Clinical Psychologist in Weybridge, Surrey

Trauma, EMDR, individual and couples therapy with Dr Monika Wieliczko, Chartered Clinical Psychologist

You may have experienced a significant loss, trauma, relationship breakdown or a major life transition that has left you feeling disconnected from yourself or uncertain about what comes next. Or perhaps your relationship is in crisis and you feel stuck in the same patterns of conflict, distance or hurt. I work with individuals and couples to understand what has happened, process difficult experiences and change patterns that keep them stuck — helping them reconnect with themselves, with each other and with life.

I am Dr Monika Wieliczko, a Chartered Clinical Psychologist, offering psychological therapy to adults and couples in Weybridge, Surrey, as well as online.

I specialise in trauma and EMDR therapy, relational and developmental trauma, relationship difficulties, grief and major life transitions.

My work combines the breadth of clinical psychology with a relational and attachment-based approach. This means we can work not only with symptoms, but with what has happened to you, the relationships that have shaped you, and the patterns that may still be affecting how you experience yourself and other people now.

Trauma & EMDR Therapy in Weybridge

Trauma doesn't always look like a single catastrophic event.

It can come from an accident, assault, medical experience, bereavement or another frightening event. But trauma can also develop through experiences that happen repeatedly over time — particularly within important relationships.

Growing up with criticism, emotional unpredictability, neglect, conflict, addiction, abuse or a parent who was unable to respond to your emotional needs can leave patterns that continue long after those experiences have ended.

You might notice this through:

• feeling constantly alert or unable to switch off

• anxiety or panic

• intrusive memories or physical reactions

• difficulty trusting other people

• becoming overwhelmed during conflict

• withdrawing or shutting down

• intense fear of rejection or abandonment

• shame or persistent self-criticism

• difficulty knowing what you need

• repeatedly finding yourself in painful relationship patterns

Sometimes people have spent years trying to understand why they feel this way. They may have had therapy before and be able to explain their patterns extremely well, but still find themselves reacting in ways they cannot easily change.

This is often where trauma-focused work can be helpful.

EMDR Therapy

I use Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) as part of my work with trauma and difficult life experiences.

EMDR can help the brain process experiences that have remained emotionally or physically "stuck", so that something that happened in the past no longer feels as though it is still happening in the present.

But I don't see EMDR as simply a technique to apply to a symptom.

For people with complex or relational trauma, therapy often requires us first to understand the broader picture: your history, relationships, ways of coping and what happens when you feel threatened, rejected or overwhelmed.

EMDR can then form part of a wider therapeutic relationship rather than becoming the whole therapy.

When There Wasn't One Traumatic Event

Some of the people I work with wouldn't necessarily describe themselves as having experienced "trauma".

Instead, they might say:

“I know why I do this. I just can't seem to stop.”

They may be highly capable in other parts of their lives but find relationships unexpectedly difficult.

They might become very anxious when someone pulls away, struggle to depend on anybody, choose partners who are emotionally unavailable, avoid conflict until resentment builds, or feel responsible for keeping everybody else happy.

These patterns often make more sense when we understand them in the context of earlier relationships.

This is sometimes described as relational, developmental or attachment trauma.

The aim of therapy isn't to blame the past for everything happening in the present. It is to understand what you learned about yourself and relationships, why certain ways of coping developed, and whether those strategies still serve you now.

Individual Therapy

People come to see me for many different reasons, including:

• trauma and PTSD

• complex and developmental trauma

• relationship difficulties

• anxiety and emotional overwhelm

• grief and bereavement

• traumatic loss

• separation and divorce

• difficult family relationships

• major life transitions

• problems with self-worth

• recurring patterns in relationships

• feeling emotionally disconnected or stuck

You don't necessarily need to know what kind of therapy you need before contacting me.

Part of my role as a Clinical Psychologist is to help make sense of the difficulties you're experiencing and think with you about what kind of psychological work is most likely to help.

Couples Therapy in Weybridge

I also work with couples who have reached a point where the relationship feels difficult to repair on their own.

Sometimes there has been a clear rupture — an affair, betrayal, separation or major loss of trust.

In other relationships, the difficulty has developed gradually.

The same argument keeps happening. One person pursues while the other withdraws. Conversations escalate quickly or important things stop being talked about altogether. Both people can end up feeling misunderstood, defensive or increasingly alone within the relationship.

Couples therapy isn't simply about improving communication.

I am interested in what happens between two people when they feel hurt, frightened, rejected or disconnected, and in understanding the patterns that each partner brings into the relationship.

The aim isn't to decide who is right.

It is to help both people understand what is happening between them and whether something different can become possible.

Why Work With a Clinical Psychologist?

Clinical Psychologists undertake extensive doctoral-level training across a range of psychological difficulties, therapeutic approaches and NHS mental health services.

My own clinical experience spans more than a 15 years across NHS and private practice settings.

This allows me to draw on different psychological approaches rather than assuming that one model will work for everybody.

My work is particularly informed by:

relational psychotherapy · attachment theory · trauma-informed practice · EMDR · psychodynamic thinking

I am interested not simply in reducing symptoms, but in understanding the person experiencing them.

For some people therapy is relatively focused. For others — particularly where difficulties have developed through relationships or experiences over many years — the work may need more time.

We decide that together.

Therapy in Weybridge & Surrey

I work with people from Weybridge and the surrounding Surrey area, including Walton-on-Thames, Cobham, Esher, Addlestone, Chertsey and nearby communities.

I also offer online psychological therapy, which means I can continue working with people who live elsewhere in Surrey, London or further afield where appropriate.

My practice includes both individual psychological therapy and couples therapy.

Starting Therapy

You don't need to arrive with a diagnosis or a perfectly formed explanation of what is wrong.

Sometimes the starting point is simply knowing that something in your life or relationships isn't working in the way you want it to anymore.

Our first conversations give us an opportunity to understand what has brought you to therapy, what has happened in your life and what you would like to be different.

From there, we can think together about whether I am the right psychologist for you and what the work might involve.

Dr Monika Wieliczko
Chartered Clinical Psychologist
Trauma · EMDR · Relational Therapy · Couples Therapy
Weybridge, Surrey & Online