Rukhiya Budden is a UKCP and MBACP Registered Psychotherapist with specialist training in Child, Adolescent and Family Psychotherapy. For over ten years, Rukhiya has volunteered as a psychotherapist within educational, charitable and community mental health settings, including Place2Be and Number 22, supporting children, adolescents, adults and families experiencing a wide range of emotional and psychological difficulties.
Rukhiya believes that every individual has an innate capacity for growth and healing. Through a compassionate, collaborative and trusting therapeutic relationship, she supports clients in developing a deeper understanding of themselves, making sense of their experiences and strengthening their sense of self, enabling them to live with greater authenticity, resilience and emotional wellbeing.
Rukhiya works with children, adolescents and adults experiencing anxiety, depression, eating disorders, body image difficulties, self-harm, complex trauma, bereavement and loss, attachment difficulties, emotional dysregulation, low self-esteem, identity and belonging, loneliness, neurodiversity, technology use and digital wellbeing, as well as the emotional impact of adverse childhood experiences and life transitions.
Rukhiya trained as an integrative psychotherapist and holds Master’s degrees in both Psychotherapy and Child, Adolescent and Family Psychotherapy. Her therapeutic approach draws upon attachment theory, developmental psychology, psychodynamic psychotherapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Mentalisation-Based Therapy (MBT), play therapy, creative therapeutic approaches, existential psychotherapy and transpersonal psychotherapy. Her practice is also informed by Jungian psychology, particularly in supporting clients to explore identity, meaning, resilience and psychological growth.
Rukhiya is also the author of The Healing Drum of Kenya, a therapeutic children’s book, and accompanying therapeutic colouring resources designed to support conversations around bereavement, grief, change and loss in schools and therapeutic settings.
Rukhiya works collaboratively with children, adolescents, adults and families, tailoring therapy to each individual’s unique needs. Where appropriate, she also works alongside parents, carers and schools to support a child’s emotional wellbeing. She is committed to creating a warm, compassionate and culturally sensitive therapeutic environment where clients feel safe to explore, grow and heal.
Outside of her clinical work, Rukhiya enjoys meditation, practising qigong spending time in nature and reading. She values these practices as an important part of maintaining balance, reflection and personal wellbeing.