Khafayah Abdulsalam, BACP, NCPS

Khafayah Abdulsalam is a counsellor and psychotherapist who supports people facing stress, anxiety, grief, depression, relationship difficulties and midlife transitions. She also helps with trauma and abuse, addictions, family and parenting concerns, low self-esteem and career strain. Khafayah works in English and Yoruba and welcomes clients from other countries. She describes her work as trauma-informed and integrative. That means she adapts tools to each person’s needs. Sessions may include person-centred listening, cognitive behavioural techniques to notice and change unhelpful thinking, and emotion-focused ways to name and soothe feelings. Khafayah offers an option to include Islamic counselling elements when clients request them. That can involve Qur'anic reflections, du'a, reference to the Names of Allah and a faith-informed view of healing. She aims to respect cultural and spiritual backgrounds when these are central to a person's experience. Her practice also pays attention to attachment and relationship patterns. Work may cover communication problems, abandonment and family-of-origin issues, blended family challenges, and intimacy-related concerns. Practical steps such as reflective journaling and emotion regulation exercises are commonly used. Khafayah is an Accredited Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, and an Accredited Registrant of the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society. She has five years of experience and takes part in regular clinical supervision to support her practice. If someone is unsure where to start she encourages a short matching process and an initial session to identify goals and next steps together.

Approaches that shape online sessions

This therapist commonly uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Attachment-Based Therapy alongside person-centred listening. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice difficult thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them, then choose actions that match their values. It can help with anxiety, stress and coping with life changes. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at early relationship patterns and how they shape current connections; it is useful for intimacy issues, abandonment concerns and family-related problems.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Khafayah will discuss options with each person and tailor methods to goals, preferences and what feels most helpful. She aims to make therapy collaborative so the plan evolves as progress becomes clear.

The practical benefits of online therapy include fitting sessions into a busy week and avoiding travel time. Online work can make it easier to keep regular check-ins, try short phone-based check-ins when a full session isn’t possible, or use video for deeper emotional work if preferred. Confirm the current session options before booking so arrangements match your needs and daily routine.