Clinical psychologist. I have worked with adults since 2011; since 2016 in my room in Moda and online.
To whoever reads this page,Kadıköy, Wednesday 4 November 2026
I came to psychology curious about why people repeat the same sentence for years.
I studied psychology at Hacettepe University in Ankara and then completed my MSc in clinical psychology at the same university. My thesis looked at how people with panic attacks interpret bodily sensations; anxiety and panic are still among the topics I work with most.
For five years I worked as a clinical psychologist in the psychiatry department of a training and research hospital. There I learned to work with psychiatrists, how medication and therapy can complement each other, and my own limits.
In 2016 I opened my own room on the third floor of an old building in Moda. Today I work individually with adults, in person or online. I see a limited number of clients a week, receive regular supervision and attend at least one training every year.
ElifElif Karadağ · Clinical Psychologist (MSc)
How I work
I combine two approaches. How much weight each gets, we decide together as I get to know you.
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
here and now: thought → feeling → action
CBT focuses on the cycles of thought and behaviour that keep current difficulties going. Someone with anxiety, for example, overestimates danger and avoids; the more they avoid, the more the anxiety grows instead of fading.
In sessions we notice this cycle together and try to change it with small, planned steps. There are short tasks between sessions: a thought record, an experiment, an observation. It is one of the best researched approaches for anxiety, panic and depression.
Schema therapy
patterns learned long ago: “it always ends like this”
Schema therapy builds on CBT and looks at patterns born of unmet needs in childhood that keep repeating in adult life: always falling into the same kind of relationship, never finding anything good enough, fear of being left.
This work takes longer and uses experiential techniques such as imagery and chair work. Not everyone needs it; we decide together in the first sessions.
Note: outcomes in therapy vary from person to person; I can describe the process and the method, I cannot promise a result.
Education timeline
Title: Clinical Psychologist (MSc in Clinical Psychology with thesis).
2003–2007
BSc in PsychologyHacettepe University, Ankara
2008–2011
MSc in Clinical Psychology (thesis)Hacettepe University, AnkaraThesis: catastrophic interpretations of bodily sensations in adults with panic attacks
2011–2016
Clinical psychologistPsychiatry department of a training and research hospital, IstanbulAdult outpatient assessment and individual therapy
2016’dan beri
Independent practice: PusulaModa, Kadıköy and onlineIndividual therapy with adults
Training and supervision
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy trainingSupervised two-year practical programme · 2012–2014
Theory + case supervision
Schema Therapy trainingProgramme following international standards · 2018–2021
Individual schema therapy; supervision ongoing
Exposure techniques for panic and agoraphobiaWorkshop, 16 hours · 2015
Regular supervisionIndividual supervision with a senior clinical psychologist · Ayda iki kez
Professional memberships
Turkish Psychological AssociationMember · 2008’den beri
Professional association for cognitive and behavioural therapiesMember · 2013’ten beri
Publications and talks
“Listening to the body in panic” — interviewA local radio programme, Kadıköy · 2023
“Burnout at work” — seminarPublic talk at a library in Kadıköy · 2024
What I don’t work with
Not starting a process that will not help you is part of my job. In the following cases I will refer you to a more suitable specialist or service:
Child and adolescent therapy (under 18)
Couples and family therapy
Situations needing emergency or inpatient care
Medication assessment: for this you need to see a psychiatrist; I can suggest colleagues I work with
Reports and test assessments for courts or institutions
