Meet the Therapist: Amrit Sagoo
Amrit Sagoo is an online therapist
What attracted you to become a therapist?
I believe in the importance of sound mental health and having somebody to talk to safely when in need.
Where did you train?
Middlesex University
Can you tell us about the type of therapy you practise?
I am grounded, therapeutically agile and deeply compassionate. I am human first, therapist second — on a level with clients, not a pedestal. I bring a wealth of lived experiences that inform my practice and allows me to support people from a place of knowing, not just from my training (although I have that too).
I practice from an existential perspective but work in an integrated manner meaning I incorporate knowledge from other modalities of therapy where appropriate and helpful to the client.
I am also a trained trauma therapist specialising in PTSD and sexual assault/rape.
As a therapist, I have an incredibly privileged insight into the paradoxes of human nature. I make weekly journeys to the greatest depths of human trauma: death, infertility, infidelity and depression, as well as the seemingly smaller moments of pain: a crush we might have on another that goes unnoticed, or feelings of jealousy and resentment towards a close friend.
I have acclimatised myself to these things not just by reading books and studying, but by knowing my own nature and confronting my own shadows, the complicated, painful and embarrassing aspects of myself that are collectively relegated into a murky puddle of shame within our culture.
Because of this, clients can share anything and everything with me, and I will meet it with curiosity, compassion and care.
How does therapy help?
A good therapist offering a combination of empathy and challenge will always help us to return to a place of balance when we come up against it all.
I am, unconditionally, on the side of my clients. I've got your back, and I am here to help you navigate the things we so often find hard: trusting others, coping with our emotions, communicating effectively, understanding ourselves, honouring our potential, feeling relatively authentic, confident, and unashamed and everything else we encounter from birth to death.
My existential and trauma training helps with challenges faced by individuals including ex-veterans whom I work with full-time, deal with their PTSD, flashbacks, nightmares, loss of identity and shame.
What sort of people do you usually see?
I work with adults on an individual basis.
Have you noticed any recent mental health trends or wider changes in attitude?
People are drawn to quick fixes in the world we live in and this is impossible. Firstly, we are not machines to be fix but complex beings. There is NO such thing as a quick fix. It may seem like something is working initially and yay to that but fast-forward six months to a year and you’ll see that the quick fix was not sufficient as the roots of the problems were left unexplored.
What do you like about being a therapist?
The joy of seeing my clients live better, happier lives.
What is less pleasant?
The burn-out, the exhaustion with trauma work.
Do you ever suggest books or apps to clients?
Always. Momma and the Meaning of Life and Love’s Executioner both by Yalom.
The Loona app is amazing and works well for those struggling to drop off to sleep.
What you do for your own mental health?
Self-care including frequent breaks, switching off as much as I can (not always possible), reading rubbish and watching the odd reality show (some of which are really good!) and walking in the woodlands (where possible in London).
What’s your consultation room like?
Safe, confidential, vulnerable, real and honest.
I work remotely so I can work with people all over the world.
What do you wish people knew about therapy?
That it really is an important space to have in one’s life – just like a gym, therapy is akin to your mental health gym so equally important to stay mentally healthy if not more.
What did you learn about yourself in therapy?
That’s a story for another day.
