Shereen El Gazzar

My clinical experience spans nearly a decade across private practice, hospital and community settings, working with individuals, couples and families from diverse cultural backgrounds. I have particular experience in relationship difficulties, sexuality and intimacy, anxiety, depression, ADHD, grief and loss, life transitions, intercultural relationships and psycho-oncology. My work with people affected by cancer has also deepened my understanding of how illness can impact identity, body image, desire, intimacy and relationships.

I trained systemically, so I understand difficulties within the context of relationships, families, culture and wider social systems rather than seeing the individual in isolation. My approach is integrative and trauma-informed, drawing on systemic and psychodynamic thinking, attachment theory, CBT, DBT, EFT/Gottman-informed couple work and experiential approaches. I adapt how I work according to each person or couple rather than expecting clients to fit a particular therapeutic model.

I am particularly interested in helping clients understand recurring relational patterns, strengthen communication and boundaries, reconnect with their needs and desires, and develop greater compassion towards themselves. In work around sexuality and intimacy, I take a sex-positive, LGBTQIA+ affirming and non-judgemental approach, recognising that sexuality is shaped by our bodies, relationships, histories, identities and cultures.

I see therapy as an active collaboration. Alongside reflection and exploration, I may offer questions, observations, psychoeducation or experiential exercises where these can help you develop new ways of understanding and relating to yourself and others.