It’s really lovely to have you here, thank you for stopping byI’m Preeya, a Consultant Counselling Psychologist, registered with HCPC, with over 18 years of clinical and research experience. I am a mother of two, a cold water enthusiast, a sunrise lover, practice mantra meditation and try to keep fit with kickboxing.
People often ask me how I came to psychology - why I do this work, and why I approach it in the way that I do. I’m always grateful for this question, because it invites me to reflect on the experiences that have shaped not only my career, but who I am.
My story begins with my parents. They were first-generation South Asian migrants who travelled from Africa to the UK in the 1970s, carrying with them resilience, determination, and hope for a better life. My father arrived from Kenya with very little, settling in a new country without family, community, or familiar support. Over time, he built stability through work, forged meaningful connections, and created a sense of belonging - something that mattered deeply to him. That foundation eventually made it possible for the rest of his family to join him.
Where my story began
My mother, the eldest of five siblings, migrated from South Africa and met my father shortly after arriving in the UK. They married in 1972, during a time when arranged marriages were a cultural norm - often shaped by family expectations, with limited choice or voice, particularly for women.
Growing up with an awareness of my parents’ journey, the sacrifices they made, and the challenges they endured gave me an early understanding of how intergenerational patterns take root. It also taught me about the complexity and nuance of culture, community, and survival and how deeply these shape our sense of self, safety, and belonging.
My parents held a clear sense of why. They worked tirelessly to raise three daughters - I am the youngest - with the hope that we might have opportunities and choices they did not. In a world where women have often had limited voice or control, they wanted their children not only to survive, but to thrive.
Much of my strength, determination, and belief in the possibility of change is rooted in their story. It continues to inform how I see people, how I understand resilience, and why compassion and context sit at the heart of my work. I am forever grateful to my parents for the past, present and future.I grew up in Kent and later moved to Northampton to study Psychology at university. It was a time of possibility and independence and also a period when my life took an unexpected turn.
During those years, I experienced my first significant relationship, its loss, and a series of events that would profoundly shape my understanding of trauma and recovery. In the Summer of 2002, I was involved in a serious road traffic accident in Boston that left me with life-changing injuries. The physical and emotional impact was significant, and the path to recovery was long and uncertain. For a time, completing my degree felt far from guaranteed.
What carried me through was the steady support of those around me, alongside a growing awareness of how deeply trauma can affect the body, mind, and sense of safety. It was during this period that I first experienced EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing), a therapy specifically designed to support trauma recovery.
That experience was transformative. It helped me process what had happened and begin to regain a sense of stability and agency. Looking back, it marked a turning point, not only in my healing, but in my sense of direction. I came to understand, from the inside, the importance of trauma-informed care and the impact of being met with compassion, skill, and hope at a time when life felt fragile.
It was then that I knew this work mattered deeply to me — and that supporting others through their own healing journeys would become my life’s work.