About Ilkay
Ilkay Alici is a counsellor and psychotherapist with 14 years of experience. She is a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, BACP, and offers support for a wide range of concerns including anxiety, depression, relationship and intimacy-related issues, trauma and abuse, grief, parenting stress, addictions, and LGBT-related matters. Ilkay aims to make the first step feel manageable.
She offers a calm, non-judgemental space where people can talk through what is worrying them.
Background and approach
Sessions focus on understanding what matters to the person and finding practical ways forward that fit everyday life. Her approach is rooted in Client-Centred Therapy, which prioritises the person’s own voice and choices. She also uses Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, which looks at links between thoughts, feelings and actions, and Mindfulness Therapy to help with stress and emotional regulation.
In sessions she listens carefully, helps people set realistic goals, and works collaboratively to try different strategies. This can include spotting unhelpful thinking patterns, testing small behavioural changes, and using simple mindfulness exercises to reduce stress. Ilkay offers therapy in English and Turkish and accepts international clients.
She works from the United Kingdom and uses a subscription model for sessions that can be cancelled at any time. To begin, people complete a short matching questionnaire and then schedule according to the therapist’s availability.
What Ilkay works with
Everything Ilkay lists, in their own terms. LGBT is the reason Ilkay is listed here; the rest shows what else Ilkay works with.
- Relationship issues
- Trauma and abuse
- Grief
- Parenting issues
- Self esteem
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- LGBT
- Family conflicts
- Intimacy-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Sleeping disorders
- Anger management
- Career difficulties
- Bipolar disorder
- Depression
- Coping with life changes
- Coaching
- Compassion fatigue
- ADHD
- Abandonment
- Adoption and foster care
- Antisocial personality
- Attachment issues
- Avoidant personality
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Dependent personality
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Fertility issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Hospice and end-of-life counselling
- Immigration issues
- Impulsivity
- Intellectual disability
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Midlife crisis
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Post-traumatic stress
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Ilkay lists
Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each counsellor names and does not check training records.
How Ilkay’s approaches translate to online therapy
Client-Centred Therapy puts the person’s experience first and encourages open conversation. Online sessions using this approach focus on what matters to the client and adapt to their pace, helping them feel heard and respected.Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or CBT, looks at links between thoughts, feelings and actions. In online sessions CBT can be used to identify unhelpful thinking patterns, try small behavioural experiments, and set clear goals to reduce anxiety, low mood or stress.
Mindfulness Therapy introduces simple exercises to bring attention to the present moment. These short practices can reduce rumination and help with sleep, stress and emotional regulation when practised between sessions.
Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk through the options and help decide which methods suit the person’s needs, goals and preferences. Plans can be adjusted as work continues so the approach stays relevant.
Practical benefits of online therapy include easier scheduling and fitting sessions around work or family commitments. It can be easier to join a shorter check-in during a break or to choose an option that needs less bandwidth if video is difficult. Because session formats are not specified in the biography, confirm current session options with the therapist before booking to make sure they fit your routine.
Questions people ask about Ilkay
What kinds of problems does Ilkay help with?
She supports people with relationship and intimacy-related issues, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, grief, parenting challenges, addictions, LGBT concerns, and related areas such as self-esteem and coping with life changes.
What is her therapy style like?
The style is warm and collaborative. Sessions focus on the person’s priorities, using listening, practical exercises and reflection to work towards achievable goals.
How much experience does she have?
Ilkay has 14 years of professional experience as a counsellor and psychotherapist.
What credential does she hold and where is she based?
She is a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, BACP, and practises from the United Kingdom.
Which languages are available for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English and Turkish.
Can people outside the UK work with her?
She accepts international clients; people from other countries can enquire and arrange sessions.
How are fees and payments handled?
Cost varies with location and the therapist’s arrangements; sessions use a subscription that can be cancelled at any time.
How do I begin working with this therapist?
Use the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to the therapist’s availability.
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