About me
Hello my name is Aysha and welcome to my page.
My Approach
I work in a transparent and collaborative way to build a trusting relationship whereby we can explore the difficulties together. I have a very non-judgmental and compassionate approach.
My Background
I have 25+ years of experience working in mental health. I initially started my career as a Psychiatric Epidemiologist at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN). I worked extensively in ageing mental health and neurodegeneration and have presented at national and international conferences and have published in peer reviewed journals.
Clinical Psychology
I am a Principal Clinical Psychologist registered with the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC). I also hold chartered registration and I'm an associate fellow of the British Psychological Society (BPS). I have 14 years direct clinical experience (NHS/Private).
I am trained to work across the age span i.e. from childhood to older age, and with all types of emotional and psychological difficulties.
I see Adults who typically come to see me for Anxiety, Depression, OCD, Work-related Stress/Burnout, PTSD and Relationship difficulties at work and personal life.
I use a range of psychological therapies including Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), Cognitive and Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness-based CBT, Trauma-focused CBT, Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET), Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT), Dialectic Behavioural Therapy (DBT) and Internal Family Systems (IFS) informed work.
Systemic (Family/Couples/Organisational) Practice
I am also a Systemic (Family/Couples) Practitioner accredited by the Association of Family Therapy (AFT). I provide specialist skills in working with children, adolescents, individuals, couples, families and organisations using attachment and systemic theories, this means I focus on relationships.
I use a range of systemic approaches including Narrative Therapy, Attachment Narrative Therapy, Brief Solution Focused Therapy, Strategic/Structural Family approaches, as well as Communication Models to support clients who are struggling with their relationships.
Systemic comes from the word system; this includes couples, families, organisations such as schools or the work place, as well as and the wider socio-political system. Systemic practitioners are trained to understand psychological and emotional distress by exploring relationships and communication.
I have additional CMI recognised Leadership training and particularly skilled supporting the mental health of individuals in highly pressured leadership and management roles both in the private and public sectors.
Many couples and families (with or without children) come to systemic (family/couples) therapy because they may experience intimacy issues, sexual difficulties, infidelity, infertility, divorce, parenting struggles, mental illness within the family, addictive behaviours, behavioural and emotional difficulties with children, family illness and/or bereavement and many other external realities such as financial worries, school-based worries, employment issues and discrimination.
Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy: Attachment and Trauma
I am also a UKCP registered Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist, this means I am trained to focus on your early life experiences/childhood and how this shapes and impacts your current relationships and day to day life. As such; in addition to my existing experience in clinical psychology approaches to attachment and trauma, I have post-doctoral psychoanalytic training in attachment, loss/grief, identity, addiction, sexual/complex trauma and relational and personality difficulties. I am also the former editor of the Journal: Attachment - New Directions in Psychotherapy and Relational Psychoanalysis.
Group Psychotherapy
I provide a range of group offers. Please visit my website for further details.
Child and Adolescent Mental Health
I have specifically worked with children, adolescents, neuro-developmental/learning difficulties and couples/families struggling with parenting and/or child mental health difficulties.
Alongside my private work I am employed as a senior clinician in CAMHS where I am the Psychology Lead and routinely practice systemically and have extensive experience providing professional consultations to schools, allied health professionals, and other third sector agencies/charities, as well as clinical supervision and expert neuropsychological assessments and reports.
Supervision & Consultation
I also provide clinical supervision, professional consultation.
I provide short-term goal focussed therapy as well as more analytical long-term open ended therapy.
Private Practice
Alongside my NHS work, I run a private practice called Blackheath Therapy.
Please visit www.blackheaththerapy.co.uk for more information.
Training, qualifications & experience
- ELFT Leadership Training (Chartered Management Institute)
- Hoffman Process (Hoffman Institute)
- EMDR Levels 1&2 (EMDR Academy)
- Advanced Clinical Supervision Training
(British Psychological Society) - Attachment-Based Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy
(The Bowlby Centre) - Advanced Dialectic Behavioural Therapy
(ELFT NHS Foundation Trust) - Clinical Supervision
(British Psychological Society) - PGCert Intermediate Systemic/Family Practice with Distinction
(Institute of Family Therapy) - Advanced Compassion Focused Therapy
(Derby University with Prof Paul Gilbert) - Mindfulness-Based CBT
(Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust) - D.Clin.Psych Doctorate in Clinical Psychology
(University of East London) - PhD in Psychiatric Epidemiology
(King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry) - MSc in Psychiatric Research (Epidemiology)
(King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry) - BSc (Hons) Psychology
(Greenwich University)
Member organisations
school Registered / Accredited
Being registered/accredited with a professional body means an individual must have achieved a substantial level of training and experience approved by their member organisation.
The HCPC are an independent, UK-wide health regulator. They set standards of professional training, performance and conduct for 16 professions.
They keep a register of health professionals who meet their standards, and they take action if registered health professionals fall below those standards. They were created by a piece of legislation called the Health Professions Order 2001.
Registration means that a health professional meets national standards for their professional training, performance and conduct.
Areas of counselling I deal with
Therapies offered
Fees
£130.00 - £175.00
Health Insurance/EAP
Additional information
I accept direct fee paying clients and the following insurance:
BUPA, Aviva, WPA
Assessment & Treatment Sessions:
Individuals £130 - £150 (50mins) £150 for evening sessions 5pm onwards
Couples £150 (50mins)
Families £175 (50mins)
Supervision & Consultation £85-£150 (50mins) Online Only
Group Psychotherapy
£45-£60 (60-90mins depending on group size)
When I work
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Further information
Aysha Begum, PhD, D.Clin.Psych, CPsychol, AFBPsP
Registered Clinical Psychologist - Health & Care Professional Council (HCPC)
Chartered registration and associate fellow - British Psychological Society (BPS)
Achieved accreditation and registration for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy - The Bowlby Centre & UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP)
Accredited Systemic (Couples/Family) Practitioner - Association of Family Therapy (AFT)
Insurance - Towergate Insurance
ICO registered data protection officer ZA540449
