Charmaine Zahra
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
I'm an experienced integrative counsellor and psychotherapist also trained in Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy, working with adults who may be experiencing issues related to anxiety, bereavement, depression, anger, abuse (sexual and emotional), family and relationship problems, trauma, PTSD and complex trauma, chronic illnesses, suicidal thoughts, and attachment issues.
We all go through difficult times in life and most of the time we are able to ride the wave on our own or with support from family and friends. However, sometimes the wave can feel bigger than we can handle and we may start feeling like we're going under. That's when we may seek professional help.
As an integrative counsellor and psychotherapist I use a combination of modalities depending on what you need at different times during therapy.
- Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
- Psychodynamic therapy
- Person-centred therapy
- Integrative
- Internal family systems therapy (IFS)
- I am also trained and experienced in grief therapy.
You might need some support as you go through a rough patch or you might want to bring change to areas in your life that are not working very well. Either way I offer a nurturing space where you can feel at ease and comfortable to explore your thoughts and emotions at your own pace. My main areas of interest are relationship difficulties and developmental trauma, as well as intense emotions which can be quite scary at times, such as anxiety, panic and anger/rage.
My Approach
I am an integrative counsellor and psychotherapist. This means that I combine various approaches to tailor the treatment to the person's distress and preferences.
- Trauma-informed modalities
- LGBTQ- affirming
- Registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).
I believe that all of the distressing issues you face as a human being are reasonable responses to what has happened to you. Usually what happened is too painful so you lock it away, out of your awareness, and start thinking about the distress as something that is wrong with you instead. And somewhere along the way you may start to feel disconnected or lost.
In therapy we explore what happened to you in a gentle and respectful way, so that we can bring it back into your awareness and reintegrate it. We cannot change what happened to you in the past, but we can make sure that it doesn't impact the present anymore.
I use a collaborative approach which means that the approach I recommend is discussed with you and tweaked accordingly. This is an ongoing process which allows the treatment to be continuously adapted depending on your changing needs.
If you're interested to hear about how this approach might work for you, we can set up a free introductory call to discuss this.
Training, qualifications & experience
- Internal Family Systems level 1
- Post-Graduate Diploma Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy - University of Roehampton
- BSc (Hons) Psychology - The Open University
Experience
I have a background in business management. This helps me relate to stress and pressures related to the work environment as well as those related to trying to juggle work with other life aspects. Eventually, I retrained starting with a degree in psychology which sparked my interest into people and relationships. After the degree, I started working in schools, where I supported children with learning differences and social and mental health difficulties. I also taught Emotional Literacy, Social Skills, and Anger Management. Subsequently, I continued my journey with the counselling course where I continued to nurture my interest in relationships. I worked at Wandsworth Bereavement Service where I learned how to work with various types of loss, not just those related to death. I also worked at The Awareness centre where I helped people with a wide range of issues.
I have a special interest in working with loss, relationships, and intense emotions.
Member organisations
BACP is one of the UK’s leading professional bodies for counselling and psychotherapy with around 60,000 members. The Association has several different categories of membership, including Student Member, Individual Member, Registered Member MBACP, Registered Accredited Member MBACP (Accred) and Senior Registered Accredited Member MBACP (Snr Acccred).
Registered and accredited members are listed on the BACP Register, which shows that they have demonstrated BACP’s recommended standards for training, proficiency and ethical practice. The BACP Register was the first register of psychological therapists to be accredited by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA).
Accredited and senior accredited membership are voluntary categories for members who choose to undertake a rigorous application and assessment process to demonstrate additional standards around practice, training and supervision.
Individual members will have completed an appropriate counselling or psychotherapy course and started to practise, but they won’t appear on the BACP Register until they've demonstrated that they meet the standards for registration. Student members are still in the process of completing their training.
All members are bound by the BACP Ethical Framework and a Professional Conduct Procedure.
Accredited register membership
The Accredited Register Scheme was set up in 2013 by the Department of Health (DoH) as a way to recognise organisations that hold voluntary registers which meet certain standards. These standards are set by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA).
This therapist has indicated that they belong to an Accredited Register.
Areas of counselling I deal with
Therapies offered
Fees
£75.00 - £85.00
When I work
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