Welcome to Crea Counselling
Counselling and Psychotherapy in Galway & Online
I'm Valerie Ballarotti
Italian-born, 25+ years in beautiful Galway, I have been a psychotherapist here for over a decade. At Crea Counselling in Lower Salthill, I work with people whose wondrously messy humanity is not unlike my own. Together we slow down, pay attention and learn to navigate anxiety, trauma, loss, burnout, and the challenges of living between cultures and identities. I'm trained in
IFS therapy and
Janina Fisher's Trauma-Informed Parts-Work, which we may use as maps in finding, step by step, your way back home inside. I hold an MA in Counselling & Psychotherapy from the University of East London and I am accredited with both IACP & BACP.
What I Offer
Open IFS
one-to-one
Integrative 'Parts Work' therapy with an experienced IFS trained therapist
how can counselling help?
Having someone who listens to us without judging or nudging, with no agenda about what's best for us, can help us tease out problems and express what we really feel. Counselling is about forming a trusting relationship where we can address delicate questions, knowing that we'll be treated with respect, empathy and honesty.
Here are
4 good reasons
why it's worth giving counselling a go...
telling your story to someone who's NOT in it
Afraid your friends & family might judge you, worry about you or laugh things off? Just saying what's on your mind to a neutral and caring listener can help you feel lighter and clearer
.
figuring out what's right for you and moving towards it
Something needs to change but you don't know what or how? Counselling is a dedicated time for you to reflect on your direction and find the courage to take the next step.
feeling safe enough to let down the armour
Having to put on a brave face can be exhausting and isolating. When we learn to
hold vulnerability in safety and respect it can become a source of true connection and strength.
getting to know yourself better
Therapy is no 'navel-gazing', it is 'inner work': choosing to understand yourself better, confront painful issues and cultivate resources to outgrow them. This can be hard but also rewarding.
