Adama Giquina, BACP

Adama Giquina is a person-centred integrative counsellor who draws on a blend of compassionate listening and practical techniques to help people navigate stress, anxiety, relationship difficulties, trauma, intimacy concerns, and anger. She qualified in 2020 after completing the TC - L4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling at Inspire Counselling / Barnabas Counselling and Training, and subsequently gained membership with BACP - the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, the professional body for counsellors and psychotherapists in the United Kingdom. Adama follows the BACP Ethical Framework in her practice to guide ethical and professional care.

She works as a sessional counsellor at Survivors in Transition, where she completed her placement five years ago and has continued her role since. In her clinical work she helps clients make sense of their experiences by creating a calm, non-judgemental space for exploration. She explains how the brain can develop coping responses after difficult events and supports clients to recognise connections between past experiences and present feelings and behaviours.

Adama uses grounding techniques and awareness exercises to support clients who are experiencing hyperarousal and to build skills for regulating emotion in the here and now. She emphasises empathy, acceptance, and focused listening, aiming to establish trust and understanding so clients can speak openly about thoughts and emotions. Her approach is tailored to each person, and she is experienced working with diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds, immigration-related concerns, sexual assault and abuse, and young adult issues. Taking the first step can be challenging, and Adama acknowledges the courage it takes to begin therapy.

Approach-driven care delivered through online sessions

Client-Centred Therapy places the client at the heart of the process. In this approach the therapist offers attentive, non-judgemental listening and mirrors the client’s experience to help build self-awareness and confidence, which can be helpful for relationship concerns, anxiety, and self-exploration.

Trauma-Focused Therapy concentrates on understanding and addressing the impact of traumatic experiences. It includes techniques to help people make sense of traumatic events, reduce overwhelming arousal, and develop skills to manage intense emotions, which can support recovery from abuse and other traumatic stress.

Attachment-Based Therapy explores how early relationships influence current patterns in intimacy and emotional regulation. By identifying attachment styles and relational patterns, this approach helps people understand how past bonds affect present connections and supports the development of healthier ways of relating.

Finding the best approach is a collaborative process. Adama will work with each person to identify goals, preferences, and what feels most helpful, adjusting methods as therapy progresses so the work remains tailored to individual needs.

Online therapy offers practical flexibility - sessions can take place by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging, allowing clients to access support from home or while balancing work, education, or caring responsibilities. These options make it easier to maintain continuity of care and to fit therapy into a busy life.