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Meet Our Team!

Advisors

Yudum Akyıl

Yudum SÖYLEMEZ

 

Assoc.Prof. Clinical Psychologist

Couple and Family Therapist

Yudum Söylemez received her BA from Boğaziçi University's Department of Psychology in 1998 and her MA in Clinical Psychology in 2000. Afterward, during her play therapy sessions with children, she realized the impact of parental relationships on children's problems and went to the United States to study Family Therapy. In 2005, she completed the MA in Family Therapy at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, working with high-risk families in the Boston area. During this time, she earned her license as a Couple and Family Therapist. In 2012, she graduated from the PhD program in Couple and Family Therapy at Antioch University, New England. Since 2013, she has been a full-time faculty member in the Psychology Department at Istanbul Bilgi University, coordinating the Couple and Family Therapy Sub-Branch of the Clinical Psychology MA Program. Yudum Söylemez is a founding member of the Association for Couple and Family Therapy (ÇATED) and serves as chair of its research committee. She is the president of the Couple and Family Therapy Unit of the Turkish Psychologists Association. She designed the "Bizbize Family Game" to strengthen family relationships. Her research interests include the development of couple and family therapy in Türkiye, supervision in family therapy, family values, the impact of technology on relationships, adolescent-parent relationships, and extended family issues in couples. She has published articles and book chapters on these topics in national and international journals. She edited the book "Face to Face: Couple and Family Therapy Stories from Türkiye." In her clinical practice, she integrates systemic, emotion-focused, and narrative approaches, working with individuals, couples, and families.

Sezin Benli

Sezin BENLİ

 Clinical Psychologist

Couple and Family Therapist

After graduating from Koç Private High School, Sezin Benli enrolled in the Psychology Department at Bilgi University. Her undergraduate thesis examined the relationship between time perception and life satisfaction, graduating with high honors. She began her master's degree in Clinical Psychology at Bilgi University in 2015 and completed it with a thesis examining the factors contributing to the psychological resilience of individuals raised under state protection. Since her undergraduate years, she has assisted numerous scientific research projects. She has also conducted psychotherapy at the Bilgi University Psychological Counseling Center, the Kızılay Bağcılar Community Center, and the Koruncuk Foundation.

 

She currently maintains a private practice in Istanbul and continues her online clinical work. She participates in various civil society and European Union projects, particularly those related to children under state protection. She primarily works with adults, adolescents, and their families.

 

She provides psychotherapy in Turkish and English. Her theoretical orientation is psychodynamic, systemic, and narrative therapy. She is an EMDR practitioner. She is a member of the Turkish Psychologists Association (TPD) and the Association of Couple Family Therapy (ÇATED).

Tuba Aydın

Tuba AYDIN


Clinical Psychologist
Couple and Family Therapist

She completed her undergraduate education at Istanbul University, Department of Psychological Counseling and Guidance. Between 2011 and 2017, she worked as a psychological counselor with children of different age groups and their families at various educational institutions. She continued her specialization training in the Couple and Family Therapy sub-branch of the Clinical Psychology master's program at Istanbul Bilgi University. She completed her specialist training with her thesis titled “Differentiation, Triangulation, Intergenerational Transmission Process, and Non-Relational Partnership: Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis.” Within the scope of her couple and family therapy work, she completed the basic and advanced stages of the 500-hour Family and Couple Therapy Training certified by the European Family Therapists Association (EFTA). During this period, she participated in the work of therapists such as Prof. Dr. Maurizio Andolfi, Howard A. Liddle, Dr. Kriyaki Polychroni, and Prof. Rodolfo De Bernart. Aydın, who completed the "Basic Addiction Certificate Program," coordinated by Prof. Dr. Kültegin Ögel, joined the Mindfulness-Focused Stress Reduction Program (MBSR) following her interest in mindfulness practices. Aydın has completed EMDR accredited training, which she emphasizes in her work. Between 2016 and 2019, she conducted field studies focused on couple relationships in the Clinical Psychology master's program at Istanbul Bilgi University and taught courses within the program. She co-authored the chapter titled "Loss and Grief" in the book "Couple and Family Therapy: Basic Issues and Intervention Methods," published by University Press. As part of the development and dissemination of therapy studies in our country, she served as a board member and chair of the Training Committee of ÇATED (Couple and Family Therapy Association). She continues her work with adults, couples, and families through both in-person and online options. She serves as a clinical supervisor in the Clinical Psychology graduate program at Bilgi University. She works with psychodynamic and systemic approaches on topics such as loss and grief, individual and social traumas, anxiety disorders, depression, relationship problems, divorce, and extramarital affairs. In her sessions, she incorporates experiential practices, mindfulness, EMDR, and body-focused approaches in addition to her knowledge of systemic and psychodynamic therapy schools. Drawing on her knowledge of the functioning of the systemic therapy school, she provides consulting services to groups and institutions.

Nida Tosun

Nida TOSUN


Psychology Student
Industrial Engineer

Nida Tosun, who continues her undergraduate studies in psychology at Istanbul Bilgi University, graduated from Karadeniz Technical University's Department of Industrial Engineering in 2019 and then started her master's degree at Gazi University.

In line with her interest in psychology, she first worked as an assistant in 2020 on Psychologist Jale Öncü's study, "The Effectiveness of Coaching in the COVID-19 Era," and made observations on individuals during the pandemic. Later, Nida Tosun began her psychology education in 2021, working in workshops with various age groups from kindergarten to high school at the Power Plant Energy Museum and had the opportunity to observe the behavior of children and adolescents. She also gained experience in child therapy by actively participating in organizational psychology within the "Psychological Health in the Mining Sector Project" led by Prof. Dr. İdil Işık at Istanbul Bilgi University, and in TÜBİTAK-supported projects led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sibel Halfon. She spent a semester at Fernando Pessoa University in Porto, Portugal. During her studies, she continued her clinical observations at various locations, including the Psychiatry Clinic of Istanbul University Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine. At the same time, she worked as a volunteer Assistant Psychologist in the non-governmental organization called “We Will Heal Together” to provide support to those affected by the earthquake centered in Kahramanmaraş on February 6, 2023.

Currently, she serves as the academic assistant of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yudum Söylemez and continues her academic and practical education in psychology at Istanbul Bilgi University. She is an honorary member of the Turkish Psychologists Association (TPD).

Advisors

Zeynep Maçkalı

Zeynep MAÇKALI

Assoc.Prof.
Clinical Psychologist

Zeynep Maçkalı, who earned her bachelor's degree from Boğaziçi University's Department of Psychology, later completed the Master's Program in Clinical Psychology at Okan University and the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at Hacettepe University. She began working in the field in 2007 as an intern at the Alternative Development Project. In June 2008, she began working as a psychologist at the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Women and Family Health Center, where she provided individual psychological counseling to adults, children, and adolescents, and also conducted group workshops on anger management and positive parenting skills.

 

Since 2009, she has been working with Dr. Nevin Eracar using art therapy and play therapy techniques with children with developmental delays and/or autistic development, conducting research and publishing. In her clinical practice, she works with children under the age of 10 with developmental delays and behavioral problems, as well as adults. Her academic work focuses on the holistic cognitive model and holistic cognitive model-based group interventions for bipolar disorder. She is also working on translating into Turkish various assessment scales that can be used in the psychosocial intervention of bipolar disorder.

 

During this time, she participated in training programs such as EMDR-I, Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, CETAD Sexuality and Sexual Therapies Training (Modules 1 and 2), Experiential Play Therapy, and Brief Play Therapy. In addition to the training offered by the center, she also completed the Gestalt Basic Training Program taught by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nita Scherler and the Art Therapy and Creativity Training taught by Asst. Prof. Dr. Nevin Eracar.

Michael Ungar

Michael UNGAR, PhD

Dr. Michael Ungar, one of the most prominent figures in the field of psychological resilience, is the founder and director of the Resilience Research Centre at Dalhousie University in Canada.

Dr. Ungar, named the world's top social worker in 2022 for her work as a family therapist and resilience researcher, examines how individuals and communities persevere in times of crisis, overcome challenges, and obtain the resources they need. She argues that resilience is not merely a personal trait but also depends on environmental factors. Her work demonstrates that children and adults can thrive even in challenging life circumstances, and the crucial roles of family, school, and community in this development.

Dr. Ungar, who has been a consultant to many global organizations,

He is the author of 17 books and more than 250 articles.

 

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