About me
Muslim Counsellor and CBT Therapist
Dr. Azra Nanjiani (MBBS, BABCP Accredited)
Salaamun Alaykum,
Welcome to Zamzam Counselling and CBT!
I am Muslim counsellor and an accredited Cognitive Behavioural Therapist.
Alhamdolillah, I have been working as a psychotherapist since 2013 offering Muslim women a therapy option that integrates Islamic values with research based treatment approaches. With the support of Allah s.w.t, my clients have found this way of working to be very helpful in dealing with the challenges they bring to therapy.
Although I work with a variety of clinical presentations, I have a special interest in helping women struggling with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Qualifications and Training
Medicine (MBBS)
Dual Qualification in Psychotherapy:
BACP Accredited Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling and Psychotherapy
BABCP Accredited Postgraduate Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Together, both these trainings have given me the clinical skills and knowledge to offer much more to my clients than I could have with either of them. They both have a lot to offer and at any given point I draw from what suits the needs of my client and the challenge they want to focus on.
This page will give you a bit more information about CBT and my follow up training in different approaches & specific issues.
CBT is based on an understanding that our emotions and behaviours are largely determined by the way we view ourselves, others and the world. At the same time what we choose to do or how we respond to different situations can impact how we feel and think. CBT helps us understand and then gradually change any unhelpful thinking and behavioural patterns that maintain our problems.
Focused Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (FACT) training
This was an advanced level training by Dr Russ Harris on delivering brief interventions using an Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) approach.
ACT skills help clients to take steps that are meaningful to them and aligned with their goals, while learning to effectively handle difficult thoughts and feelings.
I also incorporate skills from other additional trainings I have completed:
Attachment Narrative Therapy (ANT) training
(Bowlby Centre)
ANT focuses on family relationships, feelings and attachments. This training was facilitated by Rudi Dollis and Arlene Vetere who are pioneers of ANT.
Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) Skills training
Training course designed and presented by Dr Marsha Linehan covering in-depth knowledge of the four DBT Skills of Mindfulness, Emotion Regulation, Interpersonal Skills and Distress Tolerance
CBT for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD): CBT Strategies for Harm Focused & Complex OCD (BPS Approved)
CBT for Severe and Complex Depression
Training by Professor Stirling Moorey, renowned authority on Depression treatment
Working with PTSD using Trauma-Focused CBT (BPS Approved)
CBT for Eating Disorders
Therapeutic Work with Teenagers (Centre for Child Mental Health)
Working with Phobias (BPS Approved)
Adapting CBT for Autistic people (BABCP)
ACT for ADHD
CBT for Adults with ADHD (BABCP)
Evidence Based Psychological Interventions for Long-Term Health Conditions (LTC)
This training focused on anxiety and depression caused by living with long term health problems and the impact of anxiety and depression on people’s ability to manage their health problems.
Islamic Studies: Theology, Ethics, Arabic, Hadith Studies, Quranic Sciences, History and Fiqh (2003 to 2011)
Experience
I have worked as a Counsellor/Psychotherapist with people from a variety of backgrounds, faiths and cultures, ranging from age 4 to over 80s. I now work as a Cognitive Behavioural Therapist mainly with older teens and adults.
While working for educational and charity organisations, the NHS and my private practice, I had a variety of experience working with anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, trauma and other distressing problems.
One of my special interest is working with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
I have worked as a therapist at:
Zamzam Muslim Counselling (My private practice)
Talk Wandsworth (South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust)
Brent Bereavement Services
SOAS Student Services (University of London)
Kids Company
Secondary school (London)
As a doctor I have worked at:
Civil Hospital Karachi
My first degree was in Medicine. It gave me an opportunity to experience working in a hospital that covered a socioeconomically deprived population. This also included work in paediatrics where I could see and feel the anxiety and worry of parents for their children. In adult wards, I saw patients and their families during stressful times of their lives. Years of daily contact with patients struggling with different life challenges, medical and non-medical, gave me the opportunity to interact with them holistically on a personal and professional level. This really helped me to see and understand people within their social context. I also began to understand them better, as unique individuals with unique circumstances, beyond their presenting problems. This has positively impacted on how I relate to my clients now in my practice as a psychotherapist.
My experiences with patients, followed by my observations of human thinking and behaviour when raising my four children, contributed to my interest in psychology. It struck me how small positive experiences or changes can make a big positive impact on thinking and behaviours. I was interested in looking at humans beyond the physical (medical) problems. This eventually propelled me to move on to a career in psychotherapy, where I feel I can really make a difference to people’s lives with the help of God!
Membership and Registration
Private Heath Insurance Companies
I am a recognised provider with several insurance companies.
My Practice Goals
In addition to helping clients overcome their problems and reclaim their life back, the sessions also focus on equipping and inspiring ourselves to live to our maximum potential in order to achieve the best in both worlds. I am also continuously learning from and being inspired by my clients.
By the end of our work, I like my clients to be able to:
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See that therapy has made a big difference to their lives by helping them work through their difficulties and that they had the strengths required to do so.
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Feel confident and better equipped to manage any future challenges they may face in life.
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Continue the journey they started during therapy in terms of taking steps to make life more meaningful and fulfilling, living like the sort of person they want to be and building the life they want to live.
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Live in a way that positively impacts and inspires others too.
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Feel a stronger connection with God.
As an experienced Muslim Counsellor and CBT Therapist, I invite you to get in touch to explore an interesting and transformative journey of growth, insha’Allah!