About Me
Hello, I'm Sara Ajmal, a fully qualified and BABCP-accredited Cognitive Behavioural Therapist (CBT) and EMDR Practitioner, working in Manchester. With over 20 years of experience across both the NHS and private practice, I have supported individuals facing a wide range of emotional and psychological difficulties.
Throughout my career, I have worked in a variety of settings, including adult mental health services, children and family services, and later life services. This breadth of experience has given me a deep understanding of the challenges people can face at different stages of life and has strengthened my commitment to providing compassionate, effective, and evidence-based therapy.
I am passionate about helping people discover their own strengths and motivation to make positive changes in their lives, relationships, and circumstances. I believe that meaningful change happens when individuals feel empowered to recognise the choices available to them and develop the confidence to move towards their goals.
My therapeutic approach draws primarily on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR), and Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT). I strive to provide a safe, supportive, and non-judgemental environment where you can openly explore your experiences, challenges, and aspirations.
I have specialist training and extensive experience in working with trauma, helping individuals process and overcome difficult life experiences so they can move forward with greater confidence, resilience, and emotional wellbeing. Whether you are struggling with anxiety, depression, trauma, low self-esteem, relationship difficulties, or other emotional challenges, I will work collaboratively with you to develop a personalised approach that meets your needs.
Alongside my clinical work, I have extensive experience in teaching and supervising CBT practitioners and in the development and delivery of therapeutic groups. These roles have allowed me to support the growth of other professionals while continuing to share best practice in evidence-based psychological therapies.
As a BABCP-accredited therapist, I adhere to the professional and ethical standards set out by the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies and hold full professional indemnity insurance to practise as a therapist within the UK.
My aim is to help you develop the skills, understanding, and confidence needed to create lasting and meaningful change, enabling you to live a more fulfilling and satisfying life.
What is CBT?
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based, structured and goal-oriented psychological therapy that focuses on the relationship between thoughts, feelings, physical sensations, and behaviours. CBT helps individuals identify and modify unhelpful thinking patterns and behaviours that contribute to emotional distress.
CBT can be helpful for a wide range of difficulties, including anxiety disorders, panic disorder, depression, health anxiety, social anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), stress, and low self-esteem. The aim is to develop practical skills and strategies that help individuals manage current difficulties more effectively and maintain progress over time.
For this client, CBT has focused on understanding the cycle of panic and anxiety, reducing safety behaviours, challenging unhelpful predictions, and increasing confidence through behavioural experiments and gradual exposure to feared situations. These interventions have supported the client in developing greater control over anxiety and improving day-to-day functioning.
What is EMDR?
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an evidence-based psychological therapy designed to help people process and recover from distressing or traumatic experiences that continue to have an impact on their current wellbeing. EMDR is based on the understanding that difficult life experiences can sometimes become "stuck" or unprocessed in the brain, leading to ongoing emotional distress, unhelpful beliefs, anxiety, and physical symptoms.
During EMDR, the individual is supported to briefly focus on distressing memories while engaging in bilateral stimulation, such as guided eye movements, alternating taps, or sounds. This process helps the brain reprocess the memory, reducing its emotional intensity and enabling more adaptive beliefs to develop.
EMDR can be helpful for a range of difficulties, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety disorders, panic, phobias, health anxiety, low self-esteem, grief, and difficulties linked to adverse or distressing life experiences. The aim is not to erase memories, but to reduce the distress associated with them and support more helpful ways of thinking, feeling, and responding.
For individuals experiencing anxiety and panic, EMDR may help when current fears and reactions are linked to past experiences that contributed to the development of anxiety. By processing these experiences, EMDR can reduce the emotional impact of triggers, increase resilience, and support lasting recovery. Where appropriate, EMDR can be used alongside CBT, with CBT focusing on changing current thinking and behavioural patterns, while EMDR addresses distressing memories or experiences that may continue to underpin present difficulties.
Professional Accreditation
& Certification
