Counselling to increase self-confidence

Self-confidence means having trust in oneself and holding oneself in high esteem. It's about feeling "I'm OK."

Some people make distinctions between self-confidence, self-esteem, self-worth and self-respect. They are similar concepts and people with low self-confidence generally don’t value themselves highly.

What is self-confidence?

While everyone struggles with confidence occasionally, some people seem generally more confident than others. People with a healthy level of self-esteem often believe in a set of values and feel secure in these principles. They tend to trust their own judgement and do not feel threatened by other people holding different opinions. They also trust in their capacity to solve problems and face difficulties, and they do not generally feel inferior or superior to others.

Low self-confidence can be debilitating. It may involve an underlying sense of not being good enough or inherently unworthy. People with low self-confidence may avoid difficult situations because they do not believe they can handle them. They may also let others dominate or make decisions for them, trusting another person’s judgement more than their own.

Our clients have reported great results!

Mr K
“I was attending sessions at One Therapy practice for about 1 1/2 years. I am very happy with the result, sessions there really helped me. I am really grateful to my therapist. Someone recommended him to me as a high professional and it proved right, thank you.”
Mrs M
“I can only provide positive comments on my sessions with (my therapist). This was my first experience with a therapist, and she managed to make me feel comfortable. And I must say that the sessions were helpful and efficient.”
Mrs E
“My therapist was extremely helpful, considerate and understanding. I felt she properly understood what the issues I had were, and their underlying causes, and I feel I benefited considerably from the sessions with her.”
Mrs N
“I immediately felt completely at ease as they were very professional while showing genuine care and interest in helping me. I was able to confront many issues which I had so far chosen to ignore despite their negative effects on my personal relationships and happiness. I would have no hesitation in recommending (One Therapy) to anyone looking to improve their relationships and self-esteem.”
Mrs L
“I learned a lot about myself and about the relationships I make with other people. I was able to see where I was going wrong and I now make better personal choices. Thank you, again.”
Mrs R
“I can’t thank you enough for the help and support I got from my appointments. I would highly recommend therapy to anyone now. Therapy helped me in more ways than I could have imagined. Please tell (my therapist) how grateful I am for her help.”

Build your self-confidence through counselling

Low self-esteem often originates in childhood or adolescence. Some people will be able to trace their confidence issues to events such as bullying or to critical messages they received from their parents, for example. Others will be unaware of how their self-confidence problems started. 

Counselling for low self-confidence includes exploration of the origins of the issue. This helps people to understand that the negative beliefs they hold about themselves are distorted or untrue. 

People with low self-esteem may have recurring negative thoughts like:

  • I’m a failure
  • I’m not good enough
  • I’m not as worthy as other people
  • I’m stupid
  • I’m unloveable.They will typically be able to point to lots of ‘evidence’ to support these negative beliefs. When we believe something, we look for evidence to support that belief and discount evidence to the contrary. In this way, people reinforce their self-doubt, generating a powerful, relentless, negative internal voice.

Our counsellors help clients to challenge their negative internal voice. Once it has quietened down, they can be more compassionate with themselves.

Improving your confidence through counselling can have a positive effect on many areas, including your social life, intimate relationship and work. Counselling can be open-ended or time-limited to 10 sessions. Both face-to-face and online counselling are available.

One of our  therapists will be able to help

Confidence is not just something other people have. Self-confidence is attainable for us all.

What is CBT and can it help?

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a practical talking therapy that helps people with problems and issues by addressing and changing how they think and behave. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy focuses on the present problems that are happening now and the relationships between thoughts…

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How does therapy help?

Over the years that I’ve worked as a therapist, I’ve been asked numerous times by prospective clients, “How does counselling help?”  And I’ve yet to come up with a satisfactory answer. Not because I’m in any doubt that it helps, but because the ‘how’ bit is so hard to articulate concisely…

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Counselling for individuals

Personal counselling can be about anything that is on your mind.

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Couples counselling

Couples counselling provides space for couples to discuss problems in their relationship and find solutions.

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Our therapists

We have over 30 qualified and experienced therapists to choose from.

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One Therapy London

Counselling, psychotherapy, couples counselling in London since 2006

Melinda Shalet - Therapist
Melinda Shalet

Melinda is an integrative therapist, offering a tailored approach to suit each client’s individual requirements She brings to her practice an understanding of high‑pressure environments shaped by her 20‑year career in the financial sector Melinda’s clients find her calm, compassionate and thoughtful approach to be transformative As therapy progresses,...

Oxford Circus

Geraldine Abberton - Therapist
Geraldine Abberton

Geraldine is an integrative therapist who draws on a range of therapeutic approaches including person-centred, CBT and psychodynamic modalities, to meet each client’s unique needs She believes in her clients’ innate resilience and capacity for growth, and helps them make sense of current challenges and past experiences, to gain the insight and self-understanding...

Oxford Circus

Annabel Lear - Therapist
Annabel Lear

Annabel is an integrative therapist offering both short- and long-term therapy Acknowledging that beginning therapy can feel daunting, Annabel establishes a secure and collaborative therapeutic relationship grounded in trust, empathy and genuine understanding Working from a humanistic-integrative perspective, Annabel believes every person has an innate capacity for...

Oxford Circus

Christine Andreasen - Therapist
Christine Andreasen

Christine (she/her) is an integrative counsellor, relationship therapist and psychosexual therapist She offers a warm and safe space to individuals and couples, with room for both tears and laughter Her approach is relational, curious and personal, focusing on understanding what makes each individual unique She works alongside her clients as they explore their...

Oxford Circus

Therapist Natasha Maidment
Natasha Maidment

Natasha is a person–centred counsellor and psychotherapist who will provide you with a safe, empathetic and non-judgemental space to explore any thoughts or concerns you wish to bring She works with a range of issues including anxiety, stress, critical thoughts, trauma, relationship issues, identity, depression, loss and low self-esteem Natasha offers a...

Oxford Circus

Therapist Tom Deitch
Tom Deitch

Tom is a popular and approachable psychotherapist who has extensive experience working with people from a variety of social and cultural backgrounds He brings a wealth of life experience, training and understanding to his work, offering help with depression, trauma, anxiety, abuse, sexual problems, addiction, relationship difficulties and many of the other obstacles life...

Oxford Circus

Therapist Stamatia Lorentzou
Stamatia Lorentzou

A senior therapist, Stamatia has been with One Therapy London for many years She holds a doctorate in counselling psychology and is a registered psychotherapist Stamatia knows it can be difficult to understand or cope with the strong feelings that life’s experiences can sometimes bring Talking with an experienced therapist is a way of thinking things through and...

Bloomsbury

Therapist Andreea Gligore
Andreea Gligore

Andreea has a wonderful ability to put people at ease Her clients say they feel safe and relaxed with her Those who were anxious about coming to therapy often comment that she made it much more comfortable than they were expecting Her style is integrative-relational What that means is that she pays particular attention to relationships, as that is where most distress...

Oxford Circus

Therapist Yussef Ferguson
Yussef Ferguson

Yussef offers a warm and confidential space to explore life’s challenges He is a psychodynamic therapist and works in a way that explores how past experiences and hidden patterns may shape your present thoughts, feelings and relationships In meetings with Yussef, you can speak freely about whatever feelings, memories or experiences are important to you You will begin...

Oxford Circus

Therapist Shelly Klein
Shelley Klein

As a psychodynamic therapist Shelley brings a wealth of experience to her work and supports her patients to talk about those aspects of their lives they are finding painful, upsetting or difficult to deal with, in a confidential, non-judgmental and peaceful setting Shelley is particularly interested in working with those who are experiencing depression, bereavement, high...

Bloomsbury