Dr. Melania Duca's Private Psychotherapy Practice

After having taught for 7 years at the Faculty of Psychology of an Italian private University, I moved to Northern Ireland where I founded Athena Mental Health which I now direct as the CEO.

We offer psychotherapy services and postgraduate training for the licensing of private mental health professionals.

I am a Fellow of the National Council of Psychotherapists (UK) where I served as Ethics Committee Member and currently offer Clinical Supervision. At my office in Bangor and once a week in a private medical clinic in Hillsborough, I treat adults, families, and couples. I provide my services both in person and online.

I specialized in neurodivergence and personality disorders. I have experience in working with marginalized and vulnerable groups such as LGBTQ+ clients; counselling the families of people with Borderline and EUPD (Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder), marriages with Asperger’s Syndrome, OCPD (Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder), victims of domestic violence and narcissistic abuse. I also provide counselling to offenders, and expert reports for court-cases. I counsel police officers and can help lawyers prevent burnout.

I offer “kink-allied” counselling. I have worked extensively in the sport performance enhancement field with individual athletes and teams competing internationally.

My approach is both conservative towards the identity of a person and integrative in relation to the modalities I choose for the treatment. I believe that each one of us is unique and different, so therapy must be tailored on the specific needs of every new client seeking help. My way of working is structured and systematic. A plan is designed and agreed with the client before even opening their folders. I work in cycles of sessions which can last anywhere between 3 months and 1 year.

Confidentiality and protection of my clients’ privacy is a fundamental part of my work.

I often organize events to promote a new form of social therapy which my clients usually like to participate in, and which empowers their journey towards recovery.

I offer two innovative psychological treatments: virtual reality exposure therapy and cranial electrotherapy stimulation.

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My practice requires full registration; after your initial assessment, my assistant will guide and assist you throughout your journey.