Alessia Chiappino

Alessia Chiappino is an integrative and depth relational psychotherapist in Hackney, east London, whose practice, Physis Integration, offers psychotherapy alongside psychedelic harm reduction and integration. She is a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy.

Approach

Chiappino trained first in transactional analysis and later graduated from the postgraduate programme in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy at the Institute of Psychedelic Therapy. She holds certificates in psychedelic harm reduction and integration from NUMINUS, in somatic attachment therapy from The Embody Lab and in integrative psychedelic therapies from Modern Spirit, and is completing a diploma at The Link Centre. Before therapy she spent more than a decade in the music industry and took a master’s in fine arts at Central Saint Martins. Her work is relational and attachment-aware, and draws on feeling, thought, the body, images and dreams.

Who it is for

Her integration work is for people preparing for or processing psychedelic-assisted therapy, plant medicine ceremonies, holotropic breathwork or other expanded states. In psychotherapy she sees people in crisis, people seeking self-development and those exploring life questions, spiritual ones included. Her relationship therapy welcomes non-monogamous and polyamorous relationships as well as queer and gender-diverse couples.

Practical details

An initial assessment of about an hour costs £120, as does each weekly 50-minute session, and relationship therapy runs on a sliding scale of £150 to £180. Harm reduction and integration support is also available by Zoom.

Care and safety

She does not give psychedelics, help anyone obtain them or refer clients to illicit therapists, and she does not work with clients who are under the influence. Harm reduction consultations cover safety, substances and preparation, and include a psychological assessment. She points out that psychedelic use is illegal in the UK. As a BACP member she follows its ethical code and has regular clinical supervision.