About me

Buse Miray Evci | Psychotherapist, MA, MBACP, TCTSY-F

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I’m Miray, a psychotherapist based in Surbiton, London, offering individual psychotherapy in English and Turkish, both in person and online.

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I work with adults experiencing a range of emotional and psychological difficulties, including anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, low self-esteem, difficulties with emotional regulation, stress, and challenging life transitions. I also work with people who may not have a specific concern in mind but would like to understand themselves better, make sense of recurring patterns, or explore aspects of their lives that feel difficult to navigate.

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I approach psychological difficulties by considering both the broader context of a person's life and the ways their thoughts, emotions, behaviours and bodily experiences influence one another. The ways we learn to cope, protect ourselves and relate to others can become deeply established over time. Although these patterns may have developed as ways of adapting to particular experiences or environments, they can also contribute to difficulties when they become rigid or no longer fit our current needs.

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In my work, I aim to explore not only the difficulties someone is experiencing, but also the processes that may be maintaining them. This involves understanding how past experiences may influence our responses to present circumstances, recognising recurring patterns, and working towards greater emotional awareness, flexibility and choice in how we respond to ourselves and others.

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My Approach to Psychotherapy

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My approach is integrative, drawing on different therapeutic perspectives and tailoring the therapeutic process to each individual's unique needs, experiences and goals.

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In my practice, I draw on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR), attachment-informed and body-oriented approaches, guided by trauma-informed principles. I consider how relational experiences shape our sense of self, emotional regulation and patterns of relating to others, while placing importance on emotional safety, choice and collaboration throughout the therapeutic process.

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My approach also incorporates attention to bodily experiences as part of the therapeutic process. When appropriate, this may involve exploring physical sensations, noticing how emotions are experienced in the body, or developing greater awareness of bodily responses and patterns. I see this as another dimension of psychological exploration, alongside verbal reflection and understanding.

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I see psychotherapy as a collaborative process, grounded in compassion, curiosity and respect for each person's individual experience. My style is actively engaged and reflective; alongside listening and making space for exploration, I may offer observations, ask questions that invite different perspectives, or introduce therapeutic exercises when appropriate.

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I believe it is important that you feel able to express what is and isn't working for you, and that we can reflect on the direction and pace of our work together. While I bring my clinical knowledge and experience to the process, your own understanding and preferences remain central to how we work.

 

The Therapeutic Relationship

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In my practice, I aim to offer a space where you can speak openly, explore uncertainty and approach difficult experiences without pressure to have everything figured out.

I recognise that opening up can take time, and that some experiences may be difficult to express or make sense of. You don't need to arrive knowing exactly what you want to say, or even where to begin.

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As our work develops, the therapeutic relationship can also offer opportunities to recognise and explore patterns that emerge in relationships, including how we communicate our needs, navigate differences and respond to emotional closeness or vulnerability.

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My Background and Training

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I hold an MA in Clinical Psychology from Bahçeşehir University, where I graduated with high honours, and a BA in Psychology from Özyeğin University, where I studied on a full scholarship and graduated with honours.

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My professional experience in psychology began in 2015 and spans clinical, community and research settings in Turkey, Romania and the UK. My early experience included community-based projects with children in disadvantaged areas, clinical placements at Anchor Group in Bucharest and the French Lape Hospital in Istanbul, and work as an assistant psychologist at Bude Psychotherapy Centre and a psychodrama atelier. I have also provided individual psychotherapy in private practice settings across several clinics in Istanbul and London.

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My professional training includes Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) Level 1 and Level 2, and Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT). I am also a certified Trauma Center Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Facilitator (TCTSY-F), having completed the 300-hour certification programme through the Center for Trauma and Embodiment at the Justice Resource Institute.

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I continue to develop my clinical knowledge and skills through specialist training, clinical supervision and ongoing professional development.

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Research Experience

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Alongside my clinical work, I have been involved in academic research examining attachment, interpersonal relationships and psychological experiences.

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During my undergraduate studies, I worked as a research assistant on a TUBITAK-funded project investigating mother–child attachment and maternal sensitivity. My responsibilities included conducting home observations and interviews with mothers and toddlers, as well as observational coding of maternal behaviours. I also contributed to a qualitative research project exploring the experiences of parents of children born with cleft lip and palate, conducting interviews with families in a clinical setting.

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My master's thesis explored posttraumatic growth among women who had experienced intimate partner violence, using a qualitative research approach to examine how participants understood and made sense of their experiences. I presented this research at the European Congress of Psychology in Brighton in 2023.

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Qualifications & Professional Development

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Academic Qualifications

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• MA in Clinical Psychology — Bahçeşehir University, 2022

• BA in Psychology — Özyeğin University, 2018

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Professional Training & Certifications

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• Trauma Center Trauma-Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY) — 300-hour Certification Programme, Center for Trauma and Embodiment at the Justice Resource Institute, 2024–2025

• EMDR Level 2 Training — EMDR Europe Accredited Training, Institute Ay, 2024

• EMDR Level 1 Training — EMDR Europe Accredited Training, Institute Ay, 2023

• Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy Externship — ICEEFT, Dr Ting Liu and Dr Senem Zeytinoğlu Saydam, 2018

• MMPI and Clinical Tests Training — Psychology Institute, 2021

• Immediate Stabilization Training — Dr Gary Quinn, 2019

• Complex Trauma Training — Dr Sine Eğeci, 2019

• Fundamental Traumatology Training — Dr Çiğdem Yumbul, 2018

• Child Psychological Tests Training — Apamer, 2018

• Healthy Intervention Against Child Abuse Training — Human Sciences Association and PsikoLogos Scientific Research Center, 2016

 

Research & Academic Contributions

 

Posttraumatic Growth Among Women Who Have Survived Intimate Partner Violence: A Qualitative Study from Turkey

Evci, B. M. (2023). Oral presentation at the European Congress of Psychology, Brighton, UK.

Posttraumatic Growth Among Women Who Have Survived Intimate Partner Violence

Evci, B. M. (2022). Unpublished master's thesis, Bahçeşehir University, Istanbul, Turkey.

The Relationship Among Mothers' Socioeconomic Status, Mentalization, Maternal Interpretations of Toddlers' Intentionality and Maternal Sensitivity

Karabulut, D. H., Coruk, S., Eksioglu, Z., Ozer, I. B., Guner, H., Evci, B. M., Töz, N., & Arikan, G. (2018, July). Poster presented at the International Association for Relationship Research Conference, Colorado, USA.

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Conferences & Professional Events

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• 26th John Bowlby Memorial Conference — Exploring DID: An Attachment-Based Approach, in partnership with the Clinic for Dissociative Studies, 2023

• European Congress of Psychology — Brighton, UK, 2023 (Research presentation)

 

Professional Memberships

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• British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP)

• British Emotionally Focused Therapy Centre (BEFT)

• Turkish Psychological Association (TPD)

• Turkish Emotionally Focused Individual, Couples, and Family Therapy Association (DOÇAT)

 

Working Together

 

If you're considering psychotherapy, you are welcome to get in touch to arrange an initial consultation. This gives us an opportunity to discuss what brings you to therapy, what you hope to gain from the process, and whether working together would be a suitable fit.