Zarmeena Afridi, HCPC

Zarmeena Afridi is a HCPC-registered practitioner psychologist with 15 years of experience. She helps people who are struggling with anxiety, depression, trauma, grief and major life changes. Sessions are offered in English, Hindi, Pushto and Urdu. She works with a practical, empathetic style and supports people to find manageable steps forward.

Her background includes work in hospitals, community programmes, emergency response and rehabilitation services. That range of settings gave her experience with different kinds of stress, loss and crisis. She also has experience in research and public health policy work, which informs how she thinks about broader causes of distress.

In sessions she uses clear, evidence-based approaches such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, mindfulness and solution-focused methods. Conversations are collaborative - the person sets the goals and she brings tools to help reach them. Practical strategies might include breathing and grounding, thought-challenging and small behavioural experiments.

A focus on trauma means she pays attention to how past events shape current responses. She also helps people facing relationship breakdown, caregiving strain, feelings of abandonment, guilt or isolation. Her work addresses specific problems like panic attacks, phobias, postpartum depression and mood disorders.

Zarmeena speaks several South Asian languages and supports international clients. Her approach aims to meet people where they are and to build manageable routines and coping skills. The emphasis is on realistic steps that fit the person’s life and priorities.

Approaches that suit online therapy and real life

Client-Centred Therapy focuses on understanding each person's experience and priorities. It involves open conversation where the counsellor listens, reflects and helps the client set their own goals; this approach helps with general stress, grief and finding direction.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or CBT, looks at the link between thoughts, feelings and actions. It uses practical exercises such as testing unhelpful thoughts and doing small behavioural experiments, which is helpful for anxiety, panic and mood problems.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will discuss goals, preferences and the problems you want to address and then suggest which methods to try. This is a collaborative process and can change as therapy progresses.

Online sessions are offered as video calls, phone sessions, live chat or text-based messaging to fit different routines and needs. Video is useful for more in-depth conversation and visual cues, phone can be easier when bandwidth is limited, live chat suits shorter check-ins and messaging works for ongoing reflection between sessions. These options make it easier to schedule therapy around work, caregiving responsibilities or travel.