Q: Can I have a 'hot line' to you for use in between sessions?

I do not offer this option for my own private practice. This is in order to enable robust diary management and to maintain both personal and professional boundaries.

Q: Can you prescribe medication such as anti-depressants?

No. In the UK, psychotherapists are not authorised to prescribe medication; this would be a decision for your doctor. Within therapy, we can discuss anything around an actual consultation with your doctor. For example, we can discuss whether you feel you might benefit from medication. If you start taking medication, we can discuss whether it's working and, in time, whether you feel you still need it.

Question 1

Are there any restrictions on who you will accept as a client?

Accepted Answer

If you are in an immediate mental health crisis, for example if you feel you are about to harm yourself or others, then I'm afraid my service is not right for you.  Instead, I urge you to get help via this page.(https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/mental-health/)
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Also, in extremely rare cases, it is not possible to proceed due to a conflict of interest.  For example, I would not be able to help a prospective client that is already personally known to me.  In these situations, I may be able to provide a referral to another practitioner.  We can establish whether there are any conflicts of interest during a free no-obligation pre-assessment session as detailed here.(https://www.rumenapervin.com/process)
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Otherwise, I will (and already do) work with people of different locations, ages, faiths, genders, etc.

Question 2

Must your discussions with Muslim clients stay within Islamic norms?

Accepted Answer

No.

My approach is centred on connection, respect, empathy and humanity in general.
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My Muslim clients say they find value in me being able to empathise with their lives and the cultural context in which they operate.
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This informs their therapy, but never needs to be a limit upon where that therapy leads.

Question 3

Will you work with clients outside the UK?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely and I already have some non-UK clients.
 
Time zone considerations including the clocks change for British Summer Time complicate scheduling and there are also some countries where I cannot provide help due to local licensing restrictions for practitioners.
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If you take the opportunity of a free no-obligation pre-assessment, we will use that opportunity to discuss these aspects.

Question 4

Do you speak any other languages?

Accepted Answer

Yes, I speak Bengali (Sylheti) but I only conduct therapy sessions in English.

Question 5

Can I have a 'hot line' to you for use in between sessions?

Accepted Answer

I do not offer this option for my own private practice.
​
This is in order to enable robust diary management and to maintain both personal and professional boundaries.

Question 6

Can you prescribe medication such as anti-depressants?

Accepted Answer

No.
​
In the UK, psychotherapists are not authorised to prescribe medication; this would be a decision for your doctor.
​
Within therapy, we can discuss anything around an actual consultation with your doctor.  For example, we can discuss whether you feel you might benefit from medication.  If you start taking medication, we can discuss whether it's working and, in time, whether you feel you still need it.

Question 7

Will you travel to clients?

Accepted Answer

I will (and do) travel when working for an organisation, but I do not travel to the homes of individual clients.

Question 8

Do you offer evening and weekend appointments?

Accepted Answer

Yes but demand from, for example, full-time workers who cannot work from home or couples who cannot otherwise make their diaries work, combined with the fact that all of my clients are in long-term therapy, means that my evening and weekend slots are usually (but not always) fully and continuously booked.

Question 9

Can I have a therapy session when I'm out and about?

Accepted Answer

Good therapeutic practise requires therapy sessions to be conducted when the client is alone in a static and quiet location.

This is something that I insist on even though I understand that life can be hectic.  Ultimately, this is for the client's benefit.

Frequently Asked Questions