Myriam Abdel-Basit
About me
Ahlan! My name is Myriam and I am an Arabic & English speaking Drama Therapist.
You might be here because something doesn’t feel quite right. Maybe you keep going over the same things in your head, you feel overwhelmed by a situation in your life, or you feel you’ve lost touch with who you are or what you want.
Across many cultures including Arabic speaking ones, talking about our mental health and difficult feelings can be heard to discuss with others for many different reasons.
I aim to offer a safe, confidential and non-judgemental, collaborative space where you don’t have to explain yourself perfectly or continue to hold the weight on your own. We can make sense of things together.
I provide long-term weekly therapy, offering both online and in-person sessions from a private therapy room in central Cambridge. I can work in English, Arabic or a mix of both.
The common themes I work with are identity issues, navigating culture & belief, early childhood trauma, anxiety, hopelessness, isolation, fear, anger, shame, loss, sadness, sleep disturbances, PTSD, CPTSD and depression.
You might not have heard of drama therapy, and that’s okay!
Alongside talking, drama therapy uses creativity and imagination to help explore experiences that are hard to put into words. As Arabic speakers, we come from cultures rich with symbolism, art, poetry and stories to draw inspiration from, which can be used as a source of healing in therapy.
In our sessions we might use images, metaphor, movement, storytelling or role play to look at a situation you are facing from a safer distance. For example, practising a conversation you wish you could have or finding a way to express feelings that feel stuck inside. We can also take time to slow down and reconnect with the body through grounding and breathing.
For others, simply talking is enough. I adapt how we work to you.
I also have almost a decade of experience working with refugees and asylum seekers as a therapist, interpreter and caseworker both in Arabic and English. This has given me experience to support not only forced migrants but anyone navigating big life changes, adapting to a new culture, migration, early childhood trauma, and emotional dysregulation.
I am registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and a member of the British Association of Dramatherapists (BADth).
If you would like to get in touch, you can send a short message. You don’t need to know exactly what to say. A few words are enough.
We will then arrange a free, initial 15-minute conversation by phone or video, at a time that suits you to get to know each other, answer questions and discuss whether therapy with me would be a good fit.