AMINA THOMPSON

Who are you?

I am a holistic integrative psychotherapist who has always worked hard to be of service to people from different walks of life and ages, especially those who are experiencing difficulty in their lives.

Heartfulness is concerned with healing the traumas of the heart which manifest in the mind.

My humanistic heartfulness holistic integrative therapeutic approach draws on many sources, both theoretical and practical and is characterised by its being genuine, authentic, empathetic and seeking understanding – based on unconditional love, acceptance and compassion.

My approach is non-judgmental in order to be able to connect with you and establish a good rapport so as to gain trust by creating a permissive and protected environment in which you can feel secure and free to recognise and have mastery over your feelings in a consistent safe space, in which it is possible for you, guided by your needs, to process your internal world.

At the heart of my approach is the heart. The core of ‘the heart’ is the source of both healing and loving energy. These two primal energies are very similar in resonance – and so by enhancing them, a person enhances both the mind’s ability to heal itself, and also the ability to project healing energy to help others. If you only live in your mind, you are trapped.

Training, qualifications & experience

After completing basic courses in counselling skills and therapeutic counselling, I went on to complete firstly the Foundation course and then secondly the Diploma course in Naffsiyat (Islamic Counselling and Psychotherapy) provided by the Mohsin Institute in Leicester. This was followed by a clinical training work placement at the Marlborough Family Service in London. I then studied for and was awarded an MA in Integrative Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy by Terapia (accredited by Middlesex University), during which I had several work placements.

Currently I have been working in partnership with the Grenfell Tower Trust (registered charity no. 1186180) and the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea in providing a counselling and psychotherapeutic service to the survivors and bereaved of the Grenfell fire. I am registered with UKCP and BACP.

I have 13 years of experience working therapeutically with adults, families and couples and 11 years working with children, adolescents, and young people, in different organisations and settings. During this period, I have developed my own particular model of working which I call ‘Heartfulness’ – which is concerned with healing the traumas of the heart which manifest in the mind.

I have experience in working with both adults and children who have suffered from bereavement, child sexual abuse, rape, drug addiction, domestic violence, divorce, love trauma syndrome, post-traumatic stress disorder, autism, ADHD, fostering and adoption, bullying, OCD, anxiety conduct disorder, bipolar disorder with episodes of hallucinations and psychosis, as well as working with children with behavioural problems at school or at home due to traumatic events.

I have helped adults experiencing murder trauma, insomnia, depression, physical disability and childhood traumas, witnessing torture in war, living in fear of children abduction and I have provided support to parents whose children are suffering from schizophrenia triggered by drug abuse.

I have been involved with the School of Health, Wellbeing and Social Care and with the Institute for Arts in Therapy and Education, an academic partner of the University of East London and a member of UKCP – and I have participated in supporting placements on community wellbeing. I am interested and active in inter-cultural issues and spirituality in the promotion of wellbeing for communities. I am also on the UKCP Ethics committee addressing the issues of Equality, Diversity and intersectionality.

Core Beliefs

I believe that there is healing for every condition, whether it be of the heart, or of the mind, or of the body – often they are interrelated – and that every human being who is suffering from mental health at any point in their life should have the opportunity to regain full health and fulfil their purpose in life – because everything in life and everyone who has life has meaning.

Part of my meaning in life is to help people who find that they have inwardly tormented by their overwhelming experiences  and have become stuck by finding difficulty in coping with their everyday life – and who need help to regain their balance and direction in life and to discover and fulfil their full potential.

Your secret is within you, but sometimes you need a mirror to help you see what it is. A good therapist serves as a good mirror.

Core Values

My core values are to value people, whoever they are – and in so doing to be honest, sincere and authentic, bearing in mind that every person is unique. Unconditional love is an important element in my relationship with every person I meet – including you – because often it is a lack of love which is the root of the trouble within.

A sound therapeutic relationship helps to make up for this deficit.

When clients are honoured and valued and loved, they learn to love, value and develop their own self-confidence – and this changes their vital energy and helps to transform their relationships with the people around them.

Choosing your Therapist

It may also help that as well as speaking and understanding English, I also speak and understand several different Arabic dialects. It is important that we are able to communicate in a language and terminology which we both understand, so that we can both communicate with and understand each other deeply.

Available Therapies

I conduct group workshops, family therapy (including parenting skills), relationship therapy and one-to-one therapy with adults, adolescents and children. In the past, sessions would usually be face to face (either in my workspace or at clients’ homes) – but due to covid-19 restrictions, sessions have also been taking place more frequently than before via telephone or skype or zoom. These options provide flexibility and make it possible for sessions to continue when either I or clients are abroad.

Your care plan  devised with you which is best suited to your needs and situation. As I am an integrative psychotherapist, I will integrate all the elements from the different schools of psychotherapy for your treatment which I consider most suitable and helpful for you. This is usually an instinctive and not merely a tick-box process.

Most mental health conditions are trauma related – and often these traumas are buried deep within the sub-conscious mind. They need to be brought to the surface in order to be able to look at and deal with the source of ‘the problem’. In order to assist with this process, as well as discussing things with you, I may also, where appropriate, utilise drama therapy, music therapy, arts and sand-tray therapy and story-telling therapy.

Each session will be tailored to your needs – and not the other way around, so that the significant events in your life story so far can emerge and become apparent, as well as its future direction.

Everything that takes place in each session is confidential and I will not disclose what happens to anyone else unless I first have your permission to do so.