BACKGROUND & EXPERIENCE
Olukemi Amala qualified as an Integrative Psychotherapist from the Metanoia Institute in London, England in 2000. She has been working in her private psychotherapy practice since this time in London, Scotland, and now in Manchester. Alongside her private psychotherapy practice, Olukemi Amala has extensive experience of working with various marginalised communities within specialist counselling and psychotherapy services.
Throughout her life Olukemi has studied in the natural sciences, (human biology, biochemistry, genetics), in combination with the social sciences and mental health. Her interest in the area of psychological development is strongly informed by the interaction of the biochemical systems of the individual, in combination with family systems we are raised within and social systems which locate and position the individual within social networks and society in general. The interplay of these three systems: personal biochemical, family/ caregivers/peers and social systems work together to create the 'stories' we identify as contributing to our sense of who we are. Often we seek out a counsellor or psychotherapist when troubled emotionally usually due to conflict at the personal, family or our social level or a combination of two or all three. Often these systems interact with one another in the formation of our identity and personality. When our lives feel like a struggle it is important to consider how we make sense of the situation and explore how to best manage these difficulties.
Olukemi Amala has experienced oppressive and discriminatory practices within her personal psychotherapy, her training and supervision. Often a well meaning encounter within her profession has left her feeling isolated, misunderstood and stereotyped, Microaggressions, hostiity, defensiveness and fear on the part of other counsellors and psychotherapists has been and continues to be common place in her professional interactions within the mental health professions. Olukemi is seeking to address this issue and is working towards greater inclusion of social systems of privilege and disadvantage and the interactions of these on our evolving life stories and mental health.
In 2011 Olukemi Amala was delighted to have her debut novel published, Under an Emerald Sky.
HOW DOES OLUKEMI AMALA WORK
Olukemi Amala works with each person at a number of psychological levels, from the group socially constructed levels all the way to the individual subconscious level of functioning. It must be appreciated that the interplay between the larger social, the familial and the individual systems, work together and intertwine around each other in the creation and maintenance of beliefs that we have about ourselves and our lives.
Because Olukemi considers mental health as linked to an examination on all of these psychological levels, she offers a broad theoretical approach to her work as appropriate for the client's needs and issues. She utilises but is not limited to the following approaches in her work;
<|¡> Psychodynamic Theories
<|¡> Inner child work
<|¡> Gestalt Exercises
<|¡> Cognitive Theories
<|¡> Positionality Theory & other Social Theories.
<|¡> Existential & Transpersonal Therapies
<|¡> Ancestral Healing/ Worship
<|¡> Mindfulness & Meditation
<|¡> Narrative Therapy
