Bukky Maybank, LLB, M.A Psych, MBACP
Depth psychotherapy for thoughtful, high-functioning adults navigating emotional exhaustion, identity fragmentation, neurodivergence, modern pressure, and the quiet cost of chronic adaptation.
Online worldwide | London
This practice is not for everyone.
It is for thoughtful, high-functioning adults who are done with performing competence while privately carrying strain, doubt, or quiet exhaustion. People who have built lives that work — careers, families, reputations — yet feel something essential has thinned out or gone missing.
If you are looking for quick reassurance, surface-level coping strategies, or a therapist who will cheerlead you through the status quo, this will not be the right place.
If you are looking for a place to think clearly, feel honestly, and come back into contact with yourself — you may be.
"Your support and gentle guidance has had such a remarkable impact on me and will stay with me forever"
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Former Client
"I have learnt so much and truly admire how effortlessly you were able to be everything I needed and more. I felt heard and seen. Thank you. I will miss our sessions and I will miss you dearly"
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Former Client
"Words aren't enough to express the positive impact these sessions have had on my life"
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Former Client
"You have been the most patient, kind, gentle soul I've encountered in a long time"
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Former Client
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Most of my clients share a similar psychology, even if their lives look very different on paper.
They are:
Intellectually capable, emotionally perceptive, and inwardly complex
Often the person others rely on
Used to functioning under pressure
Tired of explaining themselves
Ready for depth rather than reassurance
Many are:
Senior professionals, leaders, founders, or creatives
Neurodivergent (ADHD and/or autistic), diagnosed or self-identified
Living between cultures, identities, or value systems
In relationships that look stable but feel misaligned
Successful — and privately depleted
They are not broken. They are not dramatic. They are not failing.
They are ready to stop living on the surface of their own lives.
You might recognise yourself in one or more of these:
✓ High-functioning anxiety or burnout that no longer responds to willpower
✓ A sense of emotional flatness, restlessness, or disconnection
✓ Neurodivergent overwhelm masked by competence
✓ Identity questions that can no longer be postponed
✓ A relationship that works logistically but not emotionally
People come to this work when something subtle but significant has shifted.
Often, nothing is “wrong” in the conventional sense. But something is no longer alive.
I practise primarily from an existential psychotherapy perspective, supported by neuroscience, psychodynamic thinking, and embodied awareness. I am less interested in symptom management alone, and more interested in how you are living — and what it is costing you.
I am not passive. I will listen carefully, reflect honestly, and name what is happening between us. I will not rush you — and I will not collude with avoidance.
This is slow work done seriously, but not heavily.
I’ve supported clients through anxiety, depression, grief (including bereavement by suicide), imposter syndrome, trauma, identity work, career crossroads, and deep emotional overwhelm. I also work with people exploring meaning, intuition, creative blocks, spiritual longing, and how to be in a world that never stops doing.
I’m a qualified psychotherapist with a Master’s degree from Regent’s, University London, fully insured, and registered with the BACP. I’ve worked in the NHS, the Priory, and now run a private practice supporting individuals and groups from around the world. I use an integrative approach grounded in neuroscience, mindfulness, and psychotherapeutic theory—but I also draw on the wisdom of Eastern philosophy, existential analysis, and intuition.
Before becoming a therapist, I was a corporate lawyer for over a decade. I worked in Magic Circle firms and later as General Counsel in tech and brand giants. I understand high-pressure environments, leadership loneliness, and the particular strain of being the competent one.
I bring both professional rigour and lived experience.
I believe therapy is one of the last places where we get to be fully, unapologetically human. Where you can scream, cry, swear, sit in silence—or just breathe. No performance. No mask. Just you, exactly as you are.
I create curious, nurturing spaces for exploration and healing. I work with people who are tired of just “coping” and are ready to live. Really live—with clarity, intention, courage, and some softness too.
I believe:
✓ You don’t need to be broken to need support.
✓ Vulnerability isn’t weakness—it’s wisdom.
✓ What we practice, grows.
✓ High-functioning anxiety is still anxiety.
✓ Healing isn’t linear, but it’s worth it.
I’m not a passive therapist. I’ll hold you with warmth, but I’ll also gently challenge you. I believe in deep, grounded change—the kind that shows up in how you show up in your own life. I work with people who are ready to get curious, go deep, and come home to themselves.
✓ Fully insured
✓ Registered and holds membership with the British Association for Counsellors and Psychotherapists (BACP) and abides by its code of ethics (accredited registration number 403730)
✓ Receiving regular supervision
✓ Has years of experience working in places like the Priory Hospital and NHS counselling services, and runs her own therapy practice for individuals and groups
✓ Has lots of experience mentoring and volunteering with vulnerable communities
✓ Highly trained in the latest mental health practices
✓ Has a Level 7 Advanced Diploma in Psychotherapy and Counselling from Regent’s University
✓ Has a Master's degree in Psychotherapy and Counselling at Regent's University London, UK (accredited, postgraduate-level)
✓ Specialises in common mental health problems (Depression, GAD, Social Anxiety, OCD, Panic, Phobias, PTSD, Health Anxiety) as well as uncommon areas such as Bereavement (particularly by Suicide) as well as less common areas like bereavement and intuition
✓ Adopts an integrated therapeutic approach that relies on neuroscience, attachment theory, and neuro-linguistic programming, whilst also drawing wisdom from spirituality, existential analysis and philosophy
✓ Believes in openness, honesty, trust and humour
✓ Has a flexible and open-minded approach
✓ Thinks it's important to embrace each others 'madness' and explore our differences
✓ Believes in the incredible powers of therapy to repair souls, expand minds, and lead to important insights
✓ Has an approach is grounded in the belief that healing comes from within, and that each person has the capacity to grow, change, and thrive
✓ Acknowledges that distress and suffering are an understandable response to a traumatising world and offers you a non-judgmental, safe space to talk, scream, shout, swear, break down, rebuild yourself or simply just be
✓ Was a commercial lawyer for over a decade before becoming a therapist and understands the unique challenges to your mental health that come with a demanding career
✓ Worked within high-pressured, hyper-competitive environments, first for a Magic Circle law firm, and then for many years as a General Counsel in tech and brand giants
✓ Has worked with people from diverse backgrounds and communities (including with BAME clients, the racialised and the marginalised)
✓ I recognise life as cycles of repetition and practice. And believe importantly that, what we practice, grows. I am not a passive therapist in your journey of self-discovery.
✓ I am here to provide gentle accountability throughout your therapy and to actively support you to live a more enriching life filled with daily practices of embodiment, noticing, compassion, art, rest, play, radical acceptance, letting go, laughter, honesty, and much more.
✓ I understand the demands of modern life and offer innovative techniques from some of the most recent, data-led therapeutic models (such as attachment theory, cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), and mindfulness-based approaches) in order to help you navigate life's complexities and achieve lasting positive change.
✓ I blend art and science in a unique and integrated approach to deliver you optimal results. I combine the latest evidence-based techniques, with wisdom from age-old Eastern philosophy, Jungian psychology and existential analysis. I also continue to seek learning outside of what is institutionalised and deemed legitimate by academia, to ensure I offer you a complete experience on a physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual level.
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Clients often describe the work as helping them to:
Think more clearly
Feel less internally fragmented
Tolerate complexity without collapse
Make decisions that feel internally aligned
Relate with more honesty and less effort
Recover depth, meaning, and presence
This is not about becoming a better version of yourself. It is about becoming more yourself.
I can support you with simple and effective therapeutic techniques — practical exercises selected to help you gain clarity, calm and confidence, and take your growth out of the theoretical world and into real life.
Get the expert help and gentle accountability you need to let go of behaviours that do not serve you, better understand your individual needs and cultivate new ways of being.
My uniquely intuitive and holistic package of support is designed to help you feel calmer, more confident, and 'good enough' in your role at work and at home.
I invite you to see how you fit with others in your world, own who you are in these dynamics and take agency of your life and your relationships. I can support you in gaining understanding and finding meaning in your experiences with others.
Whether you're new to therapy or you've been before, I aim to meet you where you are. I believe there is no single path in your therapy, and encourage your uniquely personal and non-linear growth to emerge.
I recognise the structures and conditions that induce distress and suffering in this world, and so am particularly interested in supporting you to take up space and find your voice, where you are a racialised and/or marginalised person.
I have worked with women, in particular, as they transition into senior roles and have supported them to overcome the unconscious internal conflicts which impede their progress, come into their own peace and feel easier with their professional success and visibility.
I work with high-achieving people, helping them break free from high-functioning anxiety, overwhelm and self-doubt.
I invite you to bring your most authentic self to be seen and heard without judgement.
I can support you with rest, mindfulness, feeling emotionally attuned, and developing a more loving self-dialogue.
My aim is to support you in developing the lost art of imperfection and nurture your softness and vulnerability.
I offer a safe space to look inward, to think more deeply, and to deal with all the complex emotions that come with existing.
Counselling and therapy is not only for those with serious mental health problems. They are powerfully effective and impactful ways to maximise personal potential and to develop and maintain a healthy emotional life in an increasingly stressful world of personal and professional pressures.
I am committed to supporting you to resolve any issues of stifled creativity, over-critical self-image, and spiralling work/life balance.
The thought-provoking exercises aim to leave you stepping readily into your own sense of direction, connection and belonging in the world.
I help you find your own peace, be less worried, and better adjusted.
I create curious, explorative spaces, so you can get unstuck, dream big, delve deep and embrace who you truly are.
I work with clients in high-pressurised careers to consider the powerful impact that their career choices and self-imposed expectations, have on every aspect of their lives, happiness and general well-being.
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I work with a small number of clients to protect the quality and depth of the work.
Sessions are 50 minutes
Work may be short-term or open-ended
Fees reflect a reserved place and continuity of care
I offer online and in-person sessions.
If you are looking for weekly certainty, clear boundaries, and a therapist who takes the work seriously, you will likely feel held here.
If you are looking to be rescued, persuaded, or reassured, this may not be the right fit.
If you are willing to slow down, speak honestly, and take responsibility for your inner life, we may work well together.
Psychotherapy is a structured, confidential space to think, feel, and speak honestly about your life — often in ways you cannot elsewhere.
It does not erase experiences or offer quick fixes. Instead, it helps you understand how you relate to yourself, others, and the world, and what those patterns are costing you. Over time, this work often brings greater clarity, emotional range, and the capacity to live with more truth and less internal strain.
Fees reflect a reserved place in my practice and continuity of care.
My fees reflect:
A reserved place in my practice
Weekly or agreed regular time
Continuity of care
Preparation, integration, and professional responsibility
Fees vary depending on the nature of the work (individual, couples, specialist neurodivergent support; online or in-person).
I discuss fees directly and transparently at enquiry stage, once we have a sense of fit.
There is no fixed length.
Some people come for a focused period during a transition or difficulty. Others stay longer because the work becomes a meaningful part of how they live and reflect.
We usually begin with weekly 50‑minute sessions. The pace and duration are decided collaboratively and can change over time.
The first session is a working conversation.
We will explore what has brought you, how you are currently coping, and what you are hoping for. You will also get a clear sense of how I work and whether this feels like a place you can speak freely.
Fit matters. This session is as much for you as it is for me.
My work is primarily existential and relational, informed by neuroscience, psychodynamic thinking, and embodied awareness.
I work actively and thoughtfully. I will listen closely, reflect what I notice, and sometimes challenge patterns that keep you stuck. The work is collaborative, serious, and human — not formulaic.
Yes, research consistently shows that psychotherapy can be effective, particularly when there is a strong therapeutic relationship.
That said, therapy works best when you are willing to engage honestly and take responsibility for your inner life. This is not passive work.
That uncertainty is often part of what brings people here.
You do not need to feel confident, articulate, or clear to begin. You do, however, need to be willing to pause, to be honest, and to take some responsibility for how you live with what you discover.
If you are waiting to feel fully ready, you may wait a long time. If you are curious enough to begin despite the uncertainty, that is usually sufficient.
If this work feels relevant, please Whatsapp or email me BukkyMaybank@gmail.com with a brief outline of:
What is bringing you
What you are hoping for
Your availability
I offer a short initial call to assess fit. Not every enquiry will lead to ongoing work.
If you would like to enquire, please say 'Hello' on Whatsapp or email BukkyMaybank@gmail.com with a short description of what is bringing you and your availability.
I work with a limited number of clients and respond personally.
Selectivity is part of how I protect the work.