable perspective and viewpoint of my issues. ‘Mo’, 2020
CBT and my experience working with Anita, in short, has given me control over my life for the very first time. My entire life I thought worrying myself sick, having semi-regular panic attacks and hating myself was simply who I was, and the notion of changing was an unrealistic fantasy. I had been to three therapists before I came to Anita and I honestly have only noticed a real change in my life ever since beginning our sessions. Along with the support of my partner, Anita was one of the only people in my life who convinced me that my mental health is a priority that needed to be taken seriously. Knowing that I tended to see the world in black and white and could only be convinced by objective evidence, Anita and I constantly tailored behavioural experiments to challenge my maladaptive behaviours, and to test the waters- if only to see if taking 15 minute breaks at work to have a cup of tea would make my entire word come crashing down. As Anita may have predicted, it simply did not. While these may seem like simple lessons, for this and much more, I am forever grateful. I have read many of these types of testimonials in the past, and in all honesty, they seemed as helpful as a motivational fridge magnet, and completely inapplicable to my life. However, as a sceptic in almost all aspects of life, I can only claim that as a result of CBT, I have seen concrete, real changes to my mindset, behaviours, relationships, work ethic, and overall quality of life. ‘Jack’, 2020
I met Anita in a very difficult moment of my life, and she was able to support me in a confident, constructive and effective way. Since the first contact I made with Anita, I felt I could trust her, her sense of duty, and her professionalism. Always emphatic and respectful, and never invasive, Anita supported me to deal with the issues I was confusingly facing (mainly generalised anxiety) and made me able to become more aware of my strengths. Through our sessions, and by practicing in between sessions, I learnt useful skills and techniques, and I gradually understood that there is always a different (and better) way to approach our issues and challenges. In a relatively short period of time, I felt empowered and in control, and I managed to overcome issues I had tried to fix for a long time before. Anita has great communication skills, is flexible, and able to create a relaxed environment, making the patient feeling in a safe place. My experience was totally positive and successful, and I would not hesitate to recommend Anita to anyone close to me. ‘Jo’, 2020.
Adrian Chiles - TV presenter and broadcaster - Guardian article (30 Sep 2020) on his diagnosis and treatment of ADHD
read the article here...