Where I’m Coming From

I’m Nilima — a Person-Centred Psychotherapist based in London, raised in Birmingham, with Bengali heritage and just enough family expectations to power a small nation. I didn’t have a spiritual calling to this work — I googled “what job should I do?” and therapist won out over teacher because frankly, I hate marking.

Before therapy, I dabbled in journalism — The Independent, some very niche magazines (solar power! industrial minerals! Try to contain your excitement) — then did a tour of duty in government and private equity, where I mostly arranged meetings and unpicked corporate nonsense with military precision.

I now work with people navigating identity, burnout, grief, religious transitions (yes, even the complicated ones involving aunties), and feeling like they’re on the outside looking in.

I’m here for the questioners, the out-of-place, the ones trying to square their inner world with the noise around them. Especially if you’ve ever thought, “Is it just me?” (It’s not.)

Therapy with me is collaborative - I won’t sit in silence nodding meaningfully until your hour’s up. Nor will I pretend to have all the answers (if I did, I’d have written a bestselling book and bought a vineyard by now).

I work from a classical Person-Centred Approach, which means I believe you already have what you need to heal and grow and my role is to create the kind of space where that becomes possible. Think of me as someone walking at your pace, matching your stride, occasionally pointing out potholes or scenic routes.

This isn’t about fixing you (you’re not broken), or giving you a five-step plan to happiness (I don’t do motivational posters). It’s about listening deeply, responding honestly, and being fully human with you in the room: mess, humour, contradictions and all.