Chandana Rathnayake , BACP, NCPS

Chandana Rathnayake helps people facing stress, anxiety, depression and grief. He works with those struggling with self-esteem, addictions, relationship and family issues, parenting concerns, and life changes. He also supports people dealing with trauma, anger, career questions and compassion fatigue. Chandana speaks English and Sinhala and works with international clients from the United Kingdom.

He began practising as a counsellor in 2013 in Malaysia and moved to the UK in 2019. He is registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, BACP, and also holds NCPS. He has around ten years of experience supporting people in a range of situations.

Chandana draws on a long personal journey that included twenty years living as a Buddhist monk in Sri Lanka. That chapter shaped his way of listening and the practical, down-to-earth style he brings to sessions. He left the monkhood to raise a family and later trained in psychology and counselling.

In sessions he uses what people already carry with them as raw material. He aims to help clients turn painful experiences into useful building blocks for change. Conversations are collaborative and focused on finding direction, purpose and motivation, or on making sense of loss and big life changes.

People who feel stuck with low self-worth or who describe themselves as at war with themselves have come for help. He does not present as a couples therapist but has worked with individuals on relationship difficulties. To start, clients complete a brief matching questionnaire and schedule sessions based on the therapist's availability.

How Chandana’s approaches work online

Client-Centred Therapy focuses on the person rather than labels; the counsellor listens closely and helps the individual find their own solutions, which is useful for issues like low self-esteem and grief. Internal Family Systems looks at different parts inside a person and how they relate to each other, helping with inner conflict, shame and patterns such as codependency.

Choosing the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will discuss goals, preferences and what feels most helpful, and then try approaches that fit the client’s needs in a collaborative way.

Online counselling can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life, for example by removing travel time or allowing shorter check-ins when schedules are tight. It can also make it simpler to work with an international therapist who speaks English or Sinhala. Confirm the current session options before booking so you know which formats are offered and how they will fit into your routine.