Relationships and attachment
Closeness, trust, fear of rejection, difficulty expressing needs, and recurring relational patterns.
Online psychotherapy for Persian-speaking adults
A space to understand emotional and relational patterns
Sometimes the difficulty is not only what is happening today. Patterns in relationships, anxiety, decisions, and how we relate to ourselves can repeat across different parts of life.
What keeps repeating can be understood—and changed.
Individual adult therapySessions in PersianProfessional, non-judgmental space
Atefeh PouyaPsychologist & Adult Psychotherapist
Some of these experiences may feel familiar
When the same difficulty returns in different forms
These experiences do not necessarily point to a particular diagnosis. They may invite a closer look at the patterns beneath our reactions, choices, and relationships.
01
Relationships that repeat similar patterns
02
Anxiety and overthinking
03
Difficulty expressing needs or vulnerability
04
Perfectionism and relentless self-pressure
05
Fear of rejection or losing a relationship
06
Difficulty setting boundaries without guilt
07
Important decisions and life transitions
08
Emotional and identity changes after migration
Therapy can offer a way to move beyond managing each episode and understand the patterns that may connect them.
Therapeutic perspective
Therapy is not only about finding a quick solution.
In sessions, the present difficulty is considered in a wider context: relationships, earlier experiences, beliefs, emotional needs, and the ways you have learned to protect yourself.
The aim is not to offer ready-made instructions, but to understand yourself more clearly, recognise recurring patterns, and find different ways of responding.
01
See the context
Today’s difficulty is explored alongside lived experience and relationships.
02
Recognise the pattern
We notice responses that may once have protected you but now feel limiting.
03
Develop new choices
Change is approached through realistic steps that fit your circumstances.
Main areas of work
Experience first—not a list of labels
These are some of the themes that may come into therapy; each person's experience can involve a different combination of them.
Anxiety and emotion regulation
Worry, rumination, uncertainty, and ongoing emotional or mental pressure.
The relationship with yourself
Self-criticism, shame, perfectionism, feeling inadequate, and difficulty attending to your own needs.
Important life changes
Migration, relationship changes, major decisions, changing roles, and periods that reshape how you see yourself.
Boundaries and interpersonal patterns
Difficulty saying no, guilt, over-caring for others, and exhaustion in relationships.
Burnout and chronic pressure
Emotional exhaustion, low motivation, work or relational pressure, and difficulty recovering energy.
Grief, loss and separation
Relationship endings, bereavement, unwanted changes, and adjusting to experiences of loss.
Identity, meaning and uncertainty
Questioning your direction, a sense of emptiness, revisiting choices, and asking what genuinely matters.
Online sessions
A simple, clear process
Practical details are made available before you begin, and appointment times are selected through the booking system.
Choose a time
Select a suitable appointment from the online calendar in your local time zone.
Receive session details
You receive the information needed for the session and its practical framework.
Attend online
The video session takes place at the selected time and is conducted in Persian.
About Atefeh
I’m Atefeh Pouya, a psychologist and adult psychotherapist.
My work focuses on patterns that recur in relationships, emotional experience, and how a person relates to themselves. I aim to provide a professional, safe, respectful, and non-judgmental space where experience can be explored without pressure.
Schema therapy is central to my work. Depending on each person’s needs, I also draw on attachment perspectives and methods from CBT and ACT. These approaches do not replace your experience; the work should fit your concerns, goals, and real circumstances.
Master’s degree in psychologyAcademic training
Professional practice licencePsychological services
Individual adult psychotherapyOnline sessions in Persian
Atefeh Pouya
For Persian speakers living abroad
Persian therapy for people abroad →Living in another country does not always mean leaving earlier difficulties behind.
Migration can change our circumstances, but it does not automatically change how we relate to ourselves, other people, or family. Loneliness, belonging, pressure to succeed, and relational tensions may become more visible in this context.
Online sessions in Persian are also available to Persian-speaking adults outside Iran.
Insights
View all insights →Understanding our experience with greater clarity
Evidence-informed writing on relationships, attachment, anxiety, the relationship with ourselves, and migration.
Why can’t we stop worrying, even when there is nothing more we can do?
On anxiety, uncertainty, responsibility, and the mind’s attempt to reach certaintyEven after every practical step has been taken, the mind can keep moving between possibilities. Worry may become something we feel we should keep doing.
Read article →
Why do we sometimes leave a relationship before we can be left?
On fear of rejection, pulling away in intimate relationships, and the difficulty of tolerating uncertainty about another person’s feelingsSometimes, just as a relationship begins to matter more, fear of rejection leads us to pull away before we know what has actually changed.
Read article →
Why do we keep replaying conversations afterwards?
When reviewing a conversation stops helping us understand it and becomes a loop of doubt and self-evaluationThe conversation is over, but the mind keeps going: Why did I say that? What did they mean? Did I come across badly? When does reviewing a conversation become rumination?
Read article →Frequently asked questions
Questions you may have before starting
Do I need a specific diagnosis or problem?
No. You may come to therapy to explore a recurring pattern, a relationship difficulty, mental pressure, or a period of change without already having a label for your experience.
What happens in the first session?
Early sessions offer space to understand your current concerns, relevant context, what you hope for from therapy, and whether this way of working fits your needs.
Are sessions available outside Iran?
Yes. Online sessions in Persian are available to Persian-speaking adults inside and outside Iran. Available times are shown in the booking system.
How do I book?
Open the booking calendar to view available appointments and select a suitable day and time.
How long is an online session?
The exact duration is shown when you book.
What if I am in an immediate crisis?
This service does not replace emergency support. If you are at immediate risk, contact emergency or crisis services where you live.
Book a session
Choose a time that works for you.
Available days and times are shown in the booking system.
Online booking
View the calendar
Open the booking page to choose a suitable day and time.
Book a session →