My Approach

ABOUT ME
I am a UKCP-accredited Integrative Psychotherapist with experience working both short- and long-term in the public and private sectors in the UK. I have worked with clients (adults only, 18+) from diverse backgrounds, presenting a wide range of issues such as depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and relationship difficulties.

I also have specialist training and extensive experience working with trauma, PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), and Complex PTSD. I am an EMDR Europe Accredited Practitioner, having completed advanced training in this area.

Being an integrative therapist means I recognise and value the uniqueness of each individual. No single approach suits everyone, so my work is shaped by the specific needs of each client. My integration draws from a variety of therapeutic modalities and is always adapted to support the person in front of me.

My training as a psychotherapist was comprehensive and rigorous, involving several years of academic study, clinical practice, personal therapy, and supervision. I maintain my professional accreditation through yearly renewals and undergo formal re-accreditation every five years, which includes regular engagement in continuing professional development (CPD).

HOW CAN PSYCHOTHERAPY HELP
There are times in life when we all need someone to talk to—someone who can support us through a period of transition or difficulty. Whether you're feeling confused or low about a current situation, facing challenges in relationships, or struggling to move on from difficult or traumatic past experiences, psychotherapy can help.

Sometimes it’s not easy to talk to those close to us, and taking that first step into therapy can feel daunting. But creating space to explore what’s happening internally can be a powerful and healing process.

Psychotherapy can also support people who are not necessarily in crisis but are seeking greater self-understanding or are considering a change in direction.

In my practice, I offer a confidential, compassionate, and non-judgmental space where you can explore whatever feels important to you. The therapeutic relationship can foster emotional growth, insight, and transformation. It can help you work through painful feelings, find clarity, and bring about lasting change.

If you’re curious about how therapy with me might work, I offer a free initial consultation. Please feel free to get in touch.

WORKING WITH TRAUMA AND DEVELOPMENTAL INJURIES
“We don’t survive trauma as a result of conscious decision-making... Later, we may pay a price for these instinctive responses: we have made it without bearing witness to our own experience.”
(Fisher, 2023)

During moments of trauma, stress, or threat, the brain prioritises survival over processing. Our nervous system shifts into automatic responses—fight, flight, freeze, or shut down. Because of this, the memory of the event may not be processed in a typical way. Instead, parts of the experience—such as bodily sensations, emotions, impulses, or sensory impressions—may remain unprocessed and fragmented.
Later, these implicit components can be reactivated in the present by reminders of the original event, but they don’t feel like memories; they feel like something happening now.

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) and the Sensorimotor Psychotherapy approach work with both the body and the mind to help process and integrate these fragmented experiences. Together, they offer interventions that go beyond traditional talk therapy, allowing for resolution of trauma at the physiological and emotional levels.

As Ogden and Minton (2000) noted:
“Trauma profoundly affects the body, and many symptoms of traumatised individuals are somatically based. Traditional talk therapy often lacks techniques that directly address these physiological elements.”

These body-based approaches can help the nervous system complete unfinished responses and bring resolution to traumatic memories that continue to affect daily life.

LENGTH OF THERAPY
The duration of therapy depends on your needs and goals. Some clients seek short-term therapy for a specific issue, while others may engage in longer-term work to explore deeper, more longstanding patterns or relational wounds.
As the work progresses, new themes may emerge that were previously outside of awareness. Therapy offers space for these deeper processes to unfold at your own pace.

ONLINE AND FACE-TO-FACE WORK
At present, I only offer online sessions to existing clients who usually attend face-to-face sessions with me. Therefore, I work in a hybrid model, but require some in-person sessions as part of the therapeutic process, due to the nature of my approach.

About Me

I am a fully qualified and accredited psychotherapist and a registered member of the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP). I adhere to the UKCP Code of Ethics and Professional Practice.
I am also a member of: the Regent’s School of Psychotherapy and Psychology, and the Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapy College (HIPC).
In addition, I am an EMDR Europe Accredited Practitioner, recognised by EMDR UK for having completed advanced training in EMDR therapy.

TRAINING AND QUALIFICATIONS:

- EMDR Europe Accredited Practitioner
Accreditation awarded by the EMDR UK Accreditation Committee.
This recognition is given to practitioners who have undergone supervision beyond standard EMDR training and demonstrated clinical competence to an EMDR Consultant.

- EMDR Trained Therapist
Trained with Richman EMDR Training Ltd.

- Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute (SPI) – Level 2 Certificate
180 hours: Emotional Processing, Meaning Making, and Attachment Repair
View my profile on the SPI Therapist Directory: https://sensorimotorpsychotherapy.org/therapist-directory/m-antonieta-olguin-cigarroa/

- Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute (SPI) – Level 1 Certificate
80 hours: Affect Dysregulation, Survival Defences, and Traumatic Memory
Training focused on affect regulation, attachment, and trauma.
Registered SPI therapist.

- Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute (SPI) – Level 1 (Re-taken)
93 hours: Affect Dysregulation, Survival Defences, and Traumatic Memory
Completed again to reinforce knowledge and integrate advances in neuroscience and trauma treatment. Certificate in "Psicoterapia Sensoriomotriz para el tratamiento del trauma".

- Advanced Diploma in Integrative Psychotherapy (ADIP)
Regent’s University London
Training included systemic and psychosexual therapy, gestalt and focusing approaches, critical psychopathology, CBT, Jungian, and transpersonal approaches.

- Postgraduate Diploma in Psychotherapy & Counselling (Level 7 MA Equivalent)
Regent’s University London
Specialising in psychodynamic, existential, and humanistic theories and approaches.

- Foundation Certificate in Psychotherapy & Counselling
Regent’s University London

- Master of Education (MEd)
University of Cambridge (Cantab)

- Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE)
University of Hertfordshire

- BA (Hons) 1st Class
University of Hertfordshire

I work with

• Individuals

Special Interests

Like all UKCP registered psychotherapists and psychotherapeutic counsellors I can work with a wide range of issues, but here are some areas in which I have a special interest or additional experience.

Types of Therapies Offered

• Integrative Psychotherapist

What I can help with

• Anxiety
• EMDR
• Post-Traumatic Stress
• Stress
• Trauma