I am licensed in the UK with over 11 years of professional work experience.
My training background is a Doctorate in counselling psychology and I have experience of working within the NHS and the private sector. My approach is integrative, drawing on the approaches that best suit the issues clients bring into therapy depending on the clients’ needs, working towards goals that are important to the client.
I aim to provide an empathic, supportive space where clients can freely express their thoughts and feelings and feel seen and heard. While therapy helps clients to process difficult or painful thoughts and feelings, I believe that therapy can also focus on the potential of my clients. I work with her clients to identify and draw on their inner resources to live a fuller, more satisfying life.
My experience includes working with depression and anxiety, couples counselling, bereavement, OCD, trauma, addiction, PTSD, abuse, agoraphobia, panic attacks and many other issues. I understand the internal and external pressures people can put on themselves, which can lead to unhelpful or damaging coping strategies. I work with my clients to identify healthier ways of managing emotions and stress and has a special interest in eating disorders.
I has also gained valuable experience in working with children through her training with Place2Be, a leading charity specialising in working with children and adolescents. My work with the younger client’s emphasis on creating a safe, supportive, non-judgmental space to simply be whilst gently facilitating the opportunity for the young clients to explore, better understand and express their through and feelings and achieve positive change through arts and play therapy. I also understands the importance of providing parents the space to explore and understand the difficulties their children may be experiencing and offers sessions to parents to allow the opportunity for parents to explore their child’s needs and how to best support their children through these difficulties.
Additional areas of focus: Addictions, Relationship issues, Family conflicts, Trauma and abuse, Intimacy-related issues, Eating disorders, Sleeping disorders, Parenting issues, Anger management, Career difficulties, Bipolar disorder, Coping with life changes, Coaching, Compassion fatigue, ADHD, Abandonment, Adoption and Foster Care, Aging and Geriatric Issues, Antisocial Personality, Attachment issues, Autism and Asperger Syndrome, Avoidant Personality, BDSM, Kink, Alternative Sex Culture, Blended Family Issues, Body image, Cancer, Caregiver issues and stress, Chronic pain illness and disability, Co-morbidity, Codependency, Commitment Issues, Communication problems, Control issues, Coping with Natural or Human-Caused Disaster, Dependent Personality, Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD), Dissociation, Divorce and separation, Domestic Violence, Drug and Alcohol Addiction, Eating and Food-Related Issues, Emptiness, Expats, Family of Origin Issues, Family Problems, Fatherhood Issues, Fertility Issues, First Responder Issues, Forgiveness, Gender Dysphoria, Guilt and shame, HIV / AIDS, Hoarding, Hospice and End of Life Counseling, Immigration Issues, Impulsivity, Infidelity, Intellectual Disability, Isolation / loneliness, Jealousy, Life purpose, Men's issues, Midlife crisis, Military and Veterans Issues, Money and financial issues, Mood disorders , Multicultural Concerns, Narcissism, Obsessions, Compulsions, and OCD, Panic disorder and panic attacks, Paranoia, Personality Disorders, Phobias, Polyamory / Nonmonogamous Relationships, Postpartum Depression, Post-traumatic stress, Pregnancy and childbirth, Prejudice and Discrimination, Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling), Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), Self-Harm, Self-love, Sex Addiction, Sexual Assault and Abuse, Sexual Dysfunction, Sexuality, Smoking/Vaping Cessation, Social anxiety and phobia, Somatization, Traumatic Brain Injury, Trichotillomania, Visually Impaired, Women's issues, Workplace issues, Young Adult Issues
Clinical approaches: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Attachment-Based Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT), Existential Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Imago Relationship Therapy, Jungian Therapy, Mindfulness Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Narrative Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, Somatic Therapy, Trauma-Focused Therapy, Internal Family Systems
BACP Therapist - Registered Member MBACP #376824
These quotes represent just a few of the many positive reviews that we have received for Pegah Houshmand. We don't pay anyone to provide their review and they are all made voluntarily. Some people's experience receiving therapy with BetterHelp might be different.
Pegah Houshmand is a really considerate person who listens and respects the issues I have, she gives me time to go through the things I need without feeling rushed. We are working towards a goal of emdr therapy, yes it will take time to get there but I feel good about the approach we are going with. She doesn't judge me or my opinions she does challenge my thoughts on myself in a really good manner and I feel this is very constructive for what I need for my therapy. I would recommend Pegah whole heartedly. I'm very happy with therapy I am receiving.
Written on Oct 21, 2024 after therapy with Pegah for 1 month on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, addictions, relationship issues, family conflicts, trauma and abuse, grief, intimacy-related issues, eating disorders, sleeping disorders, parenting issues, self esteem, coping with life changes, compassion fatigue, and adhd
Brilliant
Written on Oct 05, 2024 after therapy with Pegah for 1 year and 1 month on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, addictions, and adhd
Pegah is reassuring l, fantastic and really listens.
Written on Sep 05, 2024 after therapy with Pegah for 3 months on issues concerning family conflicts, trauma and abuse, sleeping disorders, self esteem, and adhd
Pegah has helped me greatly in navigating leaving a toxic workplace and finding healing and inspiration again. She is a great listener, speaks her mind on the origins and potential solutions to the issue and is very helpful overall! Definitely recommend working with Pegah!
Written on Jul 21, 2024 after therapy with Pegah for 7 months on issues concerning stress, anxiety, self esteem, career difficulties, and coping with life changes
Pegah has been very supportive in finding my voice - she allows me the space to speak and provides helpful perspectives and tips to help me think differently and gain confidence.
Written on Jun 01, 2024 after therapy with Pegah for 2 weeks on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, relationship issues, and trauma and abuse
Petah listens but I don’t feel judged.
Strategies to help are useful , realistic and achievable.
Only had a few sessions but already feeling more positive , uplifted and hopeful .
Would certainly recommend Pegah x
Written on Apr 19, 2024 after therapy with Pegah for 2 weeks on issues concerning stress, anxiety, self esteem, and career difficulties