Hello, I’m Dr. Lara Tarocco.

Originally from Milan, I moved to the UK in 2004 and, thanks to my doctorate in Law, I spent the next 13 years working as a Commercial Lawyer. During this time I also met my future husband and, once we got married, we tried to start a family. After many attempts and a gruelling ride on the emotional roller coaster that fertility treatments bring, we accepted that having a family via conventional means was not the path we were destined for. We then decided to adopt and began the process of first being approved as adoptive parents and then being matched with our wonderful child.

Being an adoptive mother to a special needs child who experienced abuse and neglect early in life made me realise how much emotional support deeply traumatised people need. This was the driving force in starting my journey to becoming a therapist and launching Lara Wellbeing.

My personal mission is to be of service to those who live with a disadvantage. I enjoy helping people feel better about themselves and in themselves.

Wondering how I gave up being a lawyer to become a therapist? Let’s start at the beginning...when you apply to become an adoptive parent, you undergo intense counselling. This showed me the huge benefits of therapy and how valuable it is in providing support to those who have experienced trauma as well as their family who care for them.

Going through the process to become adoptive parents was an extremely mentally and emotionally demanding experience but, in some ways, one that as an adoptive parent to a special needs child, you never really leave. The reality is that you are in the ‘post-adoption’ process until your child is an independent adult, which is often after the age of 18. Many adoptive parents are in the ongoing process of helping their children manage and overcome traumatic experiences from their pre-adoption childhood. This means that adopted children and their adoptive parents will often be dealing with multiple early life traumas throughout the child’s life.

As an adoptive mother to a special needs child, I am familiar with navigating not only the pre-adoption, adoption and post-adoption process but all of the various agencies one has to liaise with to support a special needs child in reaching their full potential. I also became aware of the lack of support that there is for adoptive parents and their children, particularly those with disabilities and a history of trauma.

Due to my desire to support adopted children and those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), in 2019 I founded the Community Interest Company “SEND and Adoption Project”. This was set up to help SEND and adopted and fostered children and their families get the much-needed support they need.

I continue to advocate for adopted children and my articles on adoption have been published several times on local, national and international media, e.g. AdoptionUK.org.

Along with being an adoptive parent, life has also provided the experience of caring for a family member with Dementia, giving me insight into this complex and life-changing condition, as well as the strain of being a carer, can place on family members who are also dealing with the ‘long goodbye’: the grieving process of watching their loved one slowly fade away as the disease progresses.

I’m also an ex-smoker who successfully quit smoking with the assistance of hypnotherapy. I understand the mental and emotional distress involved in overcoming addictions as well as physical withdrawal symptoms and practical techniques that can be utilised to overcome a range of addictive behaviours. I KNOW how hard addictions can be to break! More importantly, I know that with the right support, addictions CAN be overcome.

Having left Italy to live in England nearly 20 years ago, I do of course have personal experience of life as an ex-pat. I have experience with all the brilliant, exciting opportunities this brings as well as the difficulties adjusting to the culture and customs of your new homeland whilst building new support networks. I also understand what it’s like managing long-distance relationships with loved ones back in your country of origin, the process of blending both your old and your new cultural identities and being part of an international couple. Being an ex-pat is a fantastic experience and one I cherish as without it, I wouldn’t have my amazing family!

With all the aforementioned life experiences combined, I felt that the only way I could help people in the way I wanted to, particularly in terms of dealing with trauma, was to train to become a counsellor – so that’s what I am currently doing. I started training to be a counsellor in 2017 and expect to be qualified in 2025.

I am truly passionate about improving lives – this is why I chose to become a therapist and why I am glad you have taken the time to visit my website and find out how I can help you.

Yours,

Lara

Click here for details of my qualifications & experience

Qualifications

  • NeuroGraphica Specialist Qualification
  • Counselling Level 4 Diploma (starting October 2023)
  • Counselling Level 3 Diploma
  • Counselling Level 2 Diploma
  • Mental Health First Aid
  • Hypnotherapy Diploma
  • DBS Check
  • Adoption training for attachment, trauma & challenging behaviour.

 

Professional Memberships

  • British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) - Student Member
  • British Complimentary Medicine Association (BCMA) – Member
  • Council of the British Complimentary Medicine Association (BCMA) – Legal Advisor

 

Professional Courses Authored

  • Mindfulness Course – CPD Accredited by BCMA
  • Drawing Therapy Course - CPD Accredited by BCMA

 

Experience Supporting Adoptive Families & SEND Children

  • 2019 - Founded the Community Interest Company “SEND and Adoption Project
  • 2023 - Borough of Spelthorne Co-Ordinator for Family Voice Surrey, a charitable organisation championing the needs and rights of SEND families in Surrey with children or young adults up to the age of 25 who have special educational needs, chronic illnesses, including mental health conditions, or disabilities.