“I want you to be happy, laugh smile and rejoice, in order that others may be made happy by you”
– ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
Hi, I am Farida,
I am an integrative psychotherapist, clinical supervisor, EMDR trauma therapist and a systemic family therapist.
Balance and simplicity are core qualities I apply to my life and work, as I believe they bring awareness and groundedness in the daily choices we make.
Everything has a cycle – a beginning, a life and an end – and the most valuable element of this cycle is our conscious awareness of the here and now and how we choose to live each step of the way.
I have a great interest in human relationships, their dynamics and interconnectedness. When we are born our first interaction is a relationship to another, our families become the first nucleus within which we create those very first impressions that will shape our future interactions with individuals and society. It is by learning to relate with one another, I believe, that we may nurture and polish those inner qualities we all have the potential to reveal and gain greater clarity on the purpose of our lives.
In the course of my life I have learnt that when we have negative and unhealthy experiences, especially at a very young age, we develop coping strategies and core beliefs – whether triggered by distress, neglect or trauma – that become core wounds and can compromise our self-esteem and the image one has of themselves, as well as diminish our expectations of life relationships and the way we create meaning in our lives.
By learning to stably create and maintain a relationship with our inner child or higher self, and parent our distress, we can find greater clarity, peace and lightness, affirm our self-acceptance, and anchor our emotional security, to better nurture our life relationships’ needs and make choices in our lives which are more balanced and fair.
My Approach
CREATing MEANING
In my practice as an integrative psychotherapist, I offer a therapeutic relationship that affirms creative renewal, integration and wholeness, by encouraging clarity and mindfulness in the development of self-compassion and awareness of our inner compass that stirs our choice making abilities.
I draw on psychodynamic, existential, attachment – relational, systemic, trauma, cognitive, transpersonal, neuroscience perspectives and insights, and in my work with children I apply play-therapy modalities.
A core interest I have is in the coping strategies and beliefs that can be triggered by distress, neglect and trauma, which can compromise self-esteem and the image one has of themselves, diminish our expectations of life relationships, which is a factor in the development of various compulsions and addictions.
Inner Child work
By learning to stably create and maintain a relationship with our inner child or higher self, and parent our distress, we can find greater clarity, peace and lightness, affirm our self-acceptance, and anchor our emotional security, to better nurture our life relationships’ needs, and make choices in our lives which are more balanced and fair.
your story
Often because of traumatic and disappointing events in our lives, we develop coping strategies that help us survive but that might not be beneficial for us anymore.
It is by telling our story that we can meet ourselves, and embark on a mindful journey back to us. Give ourselves permission to let go of what does not serve us anymore, and open the door to new possibilities, to a new story.
“Loving ourselves through the process of our own story is the bravest thing we can do. Every time we ask ourselves a question, we are generating a possible version of a life and open the window to a new narrative, a new story.”
QUALIFICATIONS
I am an MBACP Accredited psychotherapist and a member of the Association of Family Therapy (AFT) and EMDR UK. I abide by the BACP Ethical Framework for good practice – Values, Principles and Personal Moral Qualities.
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respecting human rights and dignity
alleviating symptoms of personal distress and suffering
enhancing people’s wellbeing and capabilities
improving the quality of relationships between people
increasing personal resilience and effectiveness
facilitating a sense of self that is meaningful to the person(s) concerned within their personal and cultural context
appreciating the variety of human experience and culture
protecting the safety of clients
ensuring the integrity of practitioner-client relationships
enhancing the quality of professional knowledge and its application
striving for the fair and adequate provision of services
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Being trustworthy: honouring the trust placed in the practitioner
Autonomy: respect for the client’s right to be self-governing
Beneficence: a commitment to promoting the client’s wellbeing
Non-maleficence: a commitment to avoiding harm to the client
Justice: the fair and impartial treatment of all clients and the provision of adequate services
Self-respect: fostering the practitioner’s self-knowledge, integrity and care for self
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Candour: openness with clients about anything that places them at risk of harm or causes actual harm
Care: benevolent, responsible and competent attentiveness to someone’s needs, wellbeing and personal agency
Courage: the capacity to act in spite of known fears, risks and uncertainty
Diligence: the conscientious deployment of the skills and knowledge needed to achieve a beneficial outcome
Empathy: the ability to communicate understanding of another person’s experience from that person’s perspective
Fairness: impartial and principled in decisions and actions concerning others in ways that promote equality of opportunity and maximise the capability of the people concerned
Humility: the ability to assess accurately and acknowledge one’s own strengths and weaknesses
Identity: sense of self in relationship to others that forms the basis of responsibility, resilience and motivation
Integrity: commitment to being moral in dealings with others, including personal straightforwardness, honesty and coherence
Resilience: the capacity to work with the client’s concerns without being personally diminished
Respect: showing appropriate esteem for people and their understanding of themselves
Sincerity: a personal commitment to consistency between what is professed and what is done
Wisdom: possession of sound judgement that informs practice
