About me
Hello,
My name is Nasif Nijabat, though most people know me as Nij.
I have over 20 years’ experience working with adults, couples, families and young people presenting with complex emotional wellbeing and mental health difficulties, across health and social care settings in inner-city London.
Alongside my private practice, I currently work as a service and clinical lead within a London NHS mental health service. I am also a supervisor and visiting lecturer at the Tavistock & Portman, where I teach and support practitioners working with children, adolescents and families.
Mental health can feel overwhelming, particularly when it becomes framed as a “problem” located within the individual. My way of working does not start from that position. I understand difficulties as relational, contextual and systemic, shaped by patterns within families, relationships, culture, institutions and wider social structures.
I aim to offer a safe, transparent and non-judgemental space where we can slow things down and think together. I work actively and collaboratively, paying close attention to patterns of interaction, power dynamics, and the meanings people make of their experiences. The focus is not on blame or diagnosis, but on understanding what is happening, why it may make sense, and how things might begin to shift.
I do not claim to have answers or to “fix” problems. What I do bring is experience, curiosity and structure, alongside a practical, relational approach that supports people to reconnect with their own strengths, resources and agency.
My style is often described as engaged, thoughtful and direct. I am unorthodox in the sense that I work relationally and reflexively rather than following rigid techniques, but I practise fully within ethical frameworks and professional guidelines. I prioritise human connection, trust and honesty, with the belief that meaningful change follows from this foundation.
Training, qualifications & experience
Qualifications
- PhD in Advanced Research and Practice (Systemic Psychotherapy)
- MSc Systemic Psychotherapy
- BA Social Work
I am also a part-time lecturer and mentor at the Tavistock & Portman.
Experience and current roles
I have over 20 years’ experience working across statutory and non-statutory services, including mental health services, social care, education and youth justice.
I currently work in the NHS as a highly specialised systemic and family psychotherapist and clinical lead, with responsibilities across Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and youth offending services.
My areas of particular interest and specialism include:
- exploitation and grooming of young people
- trauma and its relational impact
- working with families affected by risk,
- safeguarding and complex systems
- engaging young people often described as “hard to reach”
I also:
- consult to schools and social care services
- provide individual, couple and family therapy
- deliver teaching and experiential group work
- publish academic and practice-based writing
I have a strong track record of engaging young people involved with the youth justice system and families navigating multiple professional systems.
Supervision
I have over 10 years’ experience providing supervision to professionals working in:
- NHS mental health services
- schools
- non-statutory and
- community services
My supervision work places emphasis on self-reflexivity, safeguarding and risk, ethical practice and systemic thinking, supporting practitioners to think clearly while holding complexity.
What is systemic psychotherapy?
Systemic psychotherapy is both a therapeutic approach and a way of thinking. It can be used with individuals, couples, families and groups.
Rather than seeing difficulties as problems located within one person, systemic psychotherapy understands emotional distress as shaped by relationships, patterns of interaction and the wider systems people live within, such as family, culture, work, education and community.
As a systemic practitioner, I am interested in how people relate to one another, how difficulties are maintained over time, and how change can begin when patterns start to shift.
How systemic psychotherapy works
Systemic psychotherapy often involves:
- shifting focus from the individual to relationships and systems
- moving away from blame and linear cause-and-effect thinking towards understanding shared patterns
- paying attention to both what is being talked about and how people relate while talking about it
This approach helps people take responsibility for their part in patterns without being blamed or pathologised, and supports new ways of relating that feel more workable and sustainable.
What systemic psychotherapy focuses on
Systemic psychotherapy tends to be:
- practical rather than purely analytical
- collaborative rather than expert-led
- focused on the present, while acknowledging past experiences where helpful
The work often explores questions such as:
- what keeps things stuck
- how do patterns repeat
- what small changes might create movement?
What systemic psychotherapy can help with
Systemic psychotherapy can be helpful for a wide range of difficulties, including:
- relationship and family difficulties
- anxiety and panic
depression and low self-esteem - trauma and post-traumatic stress
- difficulties linked to behaviour, risk and safeguarding
- complex emotional and relational issues
Systemic psychotherapy is recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for certain presentations and is widely used across NHS and specialist services.
EMDR therapy
I am trained as an EMDR practitioner and have several years’ experience using EMDR alongside systemic and relational work where appropriate.
EMDR supports people to process distressing or traumatic experiences that continue to affect emotional wellbeing in the present. If relevant, we can discuss whether EMDR may form part of your therapeutic work.
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 UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) is a leading professional body for the education, training and regulation of psychotherapists and psychotherapeutic counsellors. Its register is accredited by the government's Professional Standards Authority.
As part of its commitment to protect the public, it works to improve access to psychotherapy, to support and disseminate research, to improve standards and to respond effectively to complaints against its members.
UKCP standards cover the range of different psychotherapies. Registration is obtained by training or accrediting with one of its member organisations, or by holding a European Certificate in Psychotherapy. Accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.
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
Other areas of counselling I deal with
I am able to work with most issues in regards to emotional well-being and mental health. however my specialist area is with people that have been exploited in a abusive way and the trauma related to this - I am currently working with young people who have been groomed into gangs and religious violent radicalised ideology.
I also have over 8 years experience of providing supervision to staff within non-statutory services, nhs mental health staff, school staff and group supervision. An emphasis is given to self reflexivity, safeguarding/risk and systemic issues in regards to case discussion.
Fees
£85.00 per session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
Sessions: 1 hour
Supervision sessions up to 90 mins
prices reflect expertise and experience.
Individual session: £85
EMDR: £70
Couples therapy: £110
Family therapy session: £120
Group therapy: please inquire.
Supervison: £85
Prices reflect specialism and expertise
When I work
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I will aim to respond to inquires within 24hrs.
Thank you.
Further information
A session equates to 1hr.
Sessions will be conducted primarily on Saturdays as I have a small private practice and work for the NHS full time during the week. I am able to provide this from my home in Dunmow or at your home if you prefer.
I adhere to all the ethical procedures, practices and policies within the UKCP & AFT guidelines and also have PI insurance and have been enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checked
