Studying in the UK was supposed to be the adventure of your life. Some days it is.
Online therapy for American students in the UK — from a fellow American in London who gets it.
YOU CHOSE TO COME HERE. YOU WANTED THIS — THE EXPERIENCE, THE DEGREE, THE CHANCE TO LIVE SOMEWHERE ENTIRELY NEW.
And it is all of those things.
It's also lonelier than you expected. The social dynamics are different in ways that are hard to explain. Your flat mates aren't quite friends. You're behind on work and not entirely sure why. You miss your people in a way that hits at 10pm on a Tuesday for no particular reason.
Or maybe you came carrying something — anxiety that's always been there, a difficult family situation back home, relationships that feel complicated across the distance. Being away from home can give you space from all of that. And it can make it louder.
You're not failing at the experience. You're a human being having it.
IS THIS YOU?
You feel homesick in a way that surprises you — you didn't expect to miss it this much.
The social scene here is different and you haven't quite cracked it yet — British social culture is more reserved than you're used to, and it can feel like rejection even when it isn't.
Academic pressure feels different here. The system is different. The expectations are different. And you're navigating all of it without your usual support network.
You're managing anxiety, low mood, or a pattern you've been meaning to address — and being away from home has brought it closer to the surface.
You've tried your university's counselling service and were put on a waiting list, or it didn't feel like the right fit.
You want support from someone who understands American culture without having to explain it — and who can meet you online, on your schedule.
I'm Marcelle — an American therapist based in London.
I work specifically with Americans navigating life in the UK — and that includes students. I understand the particular texture of this experience: the way British social culture can read as coldness when it's actually just reserve. The guilt of struggling when you're supposed to be having the time of your life. The exhaustion of being perpetually "the American" in every room.
I'm licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist in California and Florida, and registered with the BACP in the UK. My training spans EMDR, somatic therapy, and IFS (parts work) — meaning I work with the body and nervous system, not just thoughts and talking.
I offer flexible scheduling on weekdays and Sundays to work around your timetable, seminar schedule, and the time difference with home.
WHAT WE WORK ON
Homesickness & identity
Who are you here, without your usual context and community?
Relationships at a Distance
The strain on friendships and romantic relationships across the Atlantic.
Social Isolation
Navigating British social dynamics as an American, and the specific loneliness of not yet having found your people.
Family Dynamics From Afar
Things that felt manageable when you were around them, surfacing now that you have distance and space.
Anxiety & Academic Pressures
Managing the stress of a new system, a different academic culture, and performing without your usual support network.
Transition & Identity
For graduate students especially, the question of what comes next: do you stay? Go home? Build something here?
A NOTE ON UNIVERSITY COUNSELLING?
Many UK universities offer free counselling — and if that's working for you, that's great. Where students often come to me instead:
The waiting list is too long and you need support now.The university service offers short-term or solution-focused work only, and you want something with more depth. You want a therapist who understands American culture specifically — not just "expat experience" generically. You've outgrown the student counselling model and want proper clinical support.
I work privately, which means I can begin working with you immediately, with no session cap, and at a depth that matches what you're actually carrying.
MY APPROACH
I use EMDR, somatic therapy, and IFS (parts work) alongside relational and psychodynamic approaches. This means we work with what's happening beneath the surface — not just the presenting anxiety or the homesickness, but what it connects to and what the experience of being here is activating.
Students often come expecting to talk about being abroad. What we often discover is that the distance from home has given them, for the first time, the space to look at things they've been too close to see. That's not a problem. That's often where the most meaningful work begins.
Sessions are 50 minutes via Zoom — flexible scheduling on weekdays and Sundays to fit your timetable. I also offer in-person sessions in North West London for students based in or near London.
How Therapy Works Three Simple Steps:
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Book a free 15-minute consultation — a relaxed Zoom call. You tell me what's going on. I tell you how I work. We decide together if it's a good fit.
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If we move forward, we meet weekly at a time that works around your schedule. Sessions are 50 minutes via Zoom (or in person in NW London if that works better for you).
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Over time: you feel less alone in it, more clear about what you're carrying, and more able to navigate life here — and whatever comes next.
Studying abroad is one
of the most formative experiences you can have.
It doesn't have to be one you get through alone.
If something here has resonated, book a free consultation. It's a 15-minute conversation — no pressure, no commitment.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Not at all. Many students come because they want support navigating the transition — not because everything has fallen apart. You don't have to be in crisis to deserve care.
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I work as a private practitioner, independently of any university. Our sessions are completely confidential. Your university will not be informed.
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Sessions are £155 for individuals. I offer a free initial 15-minute consultation. If cost is a concern, please ask — I have a small number of concession slots available.
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University services are valuable, and if they're working for you, that's great. Students often seek private therapy when: the waiting list is long, the university offers short-term support only, they want cultural understanding from an American therapist, or they want clinical depth beyond what a student counselling service provides.
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Yes — I work with both. Graduate students often face a particular set of pressures: the intensity of postgraduate study, visa uncertainty, questions about career and future direction, and the specific challenge of being in a more isolated academic environment. All of this is within my scope.
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Yes — all sessions are via Zoom, which is secure and confidential. Many students find online therapy actually works better for them — you can have a session from your room, without commuting, and without sitting in a waiting room on campus. I also offer in-person sessions in North West London if that's more accessible for you.