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Looking for an English-speaking therapist?
TEDx Colomier Speaker on We are Human picture
  Speaker: "I Am Not a Robot... Being Human"  

I support individuals, leaders and organisations experiencing anxiety, burnout, emotional overwhelm and loss of direction, even when life looks fine on the outside.

 

I am an English-speaking therapist and mental health specialist in France, working with clients locally and internationally, both online and in person.​

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​Trusted by individuals, families and organisations including Airbus and international universities.

Taking the First Step...

Book a FREE Discovery Call


A calm, confidential, no-pressure conversation

 

Anxiety • Burnout • Trauma • Emotional Resilience • Performance

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You may be functioning well on the surface, working, parenting, leading, coping, while internally feeling anxious, exhausted or emotionally stretched.

 

Many of my clients are:

  • High-functioning professionals experiencing stress or burnout

  • Adults affected by trauma, loss or unresolved experiences

  • Parents seeking support for anxious or emotionally overwhelmed children

  • Individuals who feel disconnected from themselves and want clarity again

 

People often say to me:

“I don’t feel like myself anymore.”
“My mind never switches off.”
“I’m coping, but it’s costing me.”

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You do not need to reach crisis point to seek professional support.

How I Work

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At the heart of my work is mental fitness and emotional resilience, the foundations beneath anxiety, burnout, trauma, confidence and performance.

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Rather than focusing only on symptoms, we work to:

  • Understand the emotional and neurological patterns driving your experience

  • Help your nervous system settle and feel safer

  • Build sustainable emotional regulation, clarity and resilience

 

My approach is:

  • Trauma-informed and compassionate

  • Structured and evidence-based

  • Tailored to the individual or organisation

 

Clients frequently report feeling calmer, clearer and more grounded after just a few sessions.

Clients & Experience
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Business People Talking

​​​My Approach

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​​I use an integrative, evidence-informed approach that allows for effective and ethical change, drawing from:

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  • BrainWorking Recursive Therapy (BWRT®)

  • Clinical Hypnotherapy

  • Psychology of Identity and Behaviour

  • Emotional Intelligence

  • Visual Mental Imagery

  • Transformational Coaching and Mindfulness

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This approach means we can work without repeatedly reliving traumatic experiences, while giving you practical tools you can continue using independently.

The Science Behind...

Every time we learn something new our brain rewires...

People get stuck in the habit circuits of their brain. We are hard-wired for survival and change threatens our fundamental way of being.

 

Understanding how our brain works and how to create sustained change is the basis of all my workshops and 1:1 programmes.

 

Did you know that the brain does not understand the difference between a fact and a belief? ​ We are merely following pre-set mind maps that we have created since early childhood and beyond.

Hi, I'm Irena-Marie Makowska

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I’m a mental health specialist, therapist and workshop facilitator with over a decade of clinical and organisational experience.

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I originally trained as a BBC radio journalist before working in PR and media relations, and later retraining in therapy.

 

I have lived and worked in South Africa, the United Kingdom and France, and now support English-speaking clients internationally.

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I founded Focus Wellbeing in 2012 to bring together psychology, neuroscience and emotional intelligence in a way that is human, practical and respectful.

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I am a TEDx speaker (“I Am Not a Robot – Rebooting the Human in You”) and have worked with children, families, senior leaders, elite performers and global organisations, including Airbus and ISAE Supaero University.

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I live in SW France with my partner, Rod, our rescue dogs and numerous cats!

Rod Irena and Miaya at la blanque.jpg
Rod, Irena-Marie and Miaya

Together, we can make it HAPPEN!

Why Clients Choose to Work with Me

 

Clients often tell me they value that I am:

  • Calm, present and emotionally attuned

  • Highly experienced and professionally trained

  • Clear and grounded when explaining complex emotional patterns

  • Focused on meaningful outcomes, not dependency

  • Supportive without judgement or unrealistic promises

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Many clients later refer family members or colleagues, something I see as a responsibility, not a marketing strategy.

Individual Client

Suz Conchar

"After hearing so many great things about Irena’s approach - the techniques she uses really give you a tool-kit, the strength and insight, to start making positive and realistic changes to your thought-process and your actions, allowing you to move forward."

Individual Client

Vicky Evans

“Osian arrived on 21/01/2021 at 20:51 weighing 3660g. He is so perfect - this would not have been possible without your support.

THANK YOU!”

(side note: initially saw Vicky for Trypanophobia (fear of needles). Then her birth plan.

Client Testimonials

Group Workshop

Jill Lawrie, Head of Customer Support & Services Marketing, Airbus Group

“Well-being is core to developing a good leader. Offer them to as many groups as possible in the future – it makes a huge difference.” 

Group Workshop

Stéphane Kersuzan, Vice President, Airbus Staff Council, Airbus Group 

"Thank you for this programme. I have had a lot of pleasure collaborating with you. I felt that a group was created from individuals collectively connecting. We’ll remember it for a very long time as an extraordinary experience."

Individual Client

Myriam Healy, Leadership Training Consultant, Airbus Group Leadership University

"Visiting Irena is a great investment in self.”  

Group Workshop

Alex, Aerospace Engineer student, ISAE-SUPAERO University

"I really liked the different approaches and the exchanges with the other members of the group.

Learning about our behaviour, the neuroscience behind it, and the freedom to express ourselves freely was fascinating and led us to reflect on our individual and collective behaviours from an angle I had never heard of."

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