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Raf Goovaerts

About Me

My Approach

First and foremost, I would like to learn more about what brings you to therapy and the uniqueness of your experience. Sometimes these are experiences from the past, or they can be current events, or indeed worries or aspirations for the future. So I will listen, aim to understand, attune to your reality, and open up a space for deeper exploration. I will not judge, label or diagnose.

We will work collaboratively to explore the best ways for you to let go of what causes suffering at this time and orient towards becoming more resilient so you can enjoy an increased level of happiness. I like to encourage you to bring your whole being into the therapy room, mind, body, heart and soul. You might feel you need a better understanding of the issues that bring you into therapy, or you might want to explore your emotional reactions to others or events, or you might wish for a space to deepen into your embodied experience, and perhaps open up to the larger questions we all face in life.

I find that working on integrating your outer and inner journeys in life can help you to feel more resilient to be with our experience, past, current and future. Increased resilience creates more freedom to move forward in life.

My Background

I grew up in the countryside in Belgium and went to university in Antwerp. At the age of 21, I left for Italy, then the US, to continue my university studies in economics, anthropology and international relations. I then spent over 20 years in the investment banking, private equity, and impact investing industry in New York and London.

My interest in psychotherapy grew out of the practice of Advaita (‘oneness’) philosophy, yoga and meditation which ran alongside my professional career. Most importantly, my own experience in life guided me towards becoming a psychotherapist.

My working language is English of course but I also speak Dutch, Italian and French. In my free time, I enjoy reading, open water swimming, tennis, skiing and snowboarding.

My Training & Experience

I trained at The Karuna Institute as a Core Process Psychotherapist, a mindfulness-based or contemplative form of psychotherapy, and qualified with an MA in Mindfulness-Based Psychotherapeutic Practice. I am a registered member of the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) and the Association of Core Process Psychotherapists (ACPP). Core Process Psychotherapy sits within the Humanistic & Integrative College of UKCP.

I have been working as a psychotherapist in private practice for over five years and have also worked at the Centre for Better Health in Hackney for several years.

I am also a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner. Somatic Experiencing is a body-oriented approach to the healing of trauma and other stress disorders. The Somatic Experiencing approach aims to safely release traumatic shock, allowing for a natural transformation of both PTSD and the wounds of emotional and early childhood trauma.