EFT MENTAL WELLNESS PRACTICE OF THE YEAR,
Global awards 2022/23

Gulya Diyarova

EFT Clinic director

Gulya Diyarova

Gulya Diyarova, MSc Tavistock, PgDip Relate Inst, ICEEFT Cert. and ICEEFT Award-winning EFT therapist and supervisor, UKCP Reg, COSRT Accr, BACP, ICEEFT.
A warmest Welcome from me, Gulya Diyarova, EFT Clinic director, proudly introducing our strong team of psychotherapists and psychologists to help you navigate through dilemmas, crises and hardship of life, big or small, past or recent. You are not alone, we are here to accompany you on this journey!

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Get in Touch to schedule Free 20min Initial Phone Assessment or Face-to-Face extended Assessment with your therapist

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I am fully qualified Relationship and Psychosexual therapist trained as a Medical Doctor in my 1st career. I help people change their habitual distressing negative patterns of ‘blame-distance’ or ‘attack-withdraw’ into safe emotional connection and functioning, working predominantly in Emotionally Focused Therapy approach and bringing in other modalities when necessary.

Scope of My Work

I specialise in working with distressed couples on a wide range of emotional, relational and sexual concerns:

  • relationship and marital difficulties,

  • pre-divorce and separation or highly ambivalent couples (Discernment Counseling- in Training),

  • sexual problems in couples and individuals,

  • anxieties and difficulties around sexual performance,

  • problems with desire and arousal,

  • trauma and loss,

  • low self-esteem,

  • difficulties in developing relationships and chronic loneliness,

  • anger issues,

  • parenting related problems,

  • depression,

  • pre-nuptial counseling

I work in many approaches integrated within Emotionally Focused Therapy model, with different and challenging life stage transitions and kinds of relationship, if you are married or not, long-term partners or more recent, separated or together, heterosexual, gay or lesbian – and most importantly the relationship with yourself.

My first career in Moscow was as a medical doctor, paediatrician and clinical neurologist, for 16 years, with PostGraduate qualifications in child development and neuropathology. I moved to the UK in 1993 and later on retrained in Systemic therapy, Psychodynamic approach, Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy, Emotionally Focused Therapy, Early Attachment and Psychopathology, and as a Psychosexual therapist.

Education and Major Qualifications

  • Medical doctor, State Medical University, Kazan, Russia

  • 2-year Post-qualifying Clinical ordinature/residency, State Medical University, Kazan, Russia,

  • Post-qualifying training in Paediatrics, Child Development and Neuropathology, Moscow, Russia,

  • Certificate in Couple counselling, Relate Institute, London,

  • Externship and Core Skills modules 1-4 full training in Emotionally Focused Therapy

  • PostGrad Diploma in Relationship and Psychosexual therapy, Relate Institute, London

  • MSc in Psychosexual Therapy and Relationship, Tavistock Centre, London

  • ICEEFT Certified Emotionally Focused couple therapist (EFT) and supervisor, ICEEFT, Canada

Selected Additional Post-qualifying Training

  • Sensorimotor Psychotherapy: Body-oriented Techniques for Trauma and attachment with Pat Ogden, PhD

  • Gottman Couples Therapy approach, Level 1 clinical training

  • Attachment Theory and Couple Work (Chris Clulow, PhD, Tavistock)

  • Couples and Affairs (Relate Institute, Doncaster)

  • Healing Affairs using Emotionally Focused Therapy (Prof Scott Woolley, PhD)

  • Integrative Counselling Psychology and Psychotherapy (Metanoia Institute, London)

  • Fundamentals of Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (Institute of Psychiatry, London)

  • Attachment and Neuroscience (Glyn Hudson, PhD, London)

  • Advanced Training in Person-Centered Counselling Practice: Emotion-Focused

  • Psychotherapy, Level 1 (University of Strathclyde, Prof Robert Elliott)

  • Emotion-Focused Therapy for Individuals (Prof Robert Elliott, PhD)

  • Core Supervision Course (Centre for Supervision and Team Development, London)

  • Supervising Systemically (Institute of Family Therapy, London)

  • Neuroplasticity and Emotional Processes of the Brain (Alan Schore, PhD, London)

  • Advanced Skills in Couple Work, 4-Day Summer School (Tavistock Centre, London)

  • Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy, Core Clinical Competencies (Christine Padesky, PhD, London)

  • Attachment and Psychopathology (Patricia Critenden, PhD, Tavistock)

  • Sexual Addiction, Men and women (ATSAC, London)

  • AEDP full 5-day Immersion course (Dr Diana Fosha, Rome)

  • Attachment and Trauma Congress, ISC, London

I was the first UK therapist trained and certified in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT).

EFT is the attachment-based warm and collaborative approach, developed by Drs Sue Jonson and Lesley Greenberg, where couples learn to recognise their habitual negative patterns of ‘blame-distance’ or ‘attack-withdraw’, and are able to change them into a safe and loving way of relating.

I pioneered Emotionally Focused Therapy in the UK and have been organising EFT training in London since 2009 with Gail Palmer (co-founder of the approach) and Dr. Scott Woolley, ICEEFT international trainers and close associates of Sue Johnson, actively participating in all stages of EFT training.

I am initiator and founding member of British EFT Community (now Center), BEFT.

I am Director and Organising Committee of EFT INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL staging Annual International EFT Summer Schools in London, UK. I have also been presenting to the School EFT Newcomers cohort since 2016.

I am founder and director of Re-Connect, EFT Clinic in London.

EFT Consultations/ Supervision/ CPD

  • As an ICEEFT certified EFT therapist and supervisor and in addition to my clinical work, I supervise EFT therapists and graduate/postgraduate trainees in person, groups and via Skype.
    I am the first and one of only a few certified EFT supervisor/consultants in the UK for the time being.

  • I offer guidance and coaching through the formal EFT application and certification process to advanced EFT students and can provide specific examples of successful submissions, feedback on your work and support.

  • I lead EFT Continuous Professional Development groups and EFT workshops, regular EFT Supervision groups, EFT Movie Club and Skills Lab.I am a former tutor on MSc programme at Tavistock Centre for Couple Relationship (TCCR) Professional Memberships
    I am UKCP registered, an Accredited member of COSRT (British Association-College of Sexual and Relationship Therapists), a registered member of BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy) and ICEEFT (International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy, Canada).
    I follow and abide by their Code of Practice and Ethics.My work is regularly supervised and the supervision is bound by the the same Code of Practice and Ethics.Gulya, Director and a regular presenter at the EFT INTERNATIONAL Summer SCHOOL, is a proud recipient of ICEEFT John Douglas Reward for Service 2017.

Other Team Members

Laura Vowels

(Currently re-located to Switzerland)

PhD Psychology, MSc Family Sciences, Couple and Family Therapy, PostGrad Certificate Evidence-based psychological practice, BSc Psychology, Emotionally Focused Therapy training

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Kevin Standish

B.Soc.Sci (Hons)(Social Work); Hons (Psychology); Masters (Clinical Psychology); PGDip (Psychotherapy); PGDip (Couple Therapy); PGCert in Higher Education, Emotionally Focused Therapy training

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Azah Yazmin

(Currently re-located to Malaysia)

Law degree, Malaysia University, MA (Counselling Psychology), MSc Psychology, Emotionally Focused Therapy training, Discernment Counselling

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Agnieszka Religa

MSc (Psychology), MSc (Family and Couple Therapy), additional training in Emotionally Focused Therapy

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Elena Churikova

MSc, PGDip (3), EFT (Emotionally Focused Therapy) therapist, EMDR, Discernment Counselling

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Dr Jo Wood

PhD in Psychology, Accred. CBT & Schema therapist, consultant EMDR practitioner, EFT-trained therapist

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Nadine Hastings

MBACP ICEEFT Person Centred Counselling Degree FDSC, Relationship counselling certificate, EFT (Emotionally Focused Therapy), EFIT (Emotionally focused Individual therapy), Discernment couples therapy and EFT level 1 and level 2

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Máire Stedman

B.Soc.Sc (Social Work/Psychology), MSc Family Couple and Systemic Psychotherapy, ADOS-WPS Autism Diagnostic Observation Training, C.C.E.T.S.W. Social Work Practice Teaching Award, Certificate in Divorce & Conciliation, Advanced Diploma in the Supervision of Family & Systemic Psychotherapy, Additional training in Emotionally Focused Therapy;UKCP Reg.

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Michael Preston

(Currently relocated to the US)

Marriage and Family therapist, cert. Emotionally Focused Therapist (EFT), Trauma focused therapy, Addiction issues training

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Marzena Ryglewska

MSc (Family Therapy), MSc (Pedagogy, Social Work and Social Rehabilitation), PGCert (Social
Interventions), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Emotionally Focused Couple
Therapy (EFT) training. (UKCP Registered, member of AFT, ICEEFT, BESF, EMDR Association UK).

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Sedef Oral

BA(Hons)in Guidance and Psycholog cal Counselling; MA in Clinical Psychology & Couples and Family Therapy; MBACP (Accred); RegCOSRT Relationship Therapist; Accredited EMDR Therapist (Europe & UK)

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