Janaina Mahe

I am originally from Brazil, and I’ve lived in Wales for the past 22 years. I hold a Master’s Level Diploma in Psychotherapy and Counselling Skills, and I run a private counselling and psychotherapy practice in Swansea, which I have been solely directing since 2014. I work with self-referred clients, EAP (Employee Assistance Programme) clients, NHS referrals, and corporate clients, including Amazon and Beacon Cymru in Swansea, delivering individual and couple counselling, as well as workshops focused on mental health, resilience, and stress management.

I also work as a Mental Health Mentor for university students across the UK with learning disabilities, and I supervise Master’s psychotherapy students from The University of Wales Trinity Saint David, as well as qualified psychotherapists. In addition, I am a qualified Mindfulness Now Teacher and studied Mindfulness at the UK College of Mindfulness Meditation in England, a program approved by the British Psychological Society.

I am a Humanistic practitioner. Humanistic therapy adopts a holistic approach that focuses on agency, human potential, and self-discovery. It aims to help you develop a strong and healthy sense of self, explore your feelings, find meaning, and focus on your strengths. I use a range of therapies from this approach, according to my clients’ needs, in order to help them learn to help themselves.

I work extremely well with emotions, allowing you to activate and focus on your emotional state, helping you to manage difficult emotional situations and self-experiences. I first listen deeply to my clients and then provide the necessary therapies, combining elements from multiple modalities. For example, this could include Person-Centred Therapy, Emotion-Focused Therapy, Gestalt Therapy, Existential Therapy, and ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy).

I integrate Mindfulness Practice principles and Mindfulness training within my practice, as I have found them to be of great benefit in helping clients become more self-aware and more present in the moment, thus alleviating stress and anxiety in general. Finally, I support my clients to develop a healthy relationship with themselves and with their body, as I believe it is paramount to consider the needs of our whole system when working on mental health.

Personally, I believe that most mental health issues are sicknesses of the soul, caused by a disconnection within, often rooted in a person’s life history. In this context, I have found within my practice that many people who come to see me are only existing in life rather than truly living it. Although they present with different mental health issues and diagnoses, they often feel lost within themselves and become prisoners of their own mind — locked in the past, the future, or both, rather than in the present.

Hence, the core of my therapeutic style is to help my clients integrate the scarred parts of the self, supporting the formation of resilience and self-esteem through the learning of self-acceptance and self-authenticity. Only then can we access strong and authentic contact with others and with life itself, in the present moment.

My own journey deeply informs my work. At 23, I moved to London alone from São Paulo, Brazil, without speaking English. I arrived with only £800 and a paid English course for six months, driven by a strong inner calling to step into the unknown and discover my purpose. Twenty days after arriving, the friend waiting for me at the airport turned against me and left me completely on my own. Despite this, I never felt alone or disconnected — I had an unshakeable belief in myself and in life. I saw my journey as a relationship with life itself, determined to build a strong, trusting connection with it.

Before I found my first job, I decided in my heart and mind that I would find one. I carried a small vocabulary book everywhere and practiced the sentence: “I am an English student looking for work to pay for school, to eat, and to have a place to sleep,” which I repeated with a smile. With only £20 left, I found my first job in London after 20 days. I mastered the language, attended university, and qualified at master’s level in 2014. That same year, I opened Esperansa Counselling and Psychotherapy Services.

Today, at 48 years old, I run my own company and support clients and students with the same compassion and faith that carried me through my journey. This profound sense of resilience and connection is at the heart of my practice. I believe in helping clients develop self-belief and learn to have their own back, so they can move through life authentically and freely.

I offer sessions face-to-face, online, and by telephone from my consulting room at Cherry Tree House, Carmarthen Rd, Swansea, SA1 1HE.

I understand how daunting it can feel to contact an unknown professional at first, especially if you have never experienced counselling before. I am more than happy to answer any questions you might have by email, telephone, or text.

To ensure suitability, I offer an introductory 20-minute session online or face-to-face free of charge. This gives us a chance to meet without commitment and decide whether we feel we can work together. Please feel free to call and make a booking — I look forward to connecting with you.

You’re welcome to read what my clients have shared about their journeys with me on my Testimonials page.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my bio, I will be more than happy to be of services if you need! 

Janaina Vieira Mahe.

Qualifications

• Qualified practitioner since 2014: Postgraduate Diploma in counselling practice( Humanistic) University of Wales Trinity Saint David-level 7- 2014
• Currently training in the Central England College and Mindfulness Now-Diploma Mindfulness Based Clinical Hypnoses which will be concluded in 2024-25
• Qualified Mindfulness Teacher – UK College of Mindfulness Meditation England- Approved by the British Psychological Society – February 2022
• ACT Acceptance and commitment therapy training – The Association for Psychological Therapy accredited course – 2020
• Trauma work: with Babette Rothschild ( somatic trauma training)- central London 2016-2017.
• Making trauma safer- Babette Rothschild – Central London- 2015
• Group work Facilitation Gestalt course- developing effective facilitative skills- Gestalt Centre- London 2015
• Certificate in counselling skills Level 4
• Neath Port-Talbot College – 2012
• Certificate in counselling skills level 3
• Neath Port-Talbot College – 2011
• Introduction to counselling skills level 1 and 2
• Neath Port-Talbot College – 2010
• Diploma in supervision- Centre for Supervision Training and Development CSTD Bath (affiliated to UKCP AND BCPC) 2021 – present (nearly finishing the paperwork) – practiced supervision hours: completed.
• Supervision hours practiced: +300 hours up to date.

Currently, I am supervising 18 Supervisees per month – 14 trainees -[Master’s students from UWTSD] and 4 qualified psychotherapists.

As a practitioner, I have a full time counselling and psychotherapy private practice, which I have been solely directing since 2014.  I work via online, telephone and face to face sessions, with self-referred clients, EAP clients, NHS referrals and Corporations as  Coastal Housing Swansea in which I am directly affiliated to, delivering individual and couple’s counselling to their employees. Also, I work as mental health mentor for universities’s students with mental health issues and learning disabilities.

Finally, I work within corporations, such as Amazon FC in Swansea, delivering talking therapy in house, in order to support Amazon employee’s mental health and wellbeing.

In addition, I comply with  BACP ethical guidelines, including continually developing my practice by taking part on CPDs courses frequently, face to face and virtually.