Psychological therapY for adults in west london

It’s time to take back control.

I help people overcome post-traumatic stress to leave the past behind and heal.

Maybe you can’t seem to understand your emotional responses – are they harming your ability to get things done and connect with people? You may feel hopeless, and like things are not changing, no matter what you try. Perhaps you feel ashamed or guilty about past experiences, or anxious to go out and always on edge. Whatever it is you are experiencing, you are beginning to notice the impact of this in every part of your life:

Emotional intrusions that feel intense and uncontrollable, and leave you unable to function.
Finding it hard to concentrate or focus on day-to-day tasks
Difficulty sleeping, repeatedly going over memories or thoughts in your head, waking up often at night
Fear and anxiety when thinking about participating in activities that you used to enjoy
Feeling low and that life has no meaning
Feeling numb and disconnected from others, your life and your body
Guilt, shame, and bad feelings, both from the past and because you cannot move forward, no matter what you have tried

Life can feel different than it does today.

Therapy can help you break the patterns of intergenerational trauma

It may feel impossible now, but you can find meaning and joy in living life again. You can feel you are once again in control and confident in your decisions and what you can achieve. You can develop deeper connections and intimacy with people you love – and I can help you get there.

I’ll guide you through this process, tailoring each step to your unique needs and circumstances. My approach to trauma therapy comes from a place of compassionate non-judgment on looking at how you survived, and how and where we can bring flexibility to adapt to create a new beginning.

What we’ll work on

The Journey

Identifying the cause(s) of the problem(s) you are experiencing

Understanding how you have coped with this historically, and the patterns of relating you have relied on to manage life and relationships

Learning the tools to work on and resolve these problems while learning new approaches

Integrating and feeling more emotionally whole by understanding, managing, and overcoming triggers and reactions

Feeling confident in your innate ability to look after yourself and feel hope about the future

Endorsements

Saira is a brilliant psychologist. Warm, approachable and down to earth, she brings her specialist trauma informed knowledge and professionalism to create non-judgmental, nurturing and safe spaces for her clients, whatever their difficulties. Saira has the unique ability to see and help clients reconnect with parts of themselves that may have been lost or suppressed along the way, knowing exactly the right pacing for her clients. She is skilled at helping them navigate complex relational dynamics with others and themselves and help develop self compassion on their journey to healing. I'd highly recommend saira and her clients have been lucky to work with her in her expertise.

Dr Katy Lord, HCPC Registered Chartered Counselling Psychologist
I have known Saira since 2016 while pursuing our doctorate in psychology training. She has become much more than a colleague to me, having shown such kindness and genuineness over the years. She is very industrious, empathic and exhibits prowess where her clients and therapeutic work is concerned. I would be happy to recommend people to work with her

Dr Debra Golburn, HCPC Registered Chartered Counselling Psychologist
Saira has been an EMDR supervisee of mine since October 2021. I have supervised her practice both in the NHS and in private practice. I supervise many EMDR therapists across the country and Saira stands out to me as one of the most skilled clinicians I have had the pleasure of supervising. Her ability to form a strong therapeutic alliance is second to none and she has successfully engaged people in therapy who other therapists have not managed to. She is extremely knowledgable, competent and capable as a therapist but what has struck me most about her, is her compassion and ability to work with people alongside them collaboratively and gently supporting the process. She has a special interest in working with victims of domestic violence and is passionate about helping this client group.

Dr Alexandra Button, HCPC Registered Chartered Clinical Psychologist and EMDR Europe Approved Consultant and Facilitator in Training
“It was an absolute please working with Saira at MIND. Her deep subject knowledge, confidence and people skills consolidated her reputation as a dependable, safe and trusted pair of hands who consistently delivered. I witnessed firsthand Saira’s kindness and support she showed our clients reflecting her values and work ethic”

Sam, former supervisor from Wandsworth Westminster & Brent MIND

FAQS

What others have wondered about starting therapy

We meet for an assessment, and at the end of this session, I will explain what I think will help, how many sessions and what type of therapy this would require. I will recommend a course of action to get you the support you need.
Long-term, open-ended therapy is not the style of therapy I provide. I understand therapy is an expensive investment, so I aim to provide you with the information and tools for you to reach the place you want to be. Once we meet, I will have an idea of how many sessions I would suggest based on your needs. We would regularly check on our goals to make sure we are progressing in a direction you feel good about.
If I do not think I can help you, or if I think there is a better specialist for you, I will recommend this to you in the first session and outline my reasoning and suggestions. I have worked with many people with trauma symptomology, so your treatment is targeted to what you are experiencing, based on the evidence-based therapies I am trained in.
I am trained in EMDR, CFT, Schema, and DBT – all third-wave, CBT, and evidence-based approaches. More information on each type of therapy can be explained in person or by telephone. Please contact me or visit my blog for more information.

More questions? Check out my FAQs page.

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