If you are looking for a Greek counsellor online, there is a new option on Greek List. Smaro Karika is a mental health counsellor based in Thessaloniki who offers online sessions, which means a Greek in London, Manchester or anywhere else in the UK can book without leaving home.
On Sunday 25 October the UK clocks go back one hour. The extra hour in bed is nice, but evenings get dark early and a lot of people notice their mood and energy shifting as winter arrives. For Greeks who grew up with long sunny days, the British autumn can feel especially heavy.
The NHS explains that seasonal affective disorder is a type of depression that usually comes back in winter and eases in summer, and that spending time in natural daylight, exercising regularly, keeping in touch with family and friends and keeping regular sleep times are all part of the self help advice. You can read the full guidance on the NHS page on seasonal affective disorder. If you think you may have it, the NHS advice is to speak to your GP.
Smaro Karika (Σμαράγδη Καρίκα) runs a counselling practice in Thessaloniki under the name Click Your Therapy. Her Greek List listing is written in both English and Greek, and it says that sessions are available online and in person. Her website, clickyourtherapy.com, is in Greek with an English version.
According to her listing, she combines three approaches: person centred counselling, positive psychology and mindfulness. Person centred counselling puts the relationship between client and counsellor at the centre, positive psychology looks at personal strengths, and mindfulness uses breathing techniques and awareness of the present moment.
Greek counsellor online: Smaro Karika, Mental Health Counsellor, Makrygianni Street 47, Thermi, Thessaloniki. Online and in person sessions. Free initial 30 minute session, as stated on her listing.
Her listing names the following areas of support: anxiety and panic attacks, work related stress and burnout, phobias and obsessive behaviours, low self esteem and confidence, relationship difficulties and setting boundaries, grief and loss, and personal development.
This is a description of what she offers, not a promise of any result. Working with a Greek counsellor online is a personal process and different for everyone, which is exactly why the free first session is useful: you can talk about what you need, ask questions and decide whether it feels right.
Greece is two hours ahead of the UK all year round, because both countries change their clocks on the same weekend. If you book a Greek counsellor online, a session at 6pm in Thessaloniki is 4pm in London, so evening slots in Greece will often mean late afternoon in the UK. It is worth checking the time before you book.
The listing does not say which language each session is held in, so if you want to speak Greek, English or a mix of both, ask when you get in touch. Many Greeks in the UK tell us that talking about feelings in their first language is simply easier, and that is a reasonable thing to ask about.
Prices on her listing: single session £42, two sessions £76, six sessions £220. Prices can change, so confirm them with her directly.
Choosing a Greek counsellor online is one option, and the NHS is another. NHS Talking Therapies are free, and for many problems, including anxiety and depression, adults can refer themselves without seeing a GP, although you need to be registered with a GP. The NHS guide to talking therapies explains how it works. Private counselling can be an additional or alternative route, for example if you prefer to speak Greek, want a time that suits you, or would like to avoid a waiting list.
If you read our earlier guide to a Greek speaking therapist in the UK, you already know that Greek List lists several professionals, and each person works differently. Counselling, psychotherapy and clinical psychology are not the same thing, so ask any professional about their training and what their sessions involve.
These ideas come from the general NHS advice, nothing more complicated than that: get outside in daylight, even for a short walk at lunchtime, keep some regular exercise, stay in touch with friends and family, and try to keep to a regular sleep routine. Calling your mum or a friend back home counts too.
If you need urgent help: in an emergency call 999. You can also call Samaritans free on 116 123 at any time. This article is general information and not medical advice.
Greek List is also the home of Greek events across the UK, from concerts to community gatherings. Autumn and winter are a good time to meet people, as well as to look after yourself, and the sense of belonging is part of feeling at home abroad.
See the most complete list of Greek events in the UK on Greek List, and list your own event for free.
The professionals featured on Greek List are Greek List members. More than 100,000 Greeks and Cypriots in the UK read us every month through the site, the newsletter and the Ellines sto Londino group, and listings rank first on Google.
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