Burcu Akar

Meet Burcu Akar, whose degrees in psychology allowed her to discover new interests. She is now a qualified counsellor and psychodynamic therapist, working in private practice and for Mind.

University experience

Burcu always knew she wanted to work in mental health and was fascinated by psychology. Some of her friends and family who were studying at Herts encouraged her to visit us for an open day. Feeling impressed by what she saw, she applied and later became part of the Herts community.

Burcu praises the relevancy of the course content, telling us ‘it’s surprising how things you have learned come in handy when you least expect it’. After completing her undergraduate degree, Burcu progressed to study a Masters at Herts too. Her degrees offered a valuable time for discovery and she would tell future students ‘don’t be so worried about the outcome that you forget to enjoy the process’.

Going to university gave Burcu the freedom to explore different avenues. Initially, she had wanted to become a clinical psychologist, but she recalls one lecture where everything changed. Suddenly she felt excited about training in psychodynamic therapy. This was a pivotal moment which changed her career trajectory.

Career progression

After graduating, Burcu completed her professional training. She now uses techniques like self-reflection and examination to help her patients identify and work through earlier experiences and emotions. Burcu is passionate about using her skillset to empower women who have been a victim of abuse. She would also like to work with children and wants to complete an infant observation. She works in private practice and is a volunteer counsellor for the mental health charity, MIND.