Dr Zounish Rafique

I qualified in 2007 from the University of Sheffield. I have also completed a PGDip in Cognitive Analytical Therapy (CAT). Since qualifying I have worked with adults in the NHS within community mental health teams and primary care, in both England and Scotland.

While the people I work with have been labelled with the whole range of diagnoses used in adult mental health services, I largely understand their difficulties as consequences of and attempts to survive traumatic experiences. In my work, I aim to create a safe space where people feel heard and understood, without judgement. I appreciate that coming to therapy can provoke some anxiety and feel like a big step.

I do not expect people to share everything immediately, or at all, as it can take time to build the trust to do so. I am also trained in EMDR, DBT and SCM. I work with individual needs drawing on different approaches, to allow us to make sense of their experiences, process emotions in relation to these and create new narratives.

I aim to develop a collaborative relationship with clients through setting goals, eliciting feedback throughout and respecting and validating a client's experience of their inner world and life. I take a trauma-focused approach with most of the people I work with. I focus on how their experiences have shaped the way they view themselves and their world, how they learned to survive and respond to their emotions.

Whether I am using CAT or not, I notice patterns in the way that they relate to people, themselves and to me. We build this understanding together and use it to think about what might be happening in the 'room' with me, as well as what might come up in the future. We work towards a recognition of these patterns which often leads naturally to change in itself.

Growing up in Britain with a Pakistani background, I am interested in thinking about culture-specific difficulties including generational differences and the impact these have on people. I have been involved in research looking at depression in Pakistani women, as well as a study looking at people's experiences of forced marriages. I am also interested in the potential limitations of Western models of psychological distress and alternative ways of working.