Professional Experience

Shamma is a client-centred psychologist who provides evidence-based assessment and intervention for children, adolescents, and adults. She is experienced in treating a wide range of conditions, including neurodevelopmental conditions (ASD, ADHD, and intellectual disability), mood disorders (especially major depressive disorder), and anxiety disorders (including generalised anxiety, OCD, social anxiety, and specific phobias). She is also particularly interested in trauma-related disorders in adults.

Shamma is passionate about supporting individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities. She also has an interest in supporting Muslim clients and providing culturally and religiously sensitive care.

She takes a comprehensive, formulation-driven approach — integrating cognitive, behavioural, developmental, and contextual data to develop a detailed understanding of each client’s presentation. She focuses on building rapport and engagement, offering a therapeutic space grounded in listening without judgement, where individuals feel understood and respected.

Shamma’s sessions are collaborative and structured. She has a calm therapeutic style, and aims to provide a steady and emotionally regulated presence, particularly for clients experiencing high levels of anxiety. She prioritises safety, regulation, and functional improvement, alongside emotional understanding. Her goal is to empower her clients in making meaningful changes to their lives.

She uses a combination of therapies, and often utilises CBT (a mix of cognitive and behavioural strategies), ACT (values-based work), Narrative Therapy (particularly for clients with a history of trauma), and DBT (distress tolerance skills). She may adapt therapy to the client’s interests as well as their developmental needs. With children, she works within the broader system around them, involving parents, schools, and other therapists.

In her clinical work, Shamma has observed that perspective can play a powerful role in shaping emotional and behavioural responses. The way someone interprets an experience can influence their emotional states, actions, and overall functioning.

She also recognises the importance of foundational needs as highlighted in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, noting that self-reflection and growth can be difficult to access when areas such as safety, sleep, food, and housing are not yet stable.

Shamma values the trust clients place in her and the opportunity to build strong therapeutic relationships. She views change as a gradual process that takes time, support, and patience, and finds it deeply rewarding to support clients over time and witness progress toward their goals.

Outside of work, Shamma enjoys travelling, going to the gym, reading, and spending quality time with friends and family. Her favourite books include the Harry Potter and Fourth Wing series, and she enjoys The Homecoming Podcast with Dr Thema and The Mel Robbins Podcast.