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About Chryssa Michailidou

Chryssa is a trauma therapist in the UK. She is from a small village in Greece and migrated to the UK when she was 26 to do this work that she feels was called to do. She has always been interested in working with survivors of domestic violence because she used to see families when she was growing up experiencing domestic violence but not doing anything to stop it. The victim-blaming and inequality between men and women that she witnessed and growing up within the village made her want to do more.

Chryssa is also drawn to working with survivors of emotional abuse because it can go undetected since the scars aren't visible.

Growing up she was bullied because her parents weren't educated. She was called the "farmer's daughter," which was seen as a negative thing in her community. Chryssa has experienced the trauma of being shamed for her body and thought she'd never be able to achieve anything.

When she arrived in the UK she was criticised in college for her accent. Her English wasn't very good and the groups she worked with felt that they "had to make changes so that she'd understand". She didn't make any friends and felt left out, causing her to almost drop out of school. She was also told by clients that they wanted to speak to an "English-speaking therapist." Chryssa understands firsthand that culture, race, and individual differences are not always taken into consideration in therapy.

Chryssa is passionate about being a trauma therapist. She constantly asks herself "what can I do to help people reduce suffering?" She was drawn to Taproot Psychology because she believes in Dr Kelly's values and genuinely wants to help survivors of trauma. Chryssa wants to help people understand what happened to them, how traumatic experiences have affected them, and what attachments were formed in childhood.