Rehnuma Choudhury

I feel in the search for a therapist there is something intangible that draws you to them that can’t be entirely put into words, so I’ll try and keep this focused as possible so you can make a decision that feels right for you. Overall I think as people we need different things from therapy day-to-day but overall we want to know we’re working with someone who is human and can meet us with warmth but also knows how to challenge gently or think practically when we need it and has worked with others who have similar problems to us. The basics: I’m a BACP registered integrative psychotherapist also in doctoral training to become a Counselling Psychologist; a profession legally regulated in the UK. This means I have a wide range of experience across different settings with lots of different types of mental health struggles and have been assessed thoroughly at every step of the way to make sure my practice is safe and actually helpful for you. I’ve worked in the NHS and private clinics for 6 years working with mild to severe mental health difficulties across depression and anxiety in NHS Talking Therapies, as well as with higher levels of distress and psychosis using psychodynamic approaches as well as CBT and third wave behavioural therapies within multidisciplinary complex mental health teams. My overall approach: The way I work can be described mainly as depth-oriented while also open and practical. It's really hard to improve anything in your life when you feel like you're talking to a therapist who has an agenda, doesn't truly understand you, or is holding back...or even analysing you. So I'm warm and transparent about the process with you at all times while also working with you to make sure we stay on track with what you came to therapy to achieve. I do this by drawing mainly from relational psychodynamic therapy and existential therapy frameworks, meaning we think about the deeper emotional patterns, relational experiences, and questions about identity, freedom, meaning, and connection that shape how you experience yourself and others - even if we're working on practical ways to address things that are making life more immediately difficult day-to-day. What I offer: Online and face-to-face individual psychotherapy: This led by what you need at all times while connecting threads meaningfully and moving towards deeper patterns and lasting change. As mentioned before, here we would think about the deeper emotional patterns, relational experiences, and questions about identity, freedom, meaning, and connection that shape how you experience yourself and others. I’ll of course be clear with you about when I think a more practical approach using CBT or related therapies might help within that frame, but the depth of thinking about how it all links with who you are will always generally be there. You might be struggling with: - Long term anxiety and depression - Bereavement or grieving a loss - Cultural or religious trauma - Complex or relational trauma - Feeling empty or a lack of meaning - Feeling unable to trust others - Family conflict or struggles - Identity, belonging, culture, or faith - Loneliness or disconnection with others - Loss of self - Life transitions and uncertainty - Emotional intensity or instability - People-pleasing - Perfectionism and overthinking - Regrets and disappointment - Relationship and attachment difficulties - Shame and self-criticism Practical work on specific issues: This tends to be focused on practically helping you deal with specific issues that are making life difficult on a daily basis. We will think together about what's causing you distress and contract for a specific number of sessions and review how helpful you are finding our sessions regularly. For this kind of work I tend to draw on more structured approaches like Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) or Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT). We usually start with 8-10 sessions and go from there based on how you feel you are progressing. We may agree on this approach if you feel your life is significantly affected by the following to the extent that you're unable to participate meaningfully in the things you want to do. You might be experiencing: - Anxiety and depression - Panic attacks - Social anxiety - Health anxiety - Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) - Overwhelming emotions that are making it hard to work or function in life and relationships otherwise. Other information: - As a British South Asian therapist, I pay particular attention to the ways wider cultural, religious and systemic factors may play into your current situation as well as how the relationship between us unfolds, and this is something we can explore as much or as little as you want to. - I also work with LGBTQ+ clients of a religious or ethnic minority background who want to explore navigate this with their culture or faith in mind. - I also work with people leaving religious communities and those affected by religious shunning. Contact me for a (free) 20 minute conversation about what you would like from therapy: Starting therapy can feel exposing, especially if you are used to managing things alone or feeling misunderstood by others. I welcome an initial conversation free of charge to think together about what brings you to therapy and whether working together feels like the right fit. This can be through video call (I use Google Meet) or through a phonecall, please let me know what you would prefer.