Blackheath Therapy ®
Psychology and Psychotherapy Services for Blackheath and South East London
Dr. Aysha Begum
BSc (Hons), MSc, PhD, D.Clin.Psych, CPsychol, AFBPsP
Principal Clinical Psychologist, Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist
and Systemic (Family/Couples) Practitioner
What To Expect
Psychotherapeutic work is a collaborative talking approach whereby we build a trusting relationship, in order to work through and explore difficulties that you may be experiencing.
My therapeutic style is open, warm and authentic. I work in a very collaborative way to build a trusting confidential relationship whereby we can explore the difficulties together. I have a very non-judgmental and compassionate approach.
After you e-mail/make initial contact with me, I aim to get back to you as soon as possible and discuss your needs and my availability.
We will then meet face to face for an initial assessment where we will explore the difficulties together and think further about how to progress.
About Me
Hello, my name is Aysha Begum. Welcome to my site.
My Current Work:
Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy - Attachment and Trauma:
I am a UKCP registered Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist. This means I am trained to focus on early life/childhood experiences and how they shape how we are in on our current relationships and day to day life. As such; in addition to my existing clinical experience, I have advanced training in attachment, separation, loss/grief, identity, sexual/complex trauma and relational and characterological difficulties.
Clinical Psychology
Alongside my private work I am employed as a senior Principal Clinical Psychologist/Systemic Practitioner in the NHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) where I am the Psychology Lead, and routinely practice systemically (this means I focus on relationships) and have extensive experience providing professional consultations to schools, allied health professionals and other third sector agencies/charities; clinical supervision and expert neuropsychological assessments and reports.
I am a Principal Clinical Psychologist registered with the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC). I also hold chartered registration and an associate fellowship with the British Psychological Society (BPS). I work across the age span and with all presenting difficulties. Whilst I am trained to fully understand mental health diagnoses, my approach to managing emotional and psychological distress is not to medicalise or diagnose but rather to facilitate a dialogue around this.
Systemic Family & Couples Work
I am also a Systemic (Family/Couples) Practitioner accredited by the Association of Family Therapy (AFT). I have specifically worked with children, adolescents, neurodevelopmental/learning difficulties and couples/families struggling with parenting and/or child mental health difficulties as well as difficulties within the couple and family relationships.
Academia
I have two decades worth of experience working in mental health. I initially started my career as a Psychiatric Epidemiologist whereby I worked extensively in ageing mental health and neurodegeneration and have presented at national and international conferences and have published extensively in peer reviewed journals. My PhD thesis was in Memory Impairment in Older Adults. My clinical doctoral thesis in Neuropsychology focused specifically on Theory of Mind and Autism in adults. I am currently the Editor-in-chief of the Attachment Journal: New directions in Psychotherapy and Relational Psychoanalysis.
In my NHS role, I have co-facilitated Dialectic Behavioural Therapy (DBT) groups for parents/couples and was the clinical lead for the Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) group pathway. I also provide DBT and CFT on an individual basis. I am also trained to provide EMDR.
I offer a full range of psychology and psychotherapy services including clinical supervision and professional consultation.
Please enquire further.
Training & Experience
EMDR (EMDR Academy)
Advanced Clinical Supervisor 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 (King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry)
BSc (Hons) Psychology (University of Greenwich)
Services
Clinical Psychology
I work across the age span i.e. from childhood to older age, and with all types of emotional and psychological difficulties. I use a range of psychological therapies including Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR), Cognitive and Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness-based CBT, Trauma-focused CBT, Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET), Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) and Dialectic Behavioural Therapy (DBT).
Systemic (Family/Couples) Practice
As a Systemic (Family) Practitioner I provide specialist skills in working with children, adolescents, individuals, couples and families. I use a range of systemic approaches including Narrative Therapy including Attachment-based Narrative Therapy, Brief Solution Focused Therapy, Strategic/Structural Family approaches, as well as Communication Models to support clients who are struggling with their relationships.
Child and Adolescent Mental Health
As a senior CAMHS clinician I have specialist skills working with children, adolescents, parents/carers, neurodevelopmental/learning difficulties, school-based difficulties and families struggling with parenting and/or child mental health difficulties.