Dr. Banika Ahuja (She/her) is a compassionate and skilled HCPC-registered clinical psychologist. Born in India, her academic journey in psychology spans an undergraduate degree in psychology at Delhi University (India), an MSc in Cognitive Neuroscience and a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from University College London (UCL), UK. Currently, Banika serves as a Highly Specialist Clinical Psychologist with the NHS and is set to become an Honorary Lecturer at UCL as an international CST trainer.
Banika’s practice is trauma-informed, curious, culturally sensitive and grounded within an overarching framework which helps you explore and understand the complex interplay of historical and ongoing experiences and psychological, biological and relevant socio-political factors that may shape our thoughts, emotions, ways of relating and behaviours. Banika deeply values intersectionality in her clinical work, recognising how our invisible and visible identities (e.g. culture, age, gender, sexuality, neurodiversity and abilities) may influence how we relate to ourselves and the world around us. Her approach is committed to centring your voice and unique needs in shaping the therapy sessions and empowering you to build self-awareness of your life’s patterns and take charge of the driving wheel of your life. Banika is open to working both with and beyond the mental health diagnoses or labels one presents with, depending on what’s most helpful to you.
Through her work in the UK and across India, Banika has cultivated a wealth of experience working with individuals across the lifespan—from children and adolescents to adults and older adults, across diverse backgrounds and identities. She has developed a range of competencies and skills in offering person-centred and comprehensive psychological assessments, and therapy with people presenting a range of complex emotional difficulties, cognitive abilities and neurodiversity with variations in chronicity and severity (E.g. PTSD, generalised anxiety, OCD, Social Anxiety, health anxiety, Depression, relationship issues, work stress, supporting caregivers, body image concerns, ADHD, Autism, physical health presentations like stroke, brain injury, and dementia). She adapts and integrates different modalities in both individual and group settings, tailored to individual needs and contexts, including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Systemic Narrative Therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, Compassion-Focused Therapy, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. She is fluent in both English and Hindi.
Driven by values of social justice and equity, Banika is passionate about fostering an inclusive ecosystem of mental healthcare for all that extends far beyond the therapy room. She actively engages in advocacy, grassroots initiatives (E.g. collaborating with NGOs to support marginalised communities), corporate/academic workshops, international collaborations/conferences (E.g. TEDx talk, VH1), social media campaigns to destigmatise mental health, and policy/research work to drive systemic change. As an ever-evolving clinical psychologist, Banika is dedicated to critical reflection, unlearning biases, and continually expanding her knowledge base and clinical skills to improve the quality of care she provides.