Borbala Jakab

I do not begin with the assumption that there is one explanation for why you pull, or one therapeutic method that will suit everybody. We can become curious about what happens before, during and after the urge: when it appears, what happens for you in that moment, and what makes it difficult to resist. Sometimes the work may be practical. Drawing on CBT, we can identify triggers, patterns and habitual responses and experiment with different ways of responding to the urge. At other times, it may be important to explore what lies underneath or alongside the pulling: anxiety, emotional regulation, relationships, earlier experiences, shame, self-criticism or a need for soothing. And sometimes a hair is not just a hair. You may find yourself searching for the coarse one, the damaged one, the one that somehow feels “wrong” and needs to come out. Rather than deciding what that means for you, I would be interested in discovering it with you. My aim is not simply to focus on stopping a behaviour. It is to understand you and the place hair pulling has come to occupy in your life, while helping you develop greater choice in how you respond to it. Our work may involve behavioural strategies, deeper exploration, or a combination of both.

Hair pulling may be what brought you here, but it does not define who you are. I am interested in understanding you as a whole person, including what the pulling may have come to mean or do for you. I am an accredited integrative counsellor and psychotherapist with BACP and NCPS, offering therapy in English and Hungarian. I work in person at several locations across London and online, and have direct clinical experience of working with hair pulling, including where it occurs alongside anxiety, stress and ADHD. “Life must be understood backwards. But … it must be lived forwards.” — Søren Kierkegaard, Journals (1843) My integrative training includes psychodynamic, humanistic and cognitive behavioural (CBT) approaches, enabling me to adapt our work to you rather than applying one model to every client.

• BEd (Hons) Education with Psychology - First Class
• Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling - Integrative
• Advanced Certificate in Clinical Supervision
• Specialist training in Counselling Children and Young People - ongoing
• BACP Accredited Counsellor/Psychotherapist
• NCPS Accredited Counsellor

Alongside online therapy, I offer face-to-face sessions at several London locations: • City of London – EC4A 1JQ • Hammersmith – W6 0DT • Kensington/Earl’s Court – SW5 0RR • Battersea/Clapham – SW11 1EH I also offer Walk & Talk Therapy in London for clients who may prefer working therapeutically while walking outdoors. Sessions are available in English and Hungarian. Appointments may be available at different locations on different days.