Lara

Lara Sarhan, MSc

Psychotherapist

“I help adults navigate anxiety, life transitions, and relationship difficulties, both in Cairo and online, wherever you're living in the world. Having trained in the UK and built my own life across cultures, I bring an understanding of what it takes to feel steady when you're far from where you started.”

About Me

I'm a UKCP-registered psychotherapist, trained in the UK and now based in Cairo, where I work with clients both in person and online, including a growing number of people living outside Egypt. My approach is integrative and relational: I don't work from a script, and I won't just nod along. I ask questions I genuinely want the answers to. I'll be honest with you about what I'm noticing, and I bring both warmth and structure to our work together, so you leave sessions with more clarity, not just more to carry. I work with adults dealing with anxiety, low mood, relationship difficulties, sexual difficulties, and the particular kind of disorientation that comes with change; whether that's a life transition, a move abroad, or simply feeling stuck. I'd be glad to talk.

Approach

Most people arrive already knowing something is wrong and not knowing what to do with that. My job early on is less about giving you answers and more about helping you get precise: what exactly is happening, when it started, what it costs you, and what keeps it in place. From there, the work usually moves in two directions at once. We look at the patterns as they show up in your present life, in your relationships, at work, in how you talk to yourself. And we look at where those patterns proved useful, because most of them once solved a real problem. Understanding that tends to loosen the grip more than trying to force change through willpower. Practically, that means our sessions will feel like real conversation rather than a questionnaire. I'll tell you what I notice, including the things that are uncomfortable to name. I'll ask you to slow down at moments you want to rush past. And if something isn't working between us, I want to hear it, because that conversation is often where the useful work starts.
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Basic Information
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In-person & Online

Services

Anxiety and persistent worry, including the kind that looks like high functioning from the outside. Low mood, loss of motivation, and feeling disconnected from a life that should be working. Relationship difficulties: recurring conflict, difficulty with closeness, patterns that repeat across partners. Sexual difficulties and psychosexual concerns, including desire discrepancy, difficulties with arousal or orgasm, pain during sex, performance anxiety, compulsive sexual behaviour, and the impact of shame, culture, or religious upbringing on sexual self-understanding. I work with individuals and with couples where sex has become difficult to talk about. Life transitions, including career change, relocation, and the period after a major loss or ending. Cross-cultural adjustment and identity, for people building a life between countries or returning to one they no longer fit into. Sessions are available in person in Cairo and online worldwide, in Arabic and English.

Services Offered:

  • Psychodynamic Therapy

    A therapy that explores how past experiences and unconscious patterns shape current feelings, relationships, and behaviour.

    Learn more about Psychodynamic Therapy
  • CBT

    Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, a structured, evidence-based approach that identifies and changes unhelpful thinking patterns and behaviours.

    Learn more about CBT
  • Corporate Workshops

    Mental health and well-being workshops delivered in workplace settings, covering topics like stress management, resilience, and communication.

  • Counselling

    A form of talk therapy providing a safe, confidential space to explore feelings, thoughts, and behaviours with a trained professional.

    Learn more about Counselling
  • Group Therapy

    Therapy conducted with a small group of people who share similar concerns, using peer interaction and diverse perspectives as part of the healing process.

    Learn more about Group Therapy
  • Humanistic Therapy

    A therapeutic approach grounded in the belief that people are inherently capable of growth and self-understanding, focusing on present experience, personal meaning, and the therapeutic relationship.

  • Individual Therapy

    One-on-one therapy sessions between a client and a therapist, focused on that person's specific concerns and goals.

    Learn more about Individual Therapy
  • Individual Psychotherapy

    In-depth one-on-one therapy that explores the deeper roots of a person's difficulties, often drawing on psychodynamic or psychoanalytic models.

  • Online Therapy

    Therapy sessions conducted over video call, phone, or secure messaging, using the same professional methods delivered remotely.

    Learn more about Online Therapy
  • Online Counselling

    Counselling conducted via video, phone, or secure messaging, providing professional support remotely.

    Learn more about Online Counselling

Works With:

  • Adults
  • Couples
  • Families
  • Groups
  • Individuals
  • Organisations
  • Communities

Area of Expertise

Scope of Practice:

  • Abuse

    Emotional, physical, or sexual mistreatment by another person that causes lasting psychological harm and disrupts a person's sense of safety.

  • Anxiety

    Persistent worry, nervousness, or fear that is disproportionate to the situation and interferes with daily functioning.

    Learn more about Anxiety
  • Codependency

    A relational pattern in which a person's sense of identity and self-worth becomes excessively tied to caring for or controlling another person, often at their own expense.

  • Control Issues

    A persistent need to control situations, people, or outcomes, typically driven by underlying anxiety, fear of uncertainty, or past experiences of helplessness.

  • Family Issues

    Difficulties within the family system, including conflict, communication breakdown, blended family tensions, or intergenerational patterns, that affect individual and collective well-being.

  • Intimacy Issues

    Difficulties with emotional or physical closeness in relationships, including fear of vulnerability, avoidance of connection, or sexual concerns.

    Learn more about Intimacy Issues
  • OCD

    Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, a condition involving unwanted, intrusive thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviours or rituals (compulsions) performed to relieve anxiety.

    Learn more about OCD
  • Personality Difficulties

    Long-standing patterns of thinking, feeling, and relating to others that cause persistent distress or problems in relationships and daily life.

  • Pornography or Sexual Behaviour Concerns

    Sexual behaviours, including pornography use, that feel compulsive, out of control, or are causing distress or harm to oneself or relationships.

  • Relationship Issues

    Difficulties in romantic relationships, including communication problems, trust breakdowns, conflict patterns, or uncertainty about the relationship's future.

    Learn more about Relationship Issues

Professional Title:

  • Psychotherapist

    A professional trained to provide in-depth therapy that explores patterns in thoughts, emotions, and relationships to produce lasting change.

Credentials

Qualifications

Master of Science (MSc)

UKCP / BACP Accredited University

Memberships

UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP)

Service Areas

Clinic

In-person & Online

Heliopolis, Cairo Governorate 4461001

Egypt

Heliopolis, Egypt