Afrah Al-yufrusi

Afrah Al-yufrusi  (Associate)

 

Psychosexual and Relationship Therapist

Art Psychotherapist 

DDP practitioner

 

Background

Afrah is a qualified Psychosexual Relationship and Art Psychotherapist. Psychosexually Afrah works with  presenting issues such as genital pain and penetration disorder, erectile disorder, premature ejaculation, delayed ejaculation, low desire and anorgasmia. She is trained in Sensate Focus (a model used in psychosexual therapy) and uses both behavioural and psychodynamic (a process of making links from past to present experiences) techniques to work psychosexually. Afrah’s clinical experience has given her huge insight into developmental trauma and the impact of this on individuals in their adult lives and relationships.  She has  worked with people who have experienced physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect and emotional abuse in childhood. Afrah works in an integrated model, in a trauma informed way, with complex individuals and networks.  Afrah also works with couples presenting with a range of issues outside of the sexual sphere such as divorce and separation, communication issues, conflict and parenting.

Training & Clinical Experience

Historically Afrah studied Creative Expressive Therapies, BA (Hons) at the University of Derby followed by a Masters in Art Therapy where she qualified as an Art Psychotherapist. During her 7 years of training Afrah worked in different settings and capacities gaining knowledge and experience working with people. She feels this complemented her understanding of therapy and highlighted the importance of relationships.

Afrah worked as a teaching assistant at a secondary school with complex young people. She also worked with older adults, in their home and on hospital wards.  Afrah has experience of working with people diagnosed with working age dementia and older adults with dementia. Afrah has also worked on adult psychiatric units and other physical health wards. These experience have highlighted the importance of mind and body connection within her work.

Shortly after completion of her masters Afrah joined the Nottinghamshire NHS Healthcare Trust specialist CAMHS team providing Art Psychotherapy for children who are looked after or adopted. In this role she worked with a variety of children, their adoptive and foster parents and complex family systems. Afrah left her role after in CAMHS, as a senior member of the team, with over 13 years of experience behind her. 

In 2020 she was accepted by Tavistock Relationships to do their diploma in Sex and Relationship Therapy. As well as working in CAHMS she came to EBTC to develop her role as a psychosexual and couple therapist. She also had a private practice where she saw couples and individuals.

Afrah primarily provides Psychosexual and Relationship Therapy & Art Psychotherapy and uses other therapeutic interventions such as Theraplay, Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) and Mindfulness in her practice. DDP supports attuites in PACE (Playfulness, Accepting, Curiosity and Empathy) all of which have become naturally incorporated in her practice through training and naturally acquired over the years from working with people. Afrah is passionate about developing a model that truly integrates her art psychotherapy with her couple work as she understands how couples can enhance their intimacy and communication be using some of the art psychotherapy techniques.

Approach to therapy

Afrah is an approachable non-judgemental and open-minded therapist. Whilst dealing with difficult subject matter she can also bring and, element of playfulness to the therapy. Playfulness has become an important aspect in Afrah’s work. Playfulness is important at any age. Being playful allows connections to develop and sometimes allows complex sessions to feel less frightening.  Playfulness doesn’t take away the seriousness of the difficulties but sometimes allows people to relax and think more clearly about what they want to communicate and accept empathy.

Communication and informed consent is important for Afrah in her work.  Informed consent gives people the power and the drive to make changes that are important to them and supports their therapeutic journey.

From the experience of working with looked after children, families and the parental couple around them Afrah developed an interest in working with intimate relationships.

Afrah is passionate to support various relationship issues, ranging from sexual difficulties to separation.  She understands that partners choose to separate for different reasons, but she firmly believes that not all relationships have to end with anger and resentment but can hold mutual love and respect within the separation.  Afrah works to support partners who choose to separate to find a way to navigate this separation in  a mindful and safe way.  This is even more important when the relationship is part of a family with children.  Negotiating these needs can be helpful for partners and families moving forward to the next chapter in their lives.  Afrah helped set up and design the divorce and separation model that EBTC offers.

Afrah is particularly drawn to working with couples and individuals who feel they are outside societies heteronormative perspective. She is experienced in working with Polyamory, gender identity, sexuality and Kink. Her warm , compassionate, open attitudes allows couples and individuals to have a safe, inviting space to think about issues that they may never have talked about to anyone else. Afrah believes that we are all different and she uses her own experiences to support conversations and create a reflective space for exploration.

Registrations and memberships  

Member of COSRT (COSRT (College of Sex and Relationship Therapy).

Accredited with HCPC (Health and Care Professions Council).

Accredited with BAAT (The British Association of Art Therapists)

Appointments

Afrah is available for online therapy appointments. To book an appointment, please call Evidence-Based Therapy Centre on 091 727777 or get in touch via the contact page.