Relational trauma-informed psychotherapy in Reading and online
When understanding alone has not been enough
Carefully paced, relational psychotherapy for anxiety, overwhelm, shutdown, and recurring patterns
Therapy with Paolo Imbalzano, UKCP Registered Psychotherapist and Clinical Supervisor, in Shinfield, Reading, Berkshire and online.
A place to begin
You may be here because something has felt difficult for a long time:
anxiety that does not settle
overwhelm that comes quickly
shutdown or disconnection
exhaustion
relationship patterns that keep repeating
Sometimes what feels most real is not a therapy category, but the impact these patterns are having on daily life.
You may already have spent a long time trying to make sense of things, and still find that something in you reacts before you can choose differently.
Therapy can offer a steady place to begin noticing these responses with care — without forcing change too quickly.
This may be for you if
You might recognise some of these experiences:
Part of you understands what is happening, but your responses still do not shift
You feel pulled into anxiety, shutdown, dissociation, or hypervigilance
The same relationship patterns keep repeating, despite your efforts
You have already spent time thinking, reflecting, or in therapy, but still feel caught
You are looking for therapy that pays attention not only to insight, but also to the body, nervous system, and relational experience
For many people, these difficulties are linked to trauma, chronic stress, or attachment patterns.
They may also show up more quietly as:
chronic tension
people-pleasing
emotional shutdown
hyper-independence
a body that still expects to protect itself
These responses are not signs of weakness.
They are ways the mind and body learned to cope, adapt, and stay safe.
Over time, therapy can help create more room to think, feel, choose, and relate differently.
How I work
Therapy shaped around safety, capacity, and deeper change
My work is not only about insight. It also pays attention to what happens emotionally, physically, and relationally — especially when old patterns are activated.
The therapeutic relationship is central. It offers a steady place where patterns can be noticed safely, understood, and gradually met differently.
The work is formulation-led, which means it is guided by a careful understanding of your history, patterns, triggers, and needs, rather than by applying one fixed model.
It is also paced around your capacity. Often, this means first building enough stability and regulation for deeper work to become possible.
Where helpful, I may draw on Deep Brain Reorienting, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, parts-informed work, Transactional Analysis, and ILF neurofeedback.
How we begin
The first contact is usually a free 20-minute consultation. This gives us a chance to talk briefly about what you are looking for and whether my way of working may be a good fit.
If we decide to begin, the first two paid sessions are usually used as a Trauma, Regulation and Capacity Consultation.
This gives us time to understand what is happening, how your nervous system and relationships may be affected, what has or has not helped before, and what kind of support should come first.
We do not need to go into traumatic experiences in detail at the beginning. The focus is on understanding the pattern, your current capacity, and what needs to happen first.
For some people, the first phase may be psychotherapy. For others, it may involve stabilisation, ILF neurofeedback, preparation for trauma processing, or carefully chosen body-based support.
The aim is to develop an initial shared formulation, rather than fitting you into one fixed method.
About me
Paolo Imbalzano
Psychotherapist and Clinical Supervisor
I offer specialist relational, trauma-informed psychotherapy for adults experiencing anxiety, overwhelm, shutdown, dissociation, trauma, and relationship difficulties.
My work is grounded in relationship and informed by trauma, attachment, and the nervous system. I integrate talking therapy with body-aware approaches, shaped around your particular history, needs, and capacity.
UKCP Registered Psychotherapist · UKCP Registered Clinical Supervisor
BACP Registered Member · CTA-P
What happens next
Starting therapy can feel like a significant step.
The first contact is simple:
Book a free 20-minute consultation
We talk through what you are looking for
If it seems appropriate to begin, the first two sessions are usually used to understand the pattern more carefully and agree what kind of support should come first.
There is no pressure to continue beyond this initial conversation.
Explore further
Depending on what brings you here, you may want to begin with:
Getting started ›
A first place to orient yourself if you are unsure where to begin, with routes into symptoms, trauma, individual therapy, neurofeedback, and other parts of the work.
Individual psychotherapy ›
For anxiety, overwhelm, shutdown, self-criticism, trauma, dissociation, and recurring relational patterns.
ILF neurofeedback ›
In-person nervous-system regulation training, used alongside psychotherapy where appropriate.
Couple psychotherapy ›
For couples wanting to understand repeating patterns, conflict, distance, rupture, or loss of connection.
Clinical supervision ›
Reflective, relational, trauma-informed supervision for psychotherapists and counsellors.
If this feels like a good place to begin
You do not need to be certain before making contact. We can simply begin with a conversation.