Dr Amani Zarroug

Training, qualifications & experience

Education and Professional Training

Employment History

Further information

Knowledge and qualifications

I obtained a professional doctoral qualification with Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS foundation trust and hosted by the University of Hertfordshire. I also have a Masters degree in cognitive neuropsychology and a Bachelors degree in Psychology with combined studies. I am registered with the Health and Care Professionals Council (HCPC), and I work as an independent and autonomous professional within the HCPC and British Psychological Society (BPS) Guidelines and organisational Policies and Procedures.

I have studied the following models of understanding and treating psychological difficulties; cognitive behavioural therapy, psychodynamic approaches, systemic and family therapy, personal construct therapy, mindfulness and narrative practices. I have also completed teaching on working across the life-span, health psychology, forensic settings, sexual heath, neuropsychology, bereavement, learning disabilities and contextual approaches.

I have also received advanced training in the use of more conventional therapeutic approaches, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), psychodynamic therapy and systemic therapy. However, I also trained in narrative and personal construct approaches and therefore I have a broad range of theoretical knowledge on which to formulate and intervene.

I have also completed training in neuropsychological assessments and I have experience of using these with clients across the lifespan and with a variety of presenting difficulties. This includes developing skills in sensitivity informing clients and carers of the results of such assessments and subsequent care plan issues.

I believe that systematic assessment drawing on a range of perspectives is vital in contributing to a useful formulation of psychological distress, which I always view as being a work in progress. The consideration of a number of diversity issues such as gender, age, race, ability, class, culture, education, sexuality, ethnicity and religion informs and develops my formulations and clinical practice.

Experience

I have 15 years experience of working with clients on a number of mental health issues.  These include anxiety, depression, existential life circumstances, bereavement and loss, gender and sexuality identity issues, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), phobias, couple and relationship work and general life transitions.

I also have significant experience of applying clinical psychology within different cultural contexts. Many of my clients have experienced a wide range of emotional, physical and mental trauma, which subsequently impacts on their daily functioning and also their ability to communicate their emotional needs. As a second generation immigrant who is fluent in Arabic and English, I am sensitive to the nuances of cultural norms and expectations. Being bilingual and having lived in such diverse places as Libya, the UK and Sudan, I have developed flexibility of perspective and a sensitivity that enables me to put aside my own biases and appreciate the views of others.