Dr Zara Malik

Hi! I’m Zara and I’m a Clinical Psychologist.

Hello, I am Zara, a UK registered Clinical Psychologist. I began my career in the NHS in 2013. I have worked with children and adults in many different mental health settings. This has developed my understanding of how to use psychological approaches to support a wide range of individuals and families with their mental well-being. 

I hold compassion, empathy and interest towards every individual’s unique set of experiences, beliefs, and values. I aim to develop a space with you where you feel safe enough to address your difficulties, achieve your goals, and live in a more preferred way.

When we meet for the first time my intention is to offer you a safe and non-judgmental space so that you are able to tell me a bit about yourself and your difficulties, all at your own pace.

If you decide that I am a good fit to support you, we can discuss what working together will look like. This may include thinking about your hopes and goals for the therapy sessions and the steps we could take to work towards them.

I have been trained in various Cognitive-Behaviour approaches, including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Compassion-Focussed Therapy (CFT). I have also been trained to use Systemic and and Psychodynamic Therapies.

I draw upon a range of these therapy approaches in my work. After the first few sessions, we will discuss different approaches that could support you depending on the difficulties you are experiencing. I aim to be transparent about the way that I work, so that you have the relevant information for us to decide together about the ways that we can move forward.

I work with people experiencing a range of mental health difficulties that you may have heard of or experienced yourself, such as anxiety, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Sometimes these names are helpful for people to make sense of their difficulties.

For others, they may not have a name for what they are feeling, but just know that they are struggling with their emotions in some way. My role is to work with you at whatever stage you are at, using words that make sense for you. Through this, we can jointly understand the difficulties you are experiencing and work towards making positive changes in your life.

I have recently started learning to play tennis which has been great as it means I can keep fit, socialise and learn something new all at the same time! I like sewing and cooking, and enjoy being creative with different stitch techniques and new ingredients.

I like to spend time with my friends and family, though I equally relish my own time and space watching my favourite TV shows (for the 100th time!).