The garden studio in London
Just a few minutes from Bounds Green station, in the N11 area, a small path leads past the house and into the garden. At the far end, surrounded by greenery and quiet, is my garden studio, a secluded space where the world seems to slow down and every story can find the time and space to be heard. The door closes on the noise of the street and, for the duration of the session, makes room for whatever needs to be heard.
The therapy room
For a therapist, the therapy room is a little like a magician’s wand.
I do not think the comparison is too far-fetched, because something magical happens in the encounter between therapist and patient.
The therapy room is a universe of its own, a kind of portal opening onto profound and fascinating worlds, where things happen that can be difficult to explain to anyone who has never been there.
Every therapy room represents something of the therapist’s inner world and welcomes that of the patient. It is where the encounter happens and where the therapeutic work takes shape.
A bond develops that is difficult to imagine and even more difficult to explain, remarkable in its depth: the relationship is the most powerful instrument we can use to care for another person and for ourselves.
When I think about my therapy room—the space in which I welcome my patients’ worlds, their suffering, desires and needs—I think about the magic of therapy. I think about the tears, the dreams and the journeys I have had, and continue to have, the privilege of accompanying. I think about words shouted, whispered, clenched between teeth or finally shared.
I would like to show you my room and share a small piece of that magic, which never ceases to amaze and nourish me.
Discover the story of the garden studio
Having a studio of my own has always been a dream.
Here in London, unlike in Italy, many therapists work from home, partly for cultural reasons and partly because of the characteristic British practicality.
My dream, however, was not simply to have a studio in the house. I wanted a studio in the garden.
Why?
Every desire tells us something about ourselves and our history.
The house where I grew up in Puglia had a large garden, where I spent my childhood days with my dog Rocky and my black cat Bella. One of my fondest memories is the taste of mandarins eaten directly from the tree while I sat among its branches.
Perhaps, when many years later I began to imagine my studio in London, I was also looking for a way to recover something of that world and bring it into the life I had built elsewhere.
A studio built around a tree
When I began designing the studio, I had to reorganise the project, ironically enough, around a tree.
A very tall ash tree stood at the centre of the space. I did not want it to be removed to make way for the studio, so we redesigned the building around what was already there.
Today, the studio embraces the tree, while the ash, with its branches, seems in turn to shelter it and accompany it through the seasons.
It has also become an important symbol of how I think about therapy: not erasing what already exists to replace it with something considered better, but understanding how it might find a different space in which to continue living and transforming.
Meeting at the studio
At the studio, I offer individual psychotherapy and couples therapy, in English and Italian. The full address and directions will be provided before our first appointment.
You can read how psychotherapy works or contact me to arrange a free 10–15-minute introductory call.