Ayesha Iftikhar

I bring compassion, creativity, deep holding and a dash of humor to my work. In my nine years working as a therapist and trainer, I’ve facilitated individuals, groups and families in working through depression, anxiety, grief and loss, complex trauma, relational conflict, recovery from narcissistic and other types of abuse, as well as identity issues and existential concerns. I am particularly drawn to helping people rebuild themselves after trauma, deal with ongoing chaos in their lives, and find meaning, purpose and contentment. I am also happy to help figure out practical solutions on specific issues and work through blocks that might be preventing you from reaching your goals and thriving. For those that are inclined, I also bring enrichment to the therapeutic work by bringing in creative, imaginative, intuitive, and archetypal process methods. I believe that there is much to be gained from various wisdom traditions such as Taoism, Sufism and indigenous perspectives on healing, and I weave in these elements, for clients that resonate with them. Clients have reported finding our work together depth-oriented, expansive and also practical. I can hold space gently and calmly , but am also likely to nudge you along outside the comfort zone, because that’s where growth happens. This is all done with a deep respect for your own personal autonomy, and your own individual path on the road to finding yourself. Outside of therapy, I've been active in training and research. I've taught counselling courses for therapists for several years, including designing and running an immersive IFS therapy course under my platform, Ascension Academy. I also run depth-focused personal transformation programmes for groups online and in-person. I've also presented my work and facilitated workshops at a variety of international forums including the British Psychological Society Annual Conference, the Berkeley Center at Georgetown University, Princeton University, International Red Cross trainings, the Alef Trust UK and others. Training and Experience: CPCAB UK Diploma in Counselling Registered IFS informed therapist (IFS Canada) Masters in Clinical and Counselling Psychology IPT and Group therapy training-Columbia University Training in Jungian Somatics (Canada) Creativity and Transformation (ALEF Trust UK) Jungian Alchemical process and Archetypal Tarot( Jung Archademy) IFS Group leader training (ongoing) Shamanic breath work ( ongoing) My main modalities are Internal Family Systems ( IFS), narrative, transpersonal and psychodynamic therapy. I also bring in somatic (embodied) elements via Somatic IFS, Jungian Somatics and Hakomi.