Catherine Deeks Gnocchi

I am a mindfulness-based psychotherapist, educator, and Japanese ikigai practitioner, and I aim to support you in navigating anxiety, life transitions, cultural adjustment, identity exploration, and the pressures of modern living. Grounded in compassion and reflective dialogue, my approach helps you understand your emotional experiences as meaningful guides towards growth, connection, and purpose.

Rooted in the Japanese philosophy of ikigai, my work encourages a deeper connection to your authentic self, values, and sense of belonging, fostering emotional balance, self-acceptance, and sustainable wellbeing. Central to my work is the practice of kindfulness, blending mindfulness with kindness to foster resilience, self-awareness, and a deeper sense of identity and purpose.

Areas of Support

I aim to help clients understand anxiety not as pathology, but as meaningful information, supporting emotional balance, nervous system regulation, and greater self-compassion. I support individuals navigating life transitions, cultural adjustment, identity exploration, and the pressures of modern living, helping you reconnect with your authentic self, values, and sense of belonging along the way.

Therapeutic Approach

My therapeutic approach is integrative, reflective, and values-based, combining mindfulness-based psychotherapy, ikigai (The Kemp Framework), and evolutionary psychology. In this approach, fear (anxiety) is used as a compass to survive and empathy is a necessary trait to thrive. We work together to understand these traits of our nervous system, relying on self-determination theory and the three psychological needs of autonomy, relatedness, and competence to empower clients within a framework of acceptance and commitment.

Who I Work With

I primarily work with adults and young adults, including international residents, university students, LGBTQ+ clients, and people from multicultural backgrounds. I am the founder of estibasho, a community focused on emotional wellbeing, self-compassion, and purpose. With experience across psychotherapy, education, mentoring, and humanitarian work in Europe and Asia, I bring a culturally sensitive approach to supporting individuals and couples navigating life transitions and cross-cultural experiences.

Professional Experience

I have an MSc in Psychology, with a distinction-awarded research thesis which explored the relationship between anxiety and empathy. I am a graduate member of the British Psychological Society and hold certifications in ikigai coaching, mindfulness-based psychotherapy, cultivating emotional balance, and the scientific foundations of positive psychology and evidence-based transformative practice.