Yana Valcheva, BACP

Yana Valcheva is a United Kingdom based counsellor registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) who weaves creativity and body-centred work into a client-led therapeutic practice. She offers a space for talking, exploration and discovery designed to help people relate to themselves with greater kindness and practical self-support. By tuning into bodily sensations and using creative expression, she helps clients access inner resources, find new ways to face difficulties and build confidence in everyday life.

Yana works with adults and young people and integrates a range of creative techniques alongside traditional talking therapy. She has experience supporting young clients with anxiety, pregnancy and child loss, infertility, depression, bereavement, self-harm and eating disorders. Her background in fine art and theatre supports a playful, symbolic approach to meaning-making that can be particularly useful when words alone are not enough.

Yana has worked as a holistic therapist and meditation teacher since 2001 in Bulgaria, India, France and the UK. Her training includes a Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling, an MA in Fine Arts (master level study in visual arts), abdominal sacral massage training and an ITEC diploma in holistic massage. Additional qualifications listed by Yana include Thai yoga massage level 4, doula and birth preparation, advanced bioenergetics trauma bodywork, yoga and meditation teaching, and mastery in Usui and Karuna Reiki healing. This blend of counselling training, creative practice and body-based techniques informs a flexible, person-centred approach to care.

Client-Centred and Body-Informed Online Therapy

Yana uses client-centred therapy as a foundation, which means sessions focus on the client’s experience and pace. This approach prioritises empathetic listening, acceptance and collaboration so clients can explore feelings, make decisions and grow at their own speed. It is well suited to people working through life changes, relationship difficulties, grief or low self-esteem.

Alongside a client-centred framework, Yana incorporates creative and body-informed methods such as guided movement, breath-based practices and symbolic art-making. These methods help when emotions feel hard to name or when past trauma is held in the body, offering alternative pathways to insight and regulation.

Finding the right combination of approaches is part of the therapeutic process and Yana works together with each person to identify what fits best for their needs, goals and preferences. She adapts techniques over time so therapy remains responsive and practical.

Online work with Yana is offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat and text-based messaging. These options make it easier to access consistent support around work, family and geographic constraints, and they give people flexibility to choose the format that feels most comfortable and effective for them.