I am a qualified Counselling Psychologist registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). I have experience working across NHS, third-sector and private settings, supporting adults with a wide range of psychological difficulties, from anxiety and low mood to more complex and long-standing challenges.
My work is shaped by a deep interest in identity, culture and belonging. I recognise that our experiences do not exist in isolation, but are shaped by our relationships, communities, and the wider world around us. This includes being attentive to how social and political realities, and events happening globally, can shape our emotional lives in ways that are often difficult to hold alone. This perspective is informed by my own lived experience of moving between different cultural contexts, which has shaped how I understand the nuances of identity and belonging. I am attentive to the ways in which culture, context and life experiences can influence how we understand ourselves and the difficulties we face.
Clients often describe me as warm, thoughtful and genuine. I aim to offer a space where you feel heard and understood, while also gently supporting you to notice patterns and explore new ways of relating to yourself and others. I see therapy as a collaborative process, where we work together to make sense of your experiences and move towards meaningful change.
Alongside my private practice, I also work at Power The Fight, an organisation supporting young people affected by violence - work that keeps me closely connected to the realities of the communities I serve.
Hi, I’m Lynn.
My Approach
My primary working language is English however, I also work in French and Arabic.
Client-centred
I see you as the expert of your own world. Therapy is a collaborative process, where we shape the work together around your goals, values and what feels most important to you. I aim to create a space where you feel heard, respected and able to explore your experiences at your own pace.
Culturally rooted
I recognise that our experiences are shaped by our relationships, culture and the wider world we live in. I pay close attention to questions of identity, belonging and context, and how these may influence your sense of self and the difficulties you are facing. This includes being mindful of how power, culture and lived experience can shape distress.
Trauma-informed
I approach your experiences with care, curiosity and sensitivity to what you may have been through. Rather than trying to find out what’s ‘wrong’ with you, I am interested in understanding what has happened to you, and how this may be impacting you now. Together, we can gently explore patterns and develop new ways of relating to yourself and others.
Integrative & flexible
I draw from a range of therapeutic approaches, including cognitive-behavioural, dialectical behavioural, compassion-focused, psychodynamic, systemic and narrative perspectives. This allows me to adapt the work to you, rather than expecting you to fit into a single model.
Some people come to therapy with a specific focus, while others are looking for a longer-term space for deeper exploration. We can think together about what feels right for you.
Training & Qualifications
Professional Doctorate in Counselling Psychology - City, University of London
Postgraduate Certificate in Counselling Psychology - City, University of London
MSc Psychology (Conversion) - University of Surrey
Dialectical Behavioural Therapy Foundational Training - British Isles DBT Training
My Research
My clinical work is grounded not just in practice, but in formal research into the experiences many of my clients bring to therapy. Both my masters and doctoral research explored questions of identity, belonging and culture - the same territory we often work through together.
Growing Up Between Worlds
For my masters research, I spent time with adult Third Culture Kids - people who had moved frequently across different countries in their childhood - and were still making sense of what that meant for who they are. What emerged from their stories was a picture of what it actually feels like to grow up without a fixed sense of place: the quiet grief of not quite belonging anywhere, a restlessness that's hard to name, and the complex relationship with home that follows you into adulthood.
If you've ever struggled to answer the question ‘where are you from?’, this research was about people like you.
The British-Arab Identity Negotiation Framework
My doctoral research focused on second-generation British-Arabs: people born and raised in the UK with Arab heritage, negotiating what it means to belong to both worlds simultaneously. Despite being one of the longest-established communities in the UK, British-Arabs are rarely written about in psychological research, which means their experiences are rarely centred in therapy either.
Through in-depth interviews with second-generation British-Arabs, the research produced the British-Arab Identity Negotiation Framework: an original model exploring how people from this community navigate the ongoing push and pull between cultures, and how through that process, a self-defined identity gradually becomes possible. As one participant put it: "the older I got, the more I realised actually my identity is for me to shape and to decide."
This was one of the first psychological studies of its kind, and it reinforces something I hold at the centre of my practice: that identity is a lifelong, living process - and that therapy can be a powerful space to take ownership of it.
This matters to the work we do together: I haven't just read about these experiences, I've spent years formally researching them. When you bring questions of identity, belonging or cultural complexity into the room, you're working with someone who understands the terrain, personally, clinically, and academically.
Let’s get started
Take the first step and book a free 15 minute consultation to see how we can work together on your journey toward well-being.
Dr Lynn Hamadallah (she/her), HCPC, DPsych
Counselling Psychologist
Registration no. PYL046155
London, United Kingdom
info@lynnhamadallah.com