Dr. JP Arzul, PhD (SA)
Clinical Psychologist
I offer short-term crisis treatment, as well as medium and longer-term therapy for adults.
I only treat individuals and do not work with couples.
Therapy is offered in English at my Dubai practice.
Consulting with a psychologist is a very personal experience and I focus on creating a welcoming and supportive environment.
My psychological approach is psychodynamic and focuses on unconscious factors, internalized images of early relationships, thinking-feeling styles, trauma, relational patterns, and defences. Freud is well-known as the founder of psychodynamic theory in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His work was advanced by many notable figures, including Bowlby (attachment), Sullivan (interpersonal), Kernberg (object relations) and Fonagy (mentalization).
My approach combines the development of a deeper understanding of your psychological dynamics with the application of mental strategies to improve distressing symptoms and foster lasting psychological change.
My areas of expertise include:
- Depression
- Unstable mood states
- Low self-worth
- Unhealthy patterns
- Childhood trauma
- Personal growth
- Anxiety
- Anger
- Grief and loss
- Life transitions e.g. middle age, divorce
- Commitment issues
- Self-criticism
How does psychodynamic therapy work?
There are two primary aims of psychodynamic therapy:
1. Developing greater insight
The development of greater psychological insight begins by speaking about your current difficulties, childhood, family history, significant life events, and the impact of past experiences.
You may wonder how the past shapes the present. We all experience its influence when triggered by the words or actions of others. Triggers operate by evoking unexpected emotions, distorted thinking, and defensive responses. These psychological reactions usually indicate that unconscious dynamics are at play.
You are encouraged to freely express your thoughts, feelings, and experiences in sessions. Interpretations are offered, and your feedback helps to clarify the operation and function of specific dynamics e.g. exploring how past rejection shapes current distrust and serves a protective function.
These therapeutic conversations deepen insight into your psychological processes.
2. Actively applying insight
Changing psychological dynamics is not an easy task. It requires the ongoing application of insight in your everyday life until a ‘new normal’ is established. Psychodynamic therapy supports you to make changes in the following ways:
- Reframing distorted thoughts to align with reality e.g. revising the idea that a work difficulty defines self-worth.
- Regulating emotional responses to match the situation e.g. expressing frustration appropriately by recognizing its ties to early experiences.
- Actively modifying defences e.g. direct communication instead of withdrawal.
- Reclaiming projections in real-time e.g. identifying a critical attitude projected onto a current interaction.
- Reducing negative self-talk by modifying the inner critic e.g. softening an internalized image of a critical parent.
- Considering your own and others’ mental states to improve communication e.g. thinking yourself into the mindset of the other party during a disagreement.
The combination of insight and action helps to shift unhealthy psychological dynamics by reshaping aspects of your inner makeup. This contributes to reduced levels of distress, the breaking of repeated patterns, and interaction with others from a position of greater clarity.
Your emotional life is not written in cement during childhood. You write each chapter as you go along.
– Harry Stack Sullivan
Qualifications & work experience
I qualified as a Clinical Psychologist in Cape Town, South Africa in 2005 and also hold a PhD in Psychology from the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal.
I am licensed as a Clinical Psychologist with the Health Professions Council of South Africa and the Dubai Health Authority.
My work experience has provided me with a thorough grasp of human psychology. I practiced for 12 years as an external consultant at Mediclinic Crescent Psychiatric Hospital and Akeso Kenilworth Clinic in Cape Town. Working in these settings exposed me to a broad range of psychological conditions.
I treated depression, anxiety, PTSD and personality issues in General Units, unsuccessful suicide attempts in High Care Units, various addictions in Dual Diagnosis Units, and binge eating, bulimia and anorexia in Eating Disorder Units. I continued treating many of these cases in my private practice and was inspired by the shifts from troubled states of mind to improved well-being.
I relocated to Dubai in 2019, and treating a wide range of nationalities has reinforced the universal nature of psychological principles. We share a human essence which transcends geographical boundaries and shapes our existence.
FAQs
Personality fit, theoretical approach and work experience are essential factors in determining suitability.
We all have psychological issues which can at times become impossible to deal with on our own. Psychodynamic therapy aims to understand how the issues developed, why they continue to operate, and to assist in affecting change. Starting therapy requires the courage to admit that something is not working in our lives.
Most clients notice meaningful change within 6–12 sessions. My aim is for you to become your own best therapist and to be able to independently apply your insights and mental strategies in everyday life.
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