About Me
I hold a Diploma in Integrative Counselling from the Minster Centre, a Master of Science in Health Psychology from the University of Westminster, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the American University of Beirut. I am also a Graduate Member of the British Psychological Society (BPS).
I have worked across multiple psychotherapy and counselling services and supported a range of clients, each with their own unique lived experiences and diverse presenting issues, on both a short-term and long-term basis. I have experience of working with anxiety, depression, relationships, bereavement, abuse, trauma, identity, and issues of diversity and difference.
In addition to my therapeutic experience, I have worked for several years in the mental health charity sector providing support around OCD and related conditions. Although I am not qualified to offer the gold-standard treatment for these conditions, I possess extensive knowledge and a deep understanding of how these conditions can manifest and impact people.
I speak both English and Arabic.
My Therapeutic Approach
As a Relational Integrative Counsellor, I will support you to explore safely and authentically what may be keeping you stuck or hurting, by being curious about your sense of self and how you relate to yourself, to others, and to the world. The therapy I offer is culturally informed, inclusive, and accepting of the full diversity that is the human experience. I am mindful of the impact of wider societal and political systems and welcome this into the therapeutic space. I have particular experience in supporting ADHD and Autistic clients, as well as in working with anxiety, depression, relationship problems, trauma, abuse, bereavement, and self-confidence. Some key themes I tend to explore are:
• Childhood attachment and how this shapes adult relationships
• The inner critic (that voice that says you're not good enough)
• Coping patterns and defences
• Intergenerational transmission and trauma
• The body and nervous system
• Identity and belonging
• Self-compassion and acceptance
Working integratively means that I weave together various therapeutic modalities based on what each client needs. I integrate humanistic, existential, psychodynamic, artistic, and body-focused approaches within my work, and feel that humour, play, and creativity are essential too. I believe that humans are instinctually motivated to move towards growth and inner balance, which we share universally with all living things, but we may lose sight of this when the surrounding conditions throughout our lifespan do not support this. The defences and coping mechanisms we establish as a result help us to survive, but often get in the way of living meaningfully and contently. Noticing and understanding these defences helps us build a picture of how they’ve served us in the past and how they may no longer serve us now, and gives us insight into how we can begin to explore alternative ways of being.
Working relationally means that I hold at the centre of my work the importance of relationality, both within the human experience and within the therapy itself. Being curious about how we relate can give us information about our sense of self-worth and the value we assign to others, and can shed light on our earliest relationships and how they have shaped us. Working relationally also means that I remain curious of how the therapeutic relationship itself can provide insight into other relationships in one’s life, and I will always endeavour to explore this openly in the work.
I view therapeutic working as a collaborative and open experience; I may be the counsellor, but you are the expert of your own experience, even if it doesn’t feel that way at the moment. There is no pressure for you to know what your reasons or hopes for coming to therapy are. You might just want space to vocalise your thoughts and feelings to someone without judgement, or make sense of what you’re going through with someone who will listen. Ultimately, I will support you in your journey towards a deeper exploration and understanding of self through curiosity, authenticity, and compassion.