Chandana Rathnayake

Chandana Rathnayake began practising as a counsellor in 2013 in Malaysia and relocated to the United Kingdom in 2019. He is a registered counsellor with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), registration numbers 00954738/382049, and also works as a mental health adviser supporting young adults in the higher education sector in the UK.

Before training in psychology and counselling, Chandana lived for twenty years as a Buddhist monk in Sri Lanka. That period provided a traditional education and shaped many personal insights that later informed his decision to pursue formal studies in mental health. He left the monkhood to raise a family, which he now enjoys.

Across his work in the UK over the past three years, Chandana has found that his personal and professional experiences combine into a distinctive counselling style. He often adapts familiar, practical approaches so clients can recognise and use the strengths they bring into sessions. Difficult experiences such as losses, betrayals and setbacks are reframed as raw materials to be transformed into something stable and useful for rebuilding.

Chandana borrows a simple image attributed to Yalom—that it is hard for a grandmother to explain exactly how she made a stew delicious, yet the result speaks for itself—and applies a similar humility to the counselling process. He encourages clients to explore and awaken resources they already carry rather than looking for a prescribed formula.

He is likely to be a good fit for people struggling to find purpose, motivation or direction in life, including matters of career, education or spirituality. He also supports clients who are grieving or navigating dramatic life changes, and those dealing with low self-love, low confidence or low self-esteem. Although he does not present himself as a relationship expert, individuals facing relationship difficulties have benefited from his work (he does not offer couples therapy).

If someone chooses to work with Chandana, he believes that decision will enrich his own life as well. He welcomes the collaborative nature of therapy and offers his experience to help clients move toward clearer direction and greater resilience.