Jennifer von Baudissin
Specialisation
Psychodynamic Psychotherapist
Languages Spoken
English, French
Experience
20+ Years’ Experience in the UK & UAE
See the LinkedIn profile for further information on qualifications and experience.
“When life gets tough, or when unexpected challenges are thrown our way, it can feel overwhelming to carry everything on our own. Psychotherapy offers a safe and supportive space to talk things through—whether it’s worries, difficulties, or feelings that are hard to put into words.” Jennifer von Baudissin
Psychodynamic psychotherapy therapy is a process which helps clients understand and resolve their problems by increasing awareness of their inner world and its influence over relationships both past and present. It looks at changing difficult, deep-rooted and often unconscious emotions and relationship problems thereby reducing symptoms and alleviating distress.
Psychodynamic Psychotherapist – UK Council for Psychotherapy), Co Founder “ Daring to Live” Cancer Survivor Support Group.
Being an Allied – Psychotherapist in Dubai, I provide one-to-one psychodynamic counselling and psychotherapy, in both English and French.
Following from my Bachelors in Psychology I completed a five-year professional training program at WPF Therapy (www.wpf.org.uk) in London in 2006. This professional training is accredited by the Foundation for Psychotherapy and Counselling (FPC, www.thefpc.org.uk), the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP, www.bacp.co.uk) and the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP, www.ukcp.org.uk). All psychodynamic psychotherapists from WPF Therapy undergo a long and intense personal therapy. Both FPC and UKCP require their members to have regular supervision and seek continuing personal development.
I co-founded the ‘Daring to Live’ Cancer Survivor Support Group, an initiative to help cancer patients coming out of treatment and starting their live all over again.
Gulf News – Daring to Live: Two expat women launch new cancer support group in UAE.
Four years ago, I have joined the CPJA Race and Culture Committee of UKCP where I complement the Executive Team.
I also contribute in promoting mental health awareness in all parts of the world through education, supervision and mentoring.
Finally, I am also a well-being supervisor for an Employee Assistance Program in the UK.
Areas of Expertise
Grief, loss and endings
Depression, low mood , lack of motivation or burnout
Childhood emotional, physical and sexual abuse
Chronic Illness, health challenges and Illness Impact like cancer
Lack of self-esteem and self-worth, sense of self
Pre-natal anxiety / post-natal depression
Jennifer von Baudissin Recent Media Features
‘Dubai psychiatrist on a ‘walk and talk’ mission’
Gulf News, 22nd February 2024
‘If you’re already giving up on your New Year’s resolutions, here’s how to make them work’
Khaleej Times, 5th January 2024
‘Daring to Live: Two expat women launch new cancer support group in UAE’
Gulf News, 8th Feb 2023
Listen to the show: https://omny.fm/shows/dubai-eye/life-after-cancer
5th October 2023
Article: ‘Quality Over Quantity’
September 2023
Article: “Do you have the disease to please?
September 2023
Working Abroad as a Psychodynamic Psychotherapist
International Speaker at Foundation for Psychotherapy and Counselling (FPC) Conference
19 November 2016
The Psychological Grip of War: When Fear Overrides Logic
War takes hold of the mind, and its impact is very psychological. What we are witnessing is not simply a response to events, but the mobilisation of a deep, primitive system of fear, one that is not designed to be logical, measured, or even accurate.
When fear is mobilised, particularly during war, the mind shifts quickly out of reflective thinking and into survival mode. This is not a failure of intelligence; it is part of being human. The mind becomes alert and will scan for danger, uncertainty, and will prepare for the worst. In this state, our ability to think things through, to weigh probabilities, or to tolerate the unknown starts to fall away. Our usual thinking is hijacked by fear. This is not a lack of intelligence but a normal human reaction.
Fear does not negotiate with logic. It does not wait for facts or careful assessment. It looks for safety. Even when, objectively, things may be relatively contained, the internal experience can feel very different. This is why people may withdraw, leave, or pull back. These decisions that might appear disproportionate from the outside but feel necessary from within to restore a sense of safety.
In the UAE, where there is a strong sense of order and safety, this reaction can feel even more intense. When a place is experienced as predictably secure, even a small perceived shift, real or imagined, can feel extremely unsettling. The gap between “what should be” and “what might be” creates anxiety that is hard to contain.
Once fear takes hold, it is not easily calmed, unless we begin to recognise what is happening in our minds. Simply understanding this can create a small amount of space, and sometimes that is enough to ease the intensity of the anxiety.
Jennifer von Baudissin
Psychodynamic Psychotherapist
The Psychiatry and Therapy Centre