Ladan Ghiami

Hello there, my name is Ladan Ghiami and I am a Counselling Psychologist and artist.   I work as a private practitioner currently offering online sessions via video platforms such as Zoom and FaceTime.    

I am an experienced clinician and have been working with clients for over 18 years in a range of settings including primary care in the NHS, student counselling in higher education and private practice which I set up in 2008.  I offer brief (6-12 sessions) and longer term (open ended) counselling and psychotherapy to individuals and couples.    My approach to therapy is collaborative, relational and interactive.     

There are many reasons and circumstances that bring people to therapy.    It is an important first step in acknowledging that you want your life to change in some way and for the better.    Therapy is essentially about internal change, and from there you will experience significant shifts in your external life as well.     The relationship you have with yourself is key to how you experience your life and how you participate in your life in general.    It is also at the core of your wellbeing and happiness.    I help clients redefine and rediscover that core relationship with themselves, and together we work on areas such as self worth, self love, recognising ones inherent value and fostering a sense of unconditional acceptance.    Can you imagine how your life would be if you treated yourself with more patience, forgiveness, kindness, respect and love every single day.     Regardless of whether we have been shown these qualities or not we all have the capacity to learn and develop them for ourselves and then watch our lives change as a direct consequence.     

Our emotional, psychological and spiritual health is as crucial as our physical and nutritional wellbeing.   We are part of one system and I approach therapy in a holistic way incorporating ideas about creativity, meditation, time in nature and self care into my psychological treatment with clients as part of the healing process.        

Here are some areas that I have a particular interest in and experience of:  

• absence of a strong sense of self / self abandoning  
• absence of self love and self worth
• unhealthy dynamics in romantic relationships / dating 
• attraction towards partners that are unavailable and ambivalent
• people pleasing and difficulty in setting / maintaining boundaries
• childhood attachment Vs adult patterns of relating  
• fear based decision making and difficulty in going for what you want 
• identifying trauma responses i.e. over working, addictive behaviours
• frequently worrying about things that could go wrong
• struggling to trust yourself and others

Whatever your concerns may be when you come to therapy my job is to do my professional best to help you and to help you be better able to help yourself going forward.   If I feel that a different type of therapy would be more beneficial for you I will share that with you in our initial appointment and if I can I will recommend another therapist or therapy organisation that may be more suitable.

I am currently in the middle of developing my website which will have more detailed information about how I work and what you can expect from working with me.    In the meantime please feel welcome to email me with any questions you may have and I would be happy to offer a brief telephone conversation with you before you book a therapy session with me.     

I look forward to working together.