There is a moment that comes up often in therapy in Dubai. Someone is describing something painful - carefully, fluently, in excellent English - and then they stop and say: there's a word for this in Arabic, and I don't know how to say it here.
في العلاج النفسي، اللغة ليست وسيلة العمل - بل هي العمل نفسه.
Why the language matters here
Most people in this city work, negotiate and socialise in a second language, and most of the time it costs nothing. In therapy it costs more than people expect.
Emotional distance. A second language carries less emotional charge than a first. That can be useful - some people deliberately approach difficult material in English because it lets them keep a distance. But it can also mean you describe something painful with precision and feel nothing while doing it.
Words that don't translate. Not the everyday ones - the specific ones. The word for a family obligation that English renders as "duty" and flattens. The particular kind of shame. The particular kind of longing. When the nearest translation is only approximate, the session becomes approximate too.
Effort that competes with noticing. Composing in a second language takes work, even at a high level. That work competes with what therapy actually asks of you: noticing what you feel as you speak.
Not having to explain the context
Language is the visible half. The other half is not having to explain.
Not having to explain why leaving a marriage is not only a personal decision. Not having to explain what is expected of an eldest son, or what it means for parents to be ageing in another country. Not having to explain why "just set a boundary with your family" is advice that lands very differently depending on where you grew up.
A therapist who shares that context does not need to be told any of it. That saves time - but more than time, it removes the low background effort of translating your life while also living it.
هذا لا يعني أن المعالج سيوافقك في كل شيء. It means you start from the same place rather than spending sessions building the map.
Who you would work with
Dr Nayla Daou, PsyD - clinical psychologist and the clinic's clinical lead. Individual therapy for adults. Sessions in Arabic, English .
Yassine Tayi, MSc - psychodynamic and psychoanalytic work, EMDR. Sessions in Arabic, French and English.
Moni El Ramlawy, MA - couples work using Emotionally Focused Therapy and the Gottman Method. Sessions in Arabic and English
Meet the team →
What we work with
Adults - anxiety, depression, low mood, stress, grief, trauma, self-esteem, and the difficulties of building a life away from where you are from.
Couples - recurring conflict, communication that has broken down, decisions about the future, and the particular strain of a marriage carrying two families' expectations.
Family pressure without a diagnosis attached - obligations, expectations, decisions that involve more people than the two making them. None of this is a disorder and none of it requires one. It is among the most common reasons people come.
A note on confidentiality
We raise this because it is asked more often in Arabic than in any other language, and the concern is legitimate.
ما يُقال في الجلسة يبقى في الجلسة. Confidentiality is a foundation of clinical practice. What you discuss stays between you and your therapist, with the narrow exceptions that exist everywhere in the world, principally around serious risk of harm.
Nobody is told you attend. Nothing goes to a family member, an employer or an insurer without your say-so - and if you are claiming on insurance, you control what is submitted, because the invoice comes to you rather than going to them directly.
If you have specific concerns about privacy, raise them at first contact. It is a reasonable question and we would rather answer it than have it stop you.
Common questions
Can I switch between Arabic and English in a session? Yes, and many people do. The moment someone switches languages is often the moment worth paying attention to - it usually happens because they have reached something that only exists in one of them.
Do you offer couples therapy in Arabic? Yes. Moni El Ramlawy works with couples in Arabic, online. Dr Nayla and Yassine also work with Arabic-speaking clients individually, which some couples prefer as a starting point.
Is therapy accepted culturally? My family would not understand. It is a real consideration and a common one. What we can say is that therapy is confidential, that nobody needs to know you attend, and that a great many people in Dubai are in therapy without their families knowing. Whether and when to tell anyone is your decision and part of what can be worked on rather than a prerequisite for starting.
I would rather see a woman / a man. Say so at first contact. It is useful information, not an awkward request, and it is one of the things we match on.
Do you prescribe medication? No. We are psychologists, not psychiatrists. Where medication may be part of your care we work alongside prescribing psychiatrists.
Getting in touch
يمكنك التواصل معنا بالعربية. You can write to us in Arabic or in English, whichever is easier - and you do not need to explain everything in a first message.
WhatsApp +971 58 557 6220, email info@clearmindscenter.com, or use the contact form.
We will reply with who we think would be the right fit and what a first session would involve.
Fees and payment → · Our psychotherapy services →