Psychotherapy is a structured conversation with a trained clinician, held regularly, with the aim of changing something you have not been able to change alone. That might be a pattern in your relationships, a level of anxiety that has stopped being manageable, a period of low mood that has outlasted its cause, or something that happened years ago and is still shaping how you live now.
You do not need a diagnosis to come, and you do not need to be in crisis. Most of the people we see are managing - working, parenting, functioning - and have reached a point where something needs to be addressed properly rather than absorbed.
ClearMinds is a psychology and psychotherapy clinic in Jumeirah Lakes Towers. Our psychologists and psychotherapists are DHA and CDA-licensed, and between us we work in six languages with clients from more than fifty nationalities.
A note on the words. Psychotherapy, counseling, therapy, talk therapy - in practice these terms are used interchangeably, both here and internationally. What matters is not the label but two things: whether the person you see is properly licensed, and whether their training fits what you are bringing. Everything on this page applies whichever word you searched for.
How therapy works here
First contact. You call, message us on WhatsApp, or send through the contact form. You do not need to explain everything at this stage - a sentence about what you are looking for is enough.
Matching. This is the part that matters most and gets the least attention elsewhere. We match you to a clinician on three things: what you are going through, how they work, and what you need practically - a particular language, experience with couples, experience with children, a specific approach. The evidence on therapy outcomes is consistent on this point: the working relationship between a client and their therapist predicts results more reliably than which method is used. Getting the match right at the start saves months.
If you have a preference - a male or female therapist, a particular language, someone who has worked with what you are dealing with - tell us at first contact. It is useful information, not an awkward request.
The first session. Usually 50 minutes. Your therapist will want to understand what brought you here, what is happening around it, and what you would like to be different. You will not be pushed to talk about anything you are not ready to discuss. By the end, you should have a sense of how this person works and whether it feels like a fit.
Ongoing work. Most people start weekly. Some move to fortnightly or monthly as things settle, and the frequency is something you and your therapist decide together rather than a fixed rule. How long it takes depends entirely on what is being addressed - a specific difficulty may take a handful of sessions; longstanding patterns take longer. Your therapist will discuss this openly rather than leaving you to guess.
If at any point the fit is not right, say so. Changing therapists within the clinic is a normal request and we handle it without awkwardness.
On being judged. A great many people hesitate before starting because they expect to be judged once they say things out loud. It is worth knowing that this is not how the room works. Therapists spend their careers with people in difficulty, and the more common reaction to hearing someone's history is not disapproval but some version of you have coped with a great deal. Whatever you bring, it is very unlikely to be the first time your therapist has heard it.
Our approaches
We work with the approaches our clinicians are actually trained in, rather than listing everything that exists.
Psychodynamic psychotherapy is the foundation of how most of our team works. It looks at how earlier experiences - particularly early relationships - shaped the patterns you are living inside now. Rather than managing a symptom, it works on what produces it. This tends to suit longstanding difficulties, recurring relationship patterns, and the sense that the same thing keeps happening for reasons you cannot see.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a structured therapy for trauma and for specific distressing memories that have not settled. It helps the brain process an experience so that recalling it no longer carries the same charge. Four of our clinicians are EMDR-trained. More about EMDR therapy →
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) works on your relationship with difficult thoughts and feelings rather than on eliminating them, and on moving toward what matters to you while they are present. It is often useful for chronic anxiety, stress and periods where life has narrowed. More about ACT →
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) identifies the thought patterns driving a difficulty and works on testing and changing them. It is structured and practical, and at ClearMinds it is delivered by Sara Caroppo with children and teenagers - including for anxiety, social anxiety and low mood.
Emotionally Focused Therapy and the Gottman Method are our approaches with couples. Both work on the cycle a couple gets caught in - the sequence that repeats regardless of what the argument is about - rather than on resolving individual disputes. More about couples therapy →
Play therapy and parent training are how we work with younger children. Children process experience through play rather than conversation, and for children the most effective intervention often involves working with the parents on the daily environment around the child. More about child psychology →
Who we help
Adults. Anxiety, panic, depression, low mood, stress, grief, trauma, self-esteem, and the specific difficulties of living far from where you are from. Individual therapy, usually weekly. Anxiety therapy → · Depression treatment →
Couples. Recurring conflict, communication that has broken down, the aftermath of a betrayal, decisions about the future, and couples who are functioning but have noticed a pattern they do not want to keep. You can also come alone to work on a relationship. Couples therapy →
Children and teenagers. We see children from age 3 through to 18. Anxiety, behavioral difficulties, emotional regulation, the effects of family change, school-related distress, and the emotional side of a recent diagnosis. Parents are involved throughout, with the level of involvement depending on the child's age. Child psychology →
Addiction. Dr Dalea Alawar works with alcohol and addiction. Where medical detoxification or inpatient care is needed, that sits outside a psychology practice - we will let you know and help you find the right place.
When there is no diagnosis involved. A large proportion of the work here has no clinical label attached to it at all: a relationship that has become difficult, the aftermath of infidelity, trouble trusting people, an inability to commit, a separation or divorce, a period of financial pressure, a decision you cannot make. None of these is a disorder and none requires one. They are among the most common reasons people come.
Assessments. Formal assessment for ADHD and for learning differences including dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia. Each produces a written report that schools, doctors and employers can use - including for exam accommodations where the findings support it. ADHD assessment → · Psychoeducational assessment →
Therapy in your own language
Between our team we work in English, Arabic, French, Turkish, Afrikaans and Italian, with clients from more than fifty nationalities.
This matters more in therapy than in most other settings, because language is not the medium for the work - it is the work. A second language tends to carry less emotional weight than a first, which can be useful for approaching difficult material at a distance, but can also mean you spend a session approximating things you could say precisely in your own language. Where the material is early, emotional or cultural, working in your first language changes what is reachable.
Yassine Tayi works in French and Arabic. Hacer Subasi works in Turkish. If the language you want is not listed here, ask us - between the team we cover more than this page lists.
Fees
900 AED for an individual session of 50 minutes. 1250AED for a couples session of 60 minutes.
We work with all insurers on a pay-and-claim basis: you pay at the session, we provide a claim-ready invoice, and you submit it to your insurer for reimbursement. We do not do direct billing. Most UAE policies include some outpatient mental health cover, but the amount varies significantly - what yours includes is a question for your insurer.
A reduced rate is available for individuals and families experiencing financial hardship. You contact us and ask; the conversation is confidential.
Full fee and payment details →
Common questions
What is the difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist? A psychiatrist is a medical doctor and can prescribe medication. A psychologist is trained to assess and treat psychological difficulties through therapy, and does not prescribe. ClearMinds is a psychology practice - we do not prescribe medication, and where medication may be part of someone's care we work alongside prescribing psychiatrists.
How many sessions will I need? It depends on what is being addressed. A specific, recent difficulty may take a handful of sessions. Longstanding patterns rooted in earlier experience take longer, because they took a long time to form. Your therapist will give you an honest sense of the likely shape of the work early on, and it is reasonable to ask.
Is therapy confidential? Yes. Confidentiality is a foundation of clinical practice, and what you discuss stays between you and your therapist. As everywhere, there are narrow exceptions where a clinician has a duty to act, principally around serious risk of harm. Your therapist will explain how this works at the start.
Can I choose my therapist? Yes. We will suggest a match based on what you tell us, but the choice is yours, and you can read our clinicians' profiles before deciding. If the first match does not feel right after a session or two, tell us and we will arrange someone else.
Do you see people who are not sure whether they need therapy? Often. You do not need a clear problem statement to make a first appointment - working out what you actually want to address is frequently part of the early work rather than a requirement for starting.
Do I need a referral? No. You can contact us directly.
Getting in touch
If you would like to arrange a session, or you have a question before booking anything, you can reach us by phone or WhatsApp on +971 58 557 6220, by email at info@clearmindscenter.com, or through our contact page.
If you are not sure who you should see, tell us briefly what you are looking for and we will suggest the right clinician. There is no obligation attached to the first conversation.
Schedule a confidential appointment → · Meet our team →