I’m an adult psychotherapist based in South Kensington.
If you’d like me to listen to you, please book your time here.
About
Luca d’Avanzo MA (Oxon), MProf, MBPC
Adult Psychotherapist
Liberis Practice, South Kensington
I trained first at the Tavistock Clinic twenty years ago, working in CAMHS at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. I later joined a multi-disciplinary CAMHS team in Westminster before moving into private practice in West London, where I now see adults. Alongside that, I trained separately as an Adult Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist at the British Psychotherapy Foundation. Before training as a psychotherapist, I read Modern Languages at the University of Oxford. I am British and Italian, and work in English.
I am a member of the Association of Child Psychotherapists and the British Psychotherapy Foundation, and registered with the British Psychoanalytic Council (no. 9624). I have also served on the editorial board of the journal Infant Observation.
Approach
My starting point is psychoanalytic. I am interested in how you may have arrived at a place where patterns in behaviour or relationships keep repeating and fulfilment feels out of reach. Being listened to carefully can make those patterns clearer — and with that clarity, more choice about what comes next.
People often come when low mood or anxiety has settled in; when self-esteem, direction or motivation have thinned out; when relationships feel stuck; or when loss, change or questions of identity are hard to carry alone.
If you’d like a conversation first, please book your time.
FAQs
How much does psychotherapy cost in London?
An initial assessment is £170 and ongoing 50-minute sessions are £150. A limited number of reduced-fee places are available.
What is the difference between a psychotherapist and a psychologist?
Both work with emotional difficulties, but the trainings differ. Psychologists train in psychology more broadly and often draw on a range of approaches, while psychotherapists train in a particular way of doing therapy. I am a psychotherapist: my training is psychoanalytic, at the Tavistock Clinic and the British Psychotherapy Foundation.
What is psychodynamic psychotherapy?
It is a talking therapy that looks at how past experiences, and feelings we are not always aware of, shape how we live and relate to others now. Sessions are a place to speak as freely as you can, and together we try to understand the patterns that keep repeating. There is more on my psychodynamic psychotherapy page.
What is the difference between counselling and psychotherapy?
The two overlap, and the words are often used interchangeably. Broadly, counselling is often shorter-term and focused on a particular difficulty, while psychotherapy tends to be longer and to explore deeper, long-standing patterns; the trainings also differ in length and focus. Both can help, and what matters most is finding a way of working that suits you.
What happens in the first session?
The first meeting is an initial assessment. You can tell me as much or as little as you like about what has brought you, and I may ask a little about your history and what you hope for. The assessment is a chance for us both to think about whether working together feels right.
How long does psychotherapy take, and how often would we meet?
Sessions last 50 minutes. We usually meet weekly, sometimes more often, which we can discuss. Psychoanalytic psychotherapy tends to be open-ended, and how long we continue is something we decide together.
Do you offer online sessions, or only in person?
I work mainly in person at the Liberis Practice, 27 Emperor’s Gate, South Kensington, with online sessions where appropriate.
Are you a registered psychotherapist?
Yes. I am registered with the British Psychoanalytic Council (no. 9624) and trained at the Tavistock Clinic and the British Psychotherapy Foundation.
How do I know if psychotherapy is right for me?
This way of working often suits people who feel that something keeps repeating – in relationships, at work or in their mood – and want to understand why. You don’t need to know exactly what is wrong before you come. The initial assessment is a chance for us both to think about whether working together feels right.
What kind of issues do you work with?
People come to see me with many kinds of difficulty: anxiety, depression and low mood, relationships that feel stuck, and loss or big changes in their lives. Others come with questions of self-esteem or identity, or simply a sense that something isn’t right.
Is what I say in therapy confidential?
Yes. What you tell me stays between us, within the usual limits: if there were a serious risk of harm to you or someone else, or if the law required it, I might need to share information. As is usual in psychotherapy, I may discuss my work in confidential supervision, without details that could identify you.
Do you see couples or children?
No. I work with individual adults only.
Book your time
If you’d like a conversation first, please book your time.
Initial assessment £170; 50-minute sessions £150. A limited number of reduced-fee places are available. I work mainly in person, with online sessions where appropriate.
Liberis Practice, 27 Emperor's Gate, London SW7 4HS