Feeling Anxious, Depressed or Stuck?
You're Not Alone.
Lilian Pilgrim, MBACP Registered Integrative Counsellor
Do you:
- • Look fine on the outside — but feel exhausted, lost or empty inside?
- • Lie awake overthinking, wondering why you can't just feel better?
- • Sense that something deeper is keeping you stuck — but can't quite name it?
- • Feel like you've tried to change, but keep ending up in the same place?
- • Wonder — and quietly hope — that there might be another way?
Integrative counselling for what feels difficult, stuck or unresolved — with gentle somatic awareness and, where helpful, Systemic Family Constellations. Whether this is your first experience of counselling or you have tried therapy before, you are welcome to begin where you are.
Limited in-person spaces in Crediton and in Exeter, Devon.
Book a Free Initial CallSOMASOUL COUNSELLING
You Don't Have to Understand It to Feel It
Many of my clients arrive not quite knowing how to describe what's wrong. They just know something feels off — and has for a long time.
Some of my clients appear to cope well on the outside. They continue to show up for work, for their families and for everyone around them, while carrying a quieter, heavier struggle inside. Others come when coping has become difficult and everyday life no longer feels manageable. In either case, there may be anxiety that won’t settle, a low mood that comes and goes, relationships that follow the same painful patterns, or a deep sense of not being enough, no matter what you achieve. Both experiences are welcome here.
Some have tried therapy before. They found it helpful — but felt it only went so far. Understanding can be an important part of change. Sometimes, however, a pattern also needs to be explored emotionally, relationally or through gentle awareness of bodily responses.
That something is what we work with here.
At SomaSoul Counselling, I work at the level of the body, the story, and the deeper patterns that have shaped you — often without you consciously knowing. Change may also develop through gently noticing and processing emotions and bodily responses, always at a pace that feels manageable for you.
Learn more about how I work
There is no greater journey than the one you make back to your Self.
HOW I WORK
My Approach — Going Deeper Than Managing Symptoms
My foundation is integrative counselling. Depending on your needs and preferences, we may also include gentle somatic awareness and, when relevant and agreed together, ideas from Systemic Family Constellations.
Alongside practical support for coping with the present, we can explore the experiences and patterns underlying what you are going through. This is therapy that helps you understand why that life feels the way it does — and begins to change it from the inside out.
🌿 When the body holds what words can't reach
Anxiety, depression and emotional pain can also be experienced in the body — for example as tension, heaviness or difficulty resting. If this feels relevant to you, we can gently notice these responses without forcing the process. Emotional and bodily responses can sometimes have a protective function. We can explore what they may be communicating, without assuming a particular meaning or forcing the process.
🌳 When patterns feel difficult to explain
Sometimes anxiety, shame, a sense of not being enough or recurring relationship difficulties may be influenced by more than our individual experiences. Family relationships, histories and messages learned over time can also shape how we understand ourselves and relate to others. If this perspective feels meaningful to you, we can gently explore these influences while remaining grounded in your own experience. Together, we can consider what has shaped you, what continues to affect you and how you would like to move forward.
🎨 When words aren't enough
Sometimes words are not the only way to explore an experience. If it suits you, art or imagery can offer another route into feelings that are difficult to express. No artistic skill is needed, and this is always optional.
The aim is to help you feel genuinely at home in yourself and increasingly understood, and supported in living a life that feels authentically yours.
WHAT CLIENTS SAY
Stories of transformation
"Working with Lilian has been a truly transformative experience. From our very first session, I felt seen, heard, and supported in a way I hadn't experienced before. Lilian creates a warm, safe space where it's easy to open up, and her insight and compassion helped me navigate challenges I once thought were impossible to overcome. I would wholeheartedly recommend her to anyone seeking meaningful and lasting change."
— Erin M.
"Over three years, it has been a true privilege to work with Lilian. Our sessions consistently offer a safe, calming space where I feel supported and genuinely seen. We have explored some deeply challenging aspects of my life, and I feel that — with Lilian's thoughtful support — I have been able to grow and mature in meaningful ways. I would highly recommend her to anyone seeking a counsellor who is attentive, respectful, and genuinely kind."
— Natasha M.
"Lilian helped me work through a very difficult time in my life. She enabled me to unlock new awareness into my thoughts and feelings — to understand why I might be feeling a certain way. Her approach was kind and non-judgmental, and it allowed me to be truly open and honest. I found a new strength and self-awareness I am very grateful for. I would highly recommend Lilian's integrative approach."
— E.S.
"I've attempted therapy a number of times over the years, always with some success — but it wasn't until working with Lilian that I truly made progress. Her ability to read between the lines and pick up on underlying issues was without doubt one of the key elements in my recovery. She would say it was me that did the work — and as always, she'd be correct. But I really wouldn't be where I am now if it weren't for her."
— Leon, Google Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
WHAT I CAN SUPPORT YOU WITH
You Don't Need to Know What's Wrong to Begin
Most people who reach out don't arrive with a neat diagnosis or a clear explanation of why they feel the way they do. They just know something isn't right — and they're tired of feeling that way alone.
I work with adults and young people aged 16+ who are experiencing:
For clients aged 16–17, suitability, consent, confidentiality and safeguarding arrangements are discussed before counselling begins.
🧠 Mental Health
Anxiety, depression, panic attacks, overwhelm, burnout
🌱 Trauma
Childhood trauma, complex trauma, challenging life events
🌳 Family Patterns
Difficult or complex family relationships, generational experiences and repeating family patterns.
💪 Personal Growth
Self-awareness, resilience building, authentic living
💔 Relationships
Communication issues, boundaries, trust, patterns
🚀 Life Transitions
Career changes, identity questions, major decisions
SERVICES & FEES
How We Work Together
Individual Counselling — a consistent, confidential space, just for you.
We meet weekly or fortnightly, online or in person in Exeter. Over time, we build the kind of trust and safety that allows real work to happen — not just talking about how you feel, but understanding why, and beginning to shift it.
Many clients choose longer-term work, often for six months to a year. Others begin with a more focused aim. We review the work together, so you do not need to decide the full length before starting.
Session details
Sessions: 50 minutesWeekly: £60 | Fortnightly: £70
Online across the UK and internationally | Limited in-person spaces in Crediton and in Exeter, Devon
ADDITIONAL SPECIALIST OPTION
Systemic Family Constellations — standalone sessions and an optional lens within counselling.
Do certain emotional or relationship patterns keep returning, even when you have tried to understand or change them? Systemic Family Constellations offers an experiential way of exploring how family relationships, histories and learned roles may be influencing your present experience.
Constellation ideas may also be used gently within ongoing counselling when relevant, helpful and agreed. Together, we can notice connections, consider new perspectives and create more choice in how you relate to yourself and others.
Session details
Individual online sessions: £85 | Limited in-person sessions in Crediton and in Exeter, DevonGroup Constellation workshops: contact for dates
MEET LILIAN PILGRIM
Your Journey to Healing Starts with Understanding
I know what it is to hold a life together on the outside while something heavier sits quietly underneath. And I know — from lived experience, not only from training — trauma can be acknowledged and processed, and its impact may become more manageable over time.
My own path has been anything but a straight line — including a fresh start at 42, on the Camino de Santiago, that changed everything. (I set out a pilgrim and came home a Pilgrim.)
Professional Training & Approach
I have worked with Family Constellations since 2009 and facilitated constellation work since 2011. After a year studying psychology at Birkbeck, University of London, I trained as an integrative counsellor, practising since 2022 and qualified and registered with the BACP (MBACP) since 2023.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Trauma-informed counselling means I can understand how difficult experiences affect your mind, body, and emotions. I aim to offer a supportive space where we can build trust and explore your feelings at a pace that feels manageable, without pushing you before you are ready.
"Soma" refers to the body in its living, experiencing wholeness. "Somatic" means relating to the body. SomaSoul reflects my interest in the person as a whole. For clients who find it meaningful, the work may also include a personal or spiritual dimension; this is never assumed or required.
We explore emotional and psychological patterns that have been passed down through generations in families. This approach helps clients understand how unresolved trauma, beliefs, and behaviours from previous generations may be influencing their current life experiences and relationships.
Yes. We work precisely with the parts of ourselves that we often hide from others — the parts that feel vulnerable, anxious, or not-good-enough despite external success. Many of my clients appear to cope well on the outside, while others come at a time when coping has become difficult. Both experiences are welcome here.
Yes. Before counselling begins, we discuss suitability, consent, confidentiality and safeguarding arrangements so that the support is appropriate for the young person.
Yes. I offer online counselling in the UK and internationally. Please include the country where you are based when you enquire.
GET IN TOUCH
Ready to begin? Fill out the form or reach out directly on WhatsApp.
Send Me a Message
Contact Information
+44 7485 284509
Online across the UK and internationally /
In-person in Crediton and in Exeter, Devon (limited spaces)
English and Portuguese
Within 24–48 hours
Monday to Friday
- Integrative counselling
- Somatic awareness
- Trauma-informed
- Relational
