Ilaria Calussi, BACP

Ilaria Calussi is a systemic and relational psychotherapist with more than 25 years of experience and a broad training background in family therapy, gestalt therapy, trauma-informed cognitive behavioral approaches, therapeutic play, clinical supervision, and autism and ADHD specialist work. Her varied skill set enables a flexible practice that adapts to the needs of individuals, couples, and families.

Throughout her career she has worked with leading mental health organisations including Place2Be, Mind, Family Action, social care services, and the NHS. Her roles have included managing school-based services, supervising children and families social care teams, and supporting autistic people and their families in a role at the National Autism Unit within the NHS. In addition to clinical work, she maintains a private practice and lectures in psychology and counselling at the Open University.

Ilaria supports couples, families, and individuals with relationship and attachment concerns, trauma and abuse, neurodiversity, gender and sexuality matters, stress, and anxiety. Her practice is grounded in systemic and intersectional thinking and draws on attachment theory, findings from neuroscience, and creative methods to help people make sense of their experiences and build stronger connections.

Personal experience of solo parenting, neurodivergence, and queer relationships informs Ilaria's down-to-earth and empathetic style. She aims to offer a supportive space where people can explore challenges, develop resilience, and work toward meaningful change.

Attachment, Client-Centered, and CBT Approaches Online

Ilaria Calussi uses Attachment-Based Therapy to explore how early relationships shape current patterns and to help people develop more secure, connected ways of relating; this approach can be especially useful for relationship, attachment, and parenting challenges. She also draws on Client-Centered Therapy, which focuses on providing empathic, non-judgmental presence so clients can lead the pace and content of their own healing; this method supports self-exploration and resilience. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is used to identify and gently challenge unhelpful thinking and behaviour patterns, helping with stress, anxiety, and many everyday difficulties.

Choosing the right approach is part of the therapeutic process. Ilaria will work collaboratively with each person, couple, or family to identify which methods best fit their goals, needs, and preferences, and may integrate techniques from different models as appropriate.

Online therapy with Ilaria is offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, which makes scheduling more flexible and accessible for people with busy lives, caregiving responsibilities, or mobility limits. Registered professionals can adapt these formats to support ongoing work, short-term goals, or family and relationship sessions across different time zones.