About Defne

I completed my Master's degree in Clinical Psychology, achieving Cum Laude (8.2/10). During this process, I successfully completed an 8-week Cognitive Behavioral Therapy course that included supervised practice and mini therapy sessions. I also completed my thesis, which focused on the impact of ethnic discrimination on suicidal ideation, with a grade of 8. I used a mixed-methods design incorporating statistical and thematic analysis to examine ethnic discrimination as a social determinant of suicidal ideation.

I graduated with an average grade of 8.2 and successfully completed several specialisation courses, including Applied Cognitive Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Economic and Consumer Psychology, Social Psychology in Organisations, and School Psychology.

I successfully completed the 112-hour theoretical training in Masterson Approach Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy and the 190-hour supervised clinical training in June 2026.

Having completed this 60-hour, 10-module training, I have obtained a university-approved certification in sex therapy. The programme covers a broad range of topics, including anatomy, sexual dysfunctions, paraphilias, and treatment approaches.

This training offered both theoretical and experiential opportunities to learn the core interventions in grief and loss counselling. The training included attachment- and trauma-focused approaches, such as restorative storytelling, analogical listening, linking objects and chair work.

This training, provided by the Psychosynthesis Institute, is an experiential course on the teachings of Roberto Assagioli, one of the early pioneers of Transpersonal Psychology. Thanks to this training, I acquired a fundamental understanding of psychosynthesis interventions (rooted in guided imagery, meditations, psychodrama) and theories, which I effectively integrated into my therapeutic experience during my internships.

I have successfully completed the 42-hour training provided by Dr. Alp Karaosmanoğlu. This training is endorsed by the International Society of Schema Therapy and covers all essential interventions and techniques employed in schema therapy. The programme combines practical application with the theoretical framework and conceptualisations necessary for pursuing international accreditation as a Schema Therapist.

I coordinated all educational processes affiliated with the institute while simultaneously conducting psychotherapy sessions in Turkish and English with adolescents and adults.

Under the weekly supervision of Clinical Psychologist Dr. Ester Ruso, I provided one-on-one therapy sessions on two online platforms (Rupu Collective & It’s Complicated) as well as in person at the clinic in Göztepe, Istanbul. During this process, I conducted therapy sessions both in English with international clients and in Turkish.

Successfully completed workshops in Dialectical Behavioural Therapy, Emotion Focused Therapy, optimising intake interviews, managing suicidality and detecting suicidal ideation. Conducted one-on-one sessions with clients, received weekly supervision, and participated in peer intervision meetings.

Spent time with the children and adolescents before and after their sessions. Through play and conversation, observed their irritability, motor functioning, inhibition, and agreeability. I then discussed my observations with their psychologist and contributed to case discussions.

With the guidance of the institution’s psychologist, I conducted psychological assessments and provided support for the psychological challenges of the elderly residents in the nursing home. During this process, I administered psychological tests such as the BDI and MMSE, conducted intake interviews and held weekly one-on-one sessions with clients.