Dr Maria Papanastassiou

Consultant Psychiatrist and Group Analyst

Dr Maria Papanastassiou qualified in medicine from the University of Thessaloniki, Greece in 1991. She trained as a psychiatrist at the Charing Cross and Imperial College training schemes in London. Dr Papanastassiou also qualified as a group analyst in 2012 and is a teacher and a trainer at the Institute of Group Analysis in London. In addition, she is a visiting consultant psychiatrist for London universities supporting students with their mental health and offers supervision and support to student mental health advisers and counsellors.

Dr Papanastassiou has been a consultant in general adult psychiatry in the NHS since 2002. She has worked in various mental health settings, including general adult, eating disorder outpatient departments and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) clinics. Dr Papanastassiou has expertise on treating depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), personality disorders, eating disorders and ADHD.

Dr Papanastassiou has been awarded 8 Clinical Excellence Awards for outstanding contributions in Psychiatry in the NHS. She has published on deliberate self-harm, PTSD and group psychotherapy. Dr Papanastassiou has an interest in helping caring professionals alleviate their distress and address their own mental health difficulties. She is an ambassador for the charity Doctors in Distress.

Dr Papanastassiou can offer consultations in both English and Greek.

Athena Lazaridou

February 13, 2024 No Comments

Athena is a Pilates instructor with 8 years’ experience in the field. After completing a Power Pilates Mat Certification in Athens, she went on to complete the Full Comprehensive Classical Pilates Certification with Equinox in Kensington.  She has been teaching Pilates at Equinox for the past 6 years in addition to her own private clients who she trains both face to face and virtually.

Athena has a passion for helping people get stronger and fitter as well as helping those recovering from injury regain their strength and mobility.  Over the years, she has worked with athletes to incorporate Pilates into their training and improve performance. Athena has also worked with prenatal and postnatal women who may be experiencing depression or other mental health difficulties and used Pilates to facilitate a positive impact on their mental health.

Athena is very passionate about improving physical and mental well-being and has recently incorporated Sound Healing into her work, as she believes it to be one of the best ways of ‘letting go’ and releasing stale energy whilst increasing greater self-awareness.