Adult & maternal mental health

Therapy for adults, and for the seasons of motherhood.

CBT-informed support for adults facing anxiety, burnout and change, with specialist care for women from pregnancy through the early years of parenting.

Online & in person, Dubai English · Hindi · Urdu MSc Psychology (Distinction)
Portrait of Sabina Mustafa, smiling, with long dark wavy hair
CBT & perinatal trainedBeck Institute · Seleni Institute

Areas of practice

Two specialisms, one careful way of working.

Whether you come with a single worry or a season of life that has turned everything over, sessions are structured, collaborative and built around you.

For adults

Adult mental health

For capable, busy adults whose distress sits beneath how well they seem to be coping.

  • Anxiety & stress
  • Burnout
  • Low mood
  • Perfectionism
  • Life transitions
  • Relationships
  • Grief
Therapy for adults →
For women & mothers

Maternal mental health

Specialist perinatal support from trying to conceive through pregnancy, postpartum and the early years.

  • Trying to conceive
  • Pregnancy
  • Postpartum
  • Perinatal loss
  • Parental burnout
  • Return to work
Maternal support →
For organisations

Workplace wellbeing

Psychologically informed wellbeing sessions for teams in high-pressure environments, one-to-one support for staff, and support for working parents.

Workplace wellbeing →

Adult mental health

For the parts of life that don't show from the outside.

Many of the people I see are capable and dependable, and their distress sits underneath all that competence. Therapy is a place to put it down for a while.

Anxiety & stress

Racing thoughts, constant worry, and a body that never quite switches off.

Burnout & high-functioning distress

Coping well on paper while running on empty inside.

Low mood & depression

Heaviness, flatness, or losing interest in the things that used to matter.

Identity & life transitions

Relocation, career change, separation and other moments that ask who you are now.

Relationships & family

Shifting roles with a partner, parents, in-laws and extended family.

Grief & loss

Bereavement, and the losses that don't always get named.

Perfectionism & self-criticism

High standards that have turned into a harsh inner voice.

Work stress

Pressure, overload and performance in demanding jobs.

Sabina smiling and talking, seated outdoors

Maternal mental health

Support that follows you from hoping to holding.

Becoming a mother changes your body, your sleep, your relationships and your sense of who you are. You don't need to be in crisis to deserve support at any point along the way.

  1. Before

    Trying to conceive

    The waiting, the hoping, fertility treatment and the strain it puts on you and your relationship.

  2. During

    Pregnancy

    Anxiety about the birth or the baby, low mood, and feelings you didn't expect to have.

  3. 0–3 months

    The fourth trimester

    Birth recovery, sleep loss, intrusive worries, and the gap between how it was meant to feel and how it does.

  4. The early years

    Finding your feet

    Identity shifts, parental burnout, relationship changes and the pressure to get it all right.

  5. Returning

    Back to work

    Guilt, divided attention, and rebuilding a career alongside a family.

When the journey includes loss

Miscarriage, stillbirth, a difficult diagnosis or a birth that didn't go as planned. Perinatal grief is often hidden and rarely talked about. I have specialist training in perinatal grief and loss, and there is room here for all of it, at whatever pace you need.

Research-led practice

Much of the pressure to be a perfect mother comes from outside us.

My MSc research looked at perfectionism and parental burnout among mothers in Dubai. Of the factors studied, socially prescribed perfectionism, the sense that others expect you to be flawless, was the strongest predictor of burnout.

That finding shapes how I work. Early support and CBT-based psychoeducation can help mothers notice these expectations and loosen their grip.

Workplace wellbeing

Support for the people behind the work.

I spent more than 15 years in senior roles in Dubai's marketing industry before psychology, so I know high-pressure workplaces from the inside. I bring that understanding to teams.

  • Wellbeing workshops on stress, burnout and perfectionism
  • One-to-one support for employees
  • Support for working parents and staff returning from leave
  • Talks for leaders on psychologically healthy teams
Sabina smiling as she speaks with a group at a workplace session
Sabina Mustafa seated in an armchair in a warm, lamp-lit therapy room
Sabina Mustafa, MSc Psychology (Northumbria University, UK)

About Sabina

Structured, warm and practical.

I'm a psychologist supporting adults through anxiety, burnout, low mood and the big transitions of life, with a particular focus on women and mothers.

My approach is CBT-informed. Together we make sense of what's happening (a formulation), learn how it works, and build practical tools you can use between sessions. I pay close attention to culture, family and the relationships around you, because none of us struggle in a vacuum.

Before psychology, I spent more than 15 years in senior client-facing and leadership roles in Dubai's marketing industry. I understand workplace pressure, performance and the identity that gets tied up in a career, and that experience still informs my work with professionals today.

EnglishHindiUrdu

How it works

Starting is simpler than it feels.

  1. A short, free call

    We talk briefly about what's bringing you here and whether I'm the right fit. No pressure to book.

    15 minutes · free
  2. An initial assessment

    A longer first session to understand your concerns, your history and what you'd like to change.

    45 minutes
  3. Ongoing sessions

    Regular sessions built around your goals, with tools to practise in between. We review progress together.

    45 minutes · weekly or fortnightly

Sessions

Online or offline.

Book a session
Sabina smiling at her laptop during an online session

Online

Secure video sessions from wherever you are. Helpful in the early weeks with a newborn, or when a busy week makes travel hard.

Length
45 minutes
Platform
Secure video link, sent when you book
Sabina smiling warmly in her consulting room

Offline

Face-to-face sessions in Dubai, for those who prefer to be in the same room.

Length
45 minutes
Booking
Online, in a few clicks

Training & credentials

Qualified, and still learning.

MSc Psychology (Distinction)Northumbria University, UK · BPS-accredited · 2023
Cognitive Behavioural TherapyBeck Institute
CBT for Depression, Grief & LossTransformation Institute
Perinatal Mental Health: Disorders, Grief & LossSeleni Institute
Perinatal Mental HealthCOPE Institute
H.E.A.L. Masterclass on TraumaDr Gabor Maté

Licensing. Psychologist, eligibility approved by the Community Development Authority (CDA), Dubai, April 2026.

Questions

Things people often ask

Do you only work with mothers?

No. Adult mental health and maternal mental health are my two main areas. I work with adults of any background on anxiety, burnout, low mood, grief, relationships and life transitions.

How do I know if I need therapy?

If it's affecting how you feel, sleep, relate or function, it's worth talking about. Many people come in feeling they should be coping better, and that pressure is often part of what we work on.

Can I bring my baby to sessions?

Yes, where it can't be avoided. I'm trained to work with a baby in the session, so feeding, settling and pausing are all fine.

What does CBT-informed therapy involve?

We look at the links between your thoughts, feelings, body and behaviour, and how they keep difficulties going. Sessions are collaborative and structured, and you'll leave with practical things to try. It is also a space to simply be heard.

Do you work with companies?

Yes. I run wellbeing sessions for teams and offer one-to-one support for employees, including working parents. Get in touch to talk about what your organisation needs.

Which languages do you work in?

English, Hindi and Urdu, and a mix of them if that feels more natural.

Are you licensed?

I am a psychologist with eligibility approved by the Community Development Authority (CDA), Dubai, in April 2026.

Is this an emergency service?

No. If you're in immediate danger or worried about your safety or your baby's, call 999 in the UAE or go to your nearest emergency department. I can help you find specialist or psychiatric support when that's what's needed.

Sabina Mustafa smiling, in a black blazer

Get in touch

Take the first small step.

Book a free 15-minute call, message on WhatsApp, or send an enquiry. WhatsApp messages usually get a reply within the hour.

Send an enquiry

I reply to every enquiry within 24 hours. For anything time-sensitive, message me on WhatsApp.

What's this about? (optional)

Please don't share anything urgent here. If you're in crisis, call 999.

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