Veena Limbachiya

Veena is currently a trainee Counselling Psychologist and is completing her Doctorate in Psychotherapy and Counselling in at the New School of Psychotherapy and Counselling (Middlesex University). Veena is currently in her second year of her doctoral studies. Veena has completed a Masters in Applied Psychology with Professional Experience at Coventry University, and an Undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Kent. Veena currently sees clients as part of her training at EASE Wellbeing on Saturday mornings, alongside a placement at the University of Surrey where she works at the Centre of Wellbeing student counselling service on Mondays.

Alongside working at her two placements, Veena also works as an Assistant Psychologist for Keeping Well South-East London which is an NHS psychological hub for NHS and social care workers in the South East region. Here, Veena facilitates Wellbeing Conversations with staff members who would like support. The wellbeing conversations allow staff members to talk through their difficulties and for Veena to support them and talk through various options available for support. Veena also manages the online chat available on the Keeping Well website which always staff members to anonymously speak to her about what they are going through and then Veena is able to offer various support available which would be appropriate for the staff member. Previously, Veena has worked as an Assistant Psychologist for Ealing IAPT, whereby she co-facilitated high-intensity CBT groups for Depression and Generalised Anxiety Disorder. During these group sessions, Veena would provide psychoeducation and CBT tools and techniques to clients in relation to Depression and Generalised Anxiety. Veena has also worked as a Clinical Support Worder for Lambeth Talking Therapies (IAPT), where she conduced triages or assessments with clients to gauge an idea of what has led them to seek therapy at the moment and help determine a therapy plan for them. As well as doing these assessments, Veena also supporting clients who are using the online CBT programme as their first step for therapy. Veena has also worked a family contact centre whereby she supervised contact between parents and their children who have been placed in foster care.

Veena’s experience of working in various NHS settings has allowed her to develop a clinical understanding of various mental and psychological difficulties people may experience. She has also learnt a psycho-educational perspective of different mental health difficulties people may experience which has proven useful to explain to clients when they don’t understand some of the things they experience. Due to working in the NHS where predominantly CBT is used, Veena is also familiar with CBT tools and techniques that clients may find helpful in managing symptoms they experience. Having worked in various settings such as the NHS and student counselling service, Veena is able to work with a range of clients from different ages and backgrounds and is able to provide them with a safe, confidential and non-judgemental space for them to talk freely and feel understood and listened to. Veena has experience in working online and face-to-face.

Veena’s area of interest is around the impact of culture on an individual’s way of being and identity. Veena was born in the UK but identifies as being British Indian as her parents both migrated from India. During the course of her own therapy she began to realise the impact of belonging to two different cultures and the overall perception of mental health in the Indian culture. Veena’s research will aim to explore the impact of belonging to the British Indian culture and how it impacts therapy seeking.

Veena has been training with EASE Wellbeing since January 2021 where she has had the opportunity to work with a number of clients from different ages and backgrounds and has been able to support them in short-term therapy. Her approach to therapy is integrative and goal focused approach, where she uses phenomenology, existentialism, CBT and psychodynamic approaches to work with her clients. Veena offers assessments as well as therapy to clients who wish to access EASE Wellbeing. Veena’s focus in therapy is to support the client by providing them with a space to explore and develop in way which allows the client to find new possibilities and understanding themselves and the world around them in a better way.