Onat Ozden

Onat Ozden is a doctoral candidate in counselling psychology who works primarily from an Existential Psychotherapy orientation. He approaches therapy as a collaborative exploration of a person’s subjective experience, using existential philosophy to address core human concerns such as meaning, anxiety, isolation, choice and responsibility.

He works integratively, drawing on systemic methods - mainly Internal Family Systems (IFS) - and psycho-trauma approaches. Providing a safe and embracing space is his utmost priority, and his practice is strongly relational.

Onat recognises that life events can challenge basic senses of security, identity or significance. While such experiences can be painful and at times provoke hopelessness, he sees them as opportunities for growth through re-examining deeply held values and beliefs about how the world functions. By bringing into view the particular constraints that shape a person’s life - for example physical attributes, the culture one is raised in, experiences of oppression and/or privileges related to sexual, gender or racial identity - people can begin to understand their distress and develop a more meaningful way of being.

From an existential perspective Onat avoids labelling personal experiences; behaviours often regarded as dysfunctional are understood as attempts to cope and expressions of disconnection from the self, others and reality. Over the past 4 years he has worked with a wide range of concerns including anxiety, relationship difficulties, sexuality, emotional, physical and sexual abuse and trauma, spiritual and religious issues, and questions of meaning and purpose.