I am a clinical psychologist specializing in working with children and young adolescents between the ages of 2 and 14. My clinical work focuses particularly on emotional regulation, anger and behavioral difficulties, anxiety, school-related concerns, adjustment and acculturation challenges, and the emotional impact of language and cultural transitions.
Before beginning my professional practice in Dubai, I worked in psychiatric hospitals, medical centers, and private clinical settings in Istanbul, supporting children and families experiencing a wide range of emotional, behavioral, developmental, and relational difficulties.
My primary theoretical orientation is psychodynamic and attachment-based. In my work with children, however, I use an integrative, developmentally sensitive, and systemic approach, adapting the therapeutic process to each child’s age, developmental level, emotional needs, family context, and presenting concerns. I consider the child within the wider relational system in which they develop, particularly their family and school environment, and I work closely with parents throughout the therapeutic process whenever appropriate.
Depending on the needs of the child and family, my work may incorporate child-centered play therapy, CBT-focused play therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), EMDR therapy, sand tray therapy, filial therapy, and other parent-focused interventions.
I am a certified child-centered play therapist and a certified filial therapist, with professional training recognized within the field of play therapy. Filial therapy is an important part of my work with families, allowing me to support parents in developing therapeutic play skills, strengthening the parent-child relationship, and responding more sensitively to their child’s emotional and developmental needs.
I am also an internationally certified EMDR practitioner, with specialized training in both adult EMDR therapy and EMDR therapy for children and adolescents. In addition, I have specialized training in psychological assessment, including the Rorschach Test, Child Apperception Test (CAT), and Thematic Apperception Test (TAT).
Alongside my clinical practice, I am currently completing my PhD in Psychology.
My Philosophy
Childhood is the developmental period at the heart of my clinical work.
Children do not always have the developmental capacity or language to explain what they are experiencing internally. Anxiety may appear as avoidance, anger may emerge through challenging behavior, and emotional distress may become visible through difficulties at home, at school, or within relationships.
For this reason, I do not view a child’s behavior only as a problem to be eliminated. I try to understand what the behavior may be communicating about the child’s emotional world, developmental needs, attachment relationships, and wider environment.
A central goal of therapy is to identify, understand, and give meaning to emotional and relational experiences that the child may not yet be able to express in words. I aim to help children develop healthier ways of understanding, regulating, and communicating these experiences.
My work with children is strongly informed by a systemic perspective. A child’s difficulties rarely exist in isolation, and understanding the relationships, transitions, expectations, and environments surrounding the child can be essential to understanding the symptoms themselves. For this reason, I work closely with parents and consider parental involvement an important part of the therapeutic process.
Alongside parent consultations and guidance, I also use filial therapy when appropriate. Through filial therapy, parents are supported in using therapeutic play skills with their own child, helping them to better recognize emotional cues, respond to underlying needs, strengthen communication, and deepen the sense of safety and connection within the parent-child relationship.
I see parents not simply as sources of information about the child, but as important partners in the therapeutic process. Supporting parents in understanding the emotional meaning behind their child’s behavior and developing responses that promote emotional security, regulation, and healthy development is therefore a central part of my clinical approach.
Because children develop within multiple relational environments, I also value collaboration with schools, teachers, and other professionals when appropriate. Advocacy for the child’s emotional, developmental, and relational needs within their school and wider community is an important part of my clinical work.