Hello, I am Colette

At Colette Mattos Counselling, our mission is to help clients navigate the challenges arising from having emotionally unavailable parents. We understand that these struggles are often not the fault of the individual but reflect a lack of emotional resources that may have been present in their parents' own upbringing.

Our Founder: Colette Mattos

Colette the founder, brings a wealth of experience to her practice. With a degree in Integrative Counselling, she is also a Master NLP practitioner and a certified Hypnotherapist. Colette integrates her expertise in these areas with a deep commitment to supporting individuals dealing with emotional neglect and related issues.

She grew up with the most loving parents who faced significant challenges of their own as they were young parents. By the time they were just 22, they were raising three young children, which meant they were often stretched thin and she decided not to talk about difficulties she faced, particularly at school.  This led to her struggles with low self-esteem, anxiety, relationship issues in her 20s as these developed as her way of coping with the difficulties she had forming connection and friendships at school and later emotional connection in relationships.

These personal experiences have provided her with a deep understanding of how early life challenges and the inability to share one’s struggles can impact emotional well-being. Through her professional work, she has encountered many clients who also find it difficult to express their emotions or seek support.

Colette offers a compassionate and safe space where clients can explore these underlying issues and the impact on their life.  If you’ve had specialist treatment for conditions such as OCD or eating disorders etc and are seeking to understand and address the root causes of your struggles on a deeper level, or if you’re beginning to recognise these patterns and find if difficult to speak about things with your love ones, she is here to support you and give you space and time to explore your situation.

I understand that some clients may have had parents that treated them badly but there are many with a different story.  Like Colette you may have had parents who loved and cared for you well and it is hard to understand why you are struggling so much.  However, it is normal to have these feeling and it's ok to feel how you are feeling and no parents is perfect, many are trying there best with the resources they have.   Due to situations you may have felt unable able to explore your emotions with them as you may have felt it was too much for them due to problems they may have been facing at the time.

Our Approach:

• Integrative Therapy: A blend of person-centred, psychodynamic, and cognitive therapies tailored to address both emotional and cognitive challenges.
• Skills Training for Emotional Regulation: Practical techniques for managing emotions, including mindfulness and compassion-based practices, as well as somatic approaches.
• Holistic Support: Comprehensive methods designed to support deep emotional healing and enhance overall well-being.