Serife is a BACP Accredited Integrative Counsellor who works with individuals and couples in Buckhurst Hill and online. She has particular experience supporting people with childhood trauma, anxiety, low self-esteem, relationship difficulties and the lasting impact of difficult early experiences.
Many of Serife’s clients come to therapy at a point when they feel lost or disconnected from themselves. A relationship may have ended, work may have become overwhelming, or they may have begun to recognise that experiences from their past are still influencing how they feel, behave and relate to other people today.
You may know that you lack confidence but not understand where that feeling comes from. Perhaps you find it difficult to trust your own decisions, experience social anxiety, or repeatedly find yourself in relationships or situations that leave you questioning yourself. You might understand intellectually that something needs to change but still find yourself falling into the same patterns.
Serife helps clients make sense of these experiences, develop greater compassion for themselves, and begin building a stronger sense of who they are and how they want their life to look.
One of Serife’s particular areas of interest is childhood trauma and inner-child work.
Our early experiences can influence the beliefs we develop about ourselves, what we expect from relationships, and how safe we feel expressing our emotions and needs. Sometimes these patterns remain largely unnoticed until difficulties emerge later in life.
Serife helps clients explore these experiences without allowing the past to define who they are now. This can involve understanding where particular beliefs or coping strategies originated, recognising the parts of yourself that may still be carrying earlier hurt, and developing greater self-compassion towards the person you were and the person you are today.
For clients who find it difficult to talk directly about painful experiences, Serife can also use more creative ways of working, including Internal Family Systems-informed approaches, Gestalt techniques and creative journalling. These can provide different ways of exploring emotions and experiences when words alone don’t feel enough.
Serife particularly enjoys helping people rebuild their relationship with themselves.
You may have spent a long time adapting to other people’s expectations or relying on a partner for reassurance and decision-making. Following a relationship breakdown or significant change, this can leave you wondering who you are without that person or role.
Therapy can provide space to rediscover your strengths and qualities, understand what matters to you, and begin trusting your own judgement again.
Rather than trying to turn you into somebody different, Serife helps you understand yourself more fully and develop the confidence to make decisions that feel right for you. Her aim is to help clients move from feeling lost or stuck towards a greater sense of purpose, independence and self-belief.
Serife has extensive experience working with relationship difficulties and couples and holds a Certificate in Couples Counselling.
Couples may seek counselling because communication has broken down, arguments keep repeating, intimacy has changed, or they have reached a point where they are unsure how to move forward together.
Serife’s previous professional background has helped her develop an ability to listen carefully to different perspectives without quickly deciding who is “right” or “wrong”. In couples counselling, she provides a balanced space in which both partners can feel heard while beginning to look more closely at the patterns developing between them.
She can also help individuals following relationship breakdown or separation, particularly when the loss of a relationship has affected their confidence, identity or ability to trust their own decisions.
Serife works with people experiencing anxiety, social anxiety, worry and low confidence.
Her CBT training allows her to introduce practical ways of examining thoughts and beliefs that may be contributing to anxiety. For example, rather than simply accepting a thought as true, you might explore the evidence around it and consider whether there are other ways of understanding the situation.
This practical work can sit alongside deeper exploration of why certain situations or relationships trigger such powerful responses in the first place.
Serife believes that insight and practical strategies can work well together: understanding why something happens while also developing tools that help you respond differently when it does.
Serife is currently undertaking specialist EMDR training, due to be completed in November 2026.
EMDR ( Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) is an approach used to help people process traumatic or distressing experiences that may continue to affect them in the present.
Some people find talking repeatedly about a traumatic experience difficult or feel that, although they understand what happened, their emotional or physical responses have not changed. EMDR provides another way of working with distressing memories and the beliefs and responses associated with them.
Serife is currently offering a limited number of low-cost online EMDR sessions at £30 until 1 December 2026 while completing her training.
Serife is warm, straightforward and collaborative. Clients frequently tell her that she is easy to talk to, non-judgemental and able to help them see things from a different perspective.
She is not a therapist who expects you to do all the talking while she simply listens.
Serife asks questions, offers observations and, where helpful, will gently challenge the way you are looking at something. Clients often appreciate this active approach and the practical strategies and exercises she introduces into sessions.
Her integrative training means she can draw on different approaches rather than expecting every client to work in the same way. Her work includes person-centred and psychodynamic thinking, CBT, Internal Family Systems-informed work, Gestalt approaches, creative journalling and, as her specialist training progresses, EMDR.
She may also recommend books, podcasts, exercises or other resources that can help you continue reflecting between sessions.
Serife knows that walking into counselling for the first time can feel daunting. She places importance on creating a relaxed and welcoming environment where difficult conversations feel a little easier.
You don’t need to arrive knowing exactly where to begin. Serife will help you start wherever you are, whether that is something happening now, an experience from many years ago, or simply a feeling that you aren’t quite yourself anymore.
Her aim is for clients to feel safe and understood, while also leaving therapy with greater insight, practical strategies and a clearer understanding of themselves.
Before becoming a counsellor, Serife worked in both law and education, including prosecuting on behalf of victims of crime.
Her interest in psychology began much earlier, including studying criminal and forensic psychology as part of her law degree. Over time, she recognised that she wanted a career that combined her interest in human behaviour with her desire to support people more directly.
Her previous work continues to influence the therapist she is today. Working in law taught Serife to ask thoughtful questions, consider different perspectives, and maintain a balanced view even when situations are complex. These skills are particularly valuable in her work with couples, where understanding the experiences of both partners is essential.
Serife also understands personally how important it can be to have somewhere safe to speak openly about difficult experiences. This contributes to the warmth and lack of judgement she aims to bring to every therapeutic relationship.
Serife is a BACP Accredited Counsellor and is registered with Bupa and Aviva.
Her qualifications and training include:
Serife offers face-to-face counselling in Buckhurst Hill, as well as online counselling.
Individual counselling:
£70 face-to-face | £50 online
Couples counselling:
£80 face-to-face | £60 online
Standard sessions are 50 minutes. Longer two-hour couples sessions can also be arranged on request.
Trainee EMDR sessions: £30 online until 1 December 2026.
Serife is generally available on Tuesday afternoons and evenings, Thursdays from 9am–7pm and Friday afternoons and evenings.
Yes. You don’t need to decide which therapeutic approach you need before starting counselling. Serife works integratively, which means she can draw upon different approaches depending on what you are experiencing, how you prefer to work, and what you hope will change.
Yes. This is an important part of Serife’s work. Therapy can help you explore whether earlier experiences, relationships, or beliefs about yourself may be influencing the choices you make and the way you respond to situations today. Understanding these patterns can make it easier to begin responding differently.
Yes. You remain in control of what you choose to discuss and when. Serife can also draw upon creative and experiential approaches when talking directly about an experience feels difficult. She is additionally training in EMDR, which provides another way of working with traumatic memories.
Yes. Serife holds a Certificate in Couples Counselling and works with couples experiencing relationship difficulties. She offers both standard sessions and longer two-hour appointments where appropriate.
Yes. Serife offers both online and in-person appointments, so you can discuss with her whether alternating between the two formats would work for you.
The frequency of therapy will depend on what you need and the work you are doing together. This can be discussed with Serife at the beginning of therapy rather than assuming the same arrangement will suit everybody.
After your initial enquiry, you will have the opportunity to discuss what you are looking for and whether Serife’s experience and approach feel suitable for you. You can also ask questions about sessions, availability, and how you might work together before deciding whether you would like to proceed.
You don’t need to have all the answers before coming to therapy. You may simply know that you want to understand yourself better, feel more confident in your own decisions, or stop repeating patterns that no longer feel right for you.
If you would like to explore whether Serife could be the right therapist for you, complete the enquiry form below. Our team will take the time to understand what you’re looking for and help you take the next step.