Yael Pilowsky Bankirer, UKCP Accredited Psychotherapist

Yael Pilowsky Bankirer

CB22 English, Hebrew
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Yael Pilowsky Bankirer, UKCP Accredited Psychotherapist

Yael Pilowsky Bankirer

CB22 English, Hebrew
Shortlist Share

My Approach

I think of Psychotherapy and psychoanalysis as a developmental process that occurs in the space between two people. It is a pause in a difficult world that enables reflection, thinking, and questioning. I understand this process not only as an exploration of the inner world, the psyche, but also as an opportunity to unfold and rethink the world we live in and our place in it.
We all have something to work on - to understand better, solve or change- it could be a specific problem like a relationship; a job difficulty; immigration; illness or death; identity crisis; trying to fit in; an oppressive power relation regarding identity; a specific fear or a bothering thought that occupies too much space in our lives. Or it could be a general feeling of uneasiness- anxiety, depression, restlessness or emptiness; a blurred sense of meaning being lost or a discontent from our place in life, a yearning for change.
These crises could also mean an opportunity from which we can develop ourselves and grow. In a non-judgemental reassuring environment, through an intimate relationship that becomes a witness of our lives, these difficulties could turn into a process of change: developing strong self-esteem, understanding our position in life- our goals and ambitions as well as our wounds and painful places and finding the power to heal ourselves.
My perception of the analytic work is one that does not apply only to our inner world and to the relation between the two people sitting in the room- the patient and the analyst. I situate our discourse in the broader social and cultural structure and understand the therapeutic process as an opportunity to rethink our position in the world. As I elaborate on my website (www.psychotherapy-cambridge) - a practice that is informed by a political philosophy, that recognises cultural and social environment as a key element for emotional well-being, is also an ethical position that goes hand in hand with therapeutic transformation.

About Me

I’m a qualified psychoanalyst and a psychotherapist working in private practice just outside Cambridge, UK. I’m a Medical Doctor (MD), a researcher (Ph.D.) of Gender, Psychiatry, and Psychoanalysis.
I'm a qualified member of The SITE for Contemporary Psychoanalysis which is registered with the Council for Psychoanalysis and Jungian Analysis College (CPJA) of the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP).
I have worked for several years in a mental health hospital with people coping with a wide range of psychiatric disabilities and for more than a decade now I have continued to see people - to listen, discuss and witness their lives in a private setting both for individuals and in groups.
My practice is based in a beautiful rural area in south Cambridgeshire, 5 min. from Cambridge city. In this quiet relaxing setting, I offer a clearing, a secure space to explore the psyche.

I work with

  • Groups
  • Individuals

Special Interests

Like all UKCP registered psychotherapists and psychotherapeutic counsellors I can work with a wide range of issues, but here are some areas in which I have a special interest or additional experience.

The core of feminist therapy is rooted in the understanding that marginalized groups of people may suffer psychological oppression, and thus symptoms, as a result of the socio-political reality. Throughout history, women have experienced exclusion, repression, and masculine domination - that can still be seen in many forms today - and often leads to numerous gender-specific obstacles and stressors. Socio-political circumstances may have an effect on a person’s psychological well-being and could manifest themselves as emotional difficulties, complex trauma, reduced sense of security, decreased self-esteem, and a higher risk of mental health issues. It is important to emphasise, in the spirit of current feminist thought, that these understandings do not apply to women only and various forms of oppression such as victimization, violence, and discrimination are relevant to other minority groups such as people of colour; lesbians, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and gender-variant individuals; people with disabilities or special needs; people coping with psychiatric disabilities; immigrants and many others. In a world where the hegemonic way of living and thinking is dominated by white heterosexual men, being a marginalized group means less ability to express oneself, to speak; it incorporates a continuous struggle with stigmatic attitude that could be either explicit or implicit, institutionalized and very often internalized as self-stigma. In this scenery, constant traumatic experiences are immanent and are usually invisible to the dominant way of thinking. A therapy that is informed by this political perception recognizes the importance of cultural and social environment and thus strives for an exploration of the inner world as a construct, not only of our personal conflicts, aggressions, and desires but also of the socio-political marks that we all carry with us. As my experience has taught me, an analysis that is rooted in these feminist political philosophies could lead to the therapeutic transformations of finding our silenced voices and understanding our lives as part of a broader picture.
Having a background in psychiatry and working in a mental health hospital, I’ve been seeing people coping with a wide range of mental health problems: schizophrenia and psychotic disorders, affective disorders like depression or mania, anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders, post-traumatic disorders, and many other diagnoses. Within the psychiatric medicalised atmosphere, I endeavored to see people beyond their diagnostic category and focused on individual development and recovery. This understanding is rooted in what is known as the Recovery Model of psychiatric disability. This model offers to rethink mental health beyond the medicalised model of symptoms, diagnostic category, and medical treatment. Rather, it moves to establish a more integrated understanding of every person that comprehends the situation beyond the illness and takes into account the broader perspective of a person's life. Through this understanding, in creating a space between the person and the illness, it is also possible to recognize the consequences of social categories of mental illness that many times create its marginality and stigma. As I have seen many times, a therapy that is informed by this perspective could move to establish the process of Recovery, a personal development that recognizes the specific unique situation of every patient and incorporates his or her multiple parts in a way that enables growth towards a meaningful and fulfilling life.

Types of Therapies Offered

  • Psychoanalyst

What I can help with

  • Abuse
  • Anorexia
  • Anxiety
  • Bereavement
  • Bullying
  • Cancer
  • Chronic Illness
  • Cultural Issues
  • Depression
  • Disability
  • Eating Disorders
  • Gender
  • Health-related Issues
  • Identity Problems
  • Mental Health Issues
  • Post-Traumatic Stress
  • Race Issues
  • Sexual Abuse
  • Sexuality
  • Spirituality
  • Stress
  • Transgender
  • Trauma

Types of sessions

  • Face to Face - Long Term
  • Online Therapy

Office

28 Harston Road
Newton
Cambridge
CB22 7PA
United Kingdom

View Map

Office

28 Harston Road
Newton
Cambridge
CB22 7PA
United Kingdom

View Map

UKCP College

  • Council for Psychoanalysis and Jungian Analysis College (CPJAC)
Yael Pilowsky Bankirer

Yael Pilowsky Bankirer

CB22

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