About Us - Nos Curare, Private Mental Health Clinic, London

Nos Curare is a private psychology and mental health clinic in Central London that specialises in assessments, diagnoses and treatments using up-to-date and efficacious methods. The clinic specialises in building personalised profiles and treatment plans to increase psychological insight and awareness in individuals. We offer the latest techniques for stress management and resilience training.

We also specialise in assessments, diagnosis and treatment for neuro-developmental, co-morbid disorders and neuro-cognitive conditions.

Meet the Nos Curare Team

Nos Curare is led by a team of highly-trained and qualified specialists. They include:

Dr. Bijal Chheda – Consultant Chartered Psychologist & CBT Therapist / Founder & Director of Nos Curare

The founder and director of Nos Curare (formerly FFCI). She is a consultant Chartered Psychologist and CBT therapist who specialises in various strands of cognitive-behavioural interventions.

Bijal sees a wide spectrum of clinical and complex psychological conditions such as the bi-polar spectrum, eating disorders, obesity, mood disorders, and anxiety disorders.

Bijal specialises in the process of assessment and diagnosis of conditions based on psychometric and neuro-psychiatric tools. A central area of her expertise is in the complex assessment and treatment of Asperger’s, Autism, ADD/ADHD. She also provides psychometric testing for expert witness and formal diagnosis of psychiatric conditions.

Bijal started her career as a lead psychologist at an inpatient second-stage rehabilitation unit for addictions with complex patients. She then worked in the NHS until 2008 when she joined Florence Nightingale Hospital where she was the Lead clinician for the CBT team. As part of her work at the Nightingale Hospital, she was seconded for three years to The Practitioner Health Programme (treating sick doctors and dentists) where she provided CBT and neuropsychiatric evaluations. She worked at other private clinics at The Blue Door Practice and Wimpole Street.

Since 2015, Bijal has extensively focused on using behavioural interventions for improving performance at school or university, attaining optimum performance, elite sports performance and managing motivations and goals. This is focused on helping people become aware of their learning approach and use it to attain and sustain high performance.

Through Nos Curare, Bijal will be offering specialist workshops for clinicians for the treatment of ADD/ADHD and neurodevelopmental disorders. Bijal holds several research interests and keeps her fingers dipped in academia and research through doctorate supervision and examination.

Currently, she is…

Accredited by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as a Registered Practitioner Psychologist
Member of British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP)
Licensed psychometric and psychological assessor by the Register of Qualifications in Test Use (RQTC – British Psychological Society)
Honorary Chair of Special Interest Group for Eating Disorders (BABCP).

Accreditations

Dr Tom Ingman – Senior Clinical Psychologist

Tom is a senior Clinical Psychologist with over 13 years of experience across NHS and private healthcare settings. He completed his undergraduate degree in Psychology and a Master’s in Psychiatric Research, followed by doctoral training in Clinical Psychology at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London.

Tom has worked extensively in national specialist services for neurodevelopmental conditions, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), as well as in services for physical health conditions such as cancer and chronic fatigue. His approach to assessment and therapy is integrative and person-centred, drawing on a range of models including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT), Schema Therapy and Solution Focused approaches.

He has significant experience in neuropsychological assessment and in adapting therapy for neurodivergent individuals. His work often focuses on supporting emotional regulation, flexible thinking, values-led behaviour, and the development of social communication skills.
Tom provides clinical supervision to professionals across disciplines, including psychology, nursing, occupational therapy and physiotherapy. He is also actively involved in training healthcare staff in psychological skills and regularly lectures at King’s College London Medical School. His clinical practice is informed by research, with publications and national conference presentations in the area of persistent physical symptoms, particularly chronic fatigue.

Justin Stephenson – Consultant Clinical Psychologist

Justin is an HCPC Registered Practitioner Psychologist, an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society.

Justin holds expertise and a keen passion in the process of assessment and diagnosis of conditions based on psychometric and neuro-psychiatric tools. Alongside complex assessments and treatment of Asperger’s, Autism, ADD/ADHD he has a specialism in all other neurocognitive assessments and psychometric testing.

In relation to treatment and therapy, Justin works with individuals on both a short and long-term basis and works from an integrative and relational perspective using Psychodynamic, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Person-Centred approach to suit each client’s needs.

Justin has worked in a variety of settings within the NHS and Private Sector; including Community Mental Health Teams (CMHT), Psychiatric Intensive Care Units, Acute Inpatient Hospitals, Day Therapy Services and Outpatients.

Accreditations

Dr Sarah Crawford – Chartered Counselling Psychologist

Sarah is a Chartered Counselling Psychologist with over 10 years of experience working in the field of mental health. Sarah has a range of experience working both within primary and secondary care and for long-term and short-term therapy. She generally works on a one-to-one basis however also facilitates group therapy and occasionally sees couples and families.

Sarah works with children and adults with a variety of mental health difficulties and specializes in complex cases. She also has a keen interest in psychological testing across the lifespan, especially in regard to early intervention for psychological difficulties.

In her work in mental health, Sarah utilises an integrative approach as she does not believe that one size fits all. Her integrative approach includes CBT, Psychodynamic principles, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, and Schema Therapy, to name but a few.

Currently, Sarah works in her own private practice in South Kensington and as the Lead Psychologist for FFCI. She additionally sees patients on an inpatient and outpatient basis at the Nightingale Hospital, London. Previously, she was based within the NHS as part of South London and the Maudsley (SLAM) working with personality disorders, trauma, anxiety disorders, and depressive disorders. Prior to her time in SLAM, she was based in Central North West London within the Drug and Alcohol Teams in Kensington and Chelsea and Hammersmith and Fulham where she worked with individuals and families.

She greatly enjoys working with young people as well as adults and has previously worked within schools for learning disabilities, traumatic brain injuries and behavioural difficulties both in the UK and USA.

DPsych Counselling Psychology
MSc Occupational and Organisational Psychology
BSc Psychology
BPS Chartered Psychologist
HCPC Registered

Accreditations

Marianthi Kolovopoulos – Counselling Psychologist (Preceptorship)

Marianthi is a doctoral trainee counselling psychologist and qualified therapist, currently completing her Professional Doctorate in Counselling Psychology. She brings over seven years of experience across NHS services, specialist trauma organisations, and community settings, with additional training in existential psychotherapy and neurofeedback.

She specialises in depth-oriented work for adults who have benefited from CBT or other structured therapies but require further work to consolidate insight, resilience, and lasting change. Her approach focuses on identity, sense of self, and self-esteem, supporting individuals to move beyond symptom management toward meaningful psychological transformation.

Marianthi’s work integrates existential therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), offering a thoughtful, exploratory space to understand and shift longstanding patterns.

Her clinical specialisms include complex and developmental trauma, body and injury-related trauma, abuse and survivor work, alongside depth work with anxiety, OCD, ruminative thinking, worry, and phobias.

She is also an EEG and Neurofeedback clinician, using real-time brain-based assessment and training to support emotional regulation and cognitive functioning. This integrative approach enhances therapy by supporting change at both psychological and neurological levels.

Her doctoral research focuses on the lived experience of physical trauma and invasive medical intervention, informing her integrative clinical perspective.

Dr Farideh Banafshei – Counselling Psychologist (BSc, MSc, DCounselling Psychology)

Farideh has a track record of providing high-quality mental health services in English and Persian, drawing on her experience with international clients in the NHS and private sector.

Recognising the uniqueness of each individuals mental health, she adopts a relational approach to meet each person’s distinct needs. Her work focuses on aiding adolescents, adults, and families facing emotional distress, ensuring they feel safe, at ease, and understood throughout therapy. She blends evidence-based interventions such as CBT to tailor her approach. Her specialisations cover areas such as neurodevelopmental issues, addictions, anxiety, culture and identity related concerns, depression, OCD, and trauma. She has collaborated with universities such as King’s College London to produce specialised research and has taught as a guest lecturer at Imperial College London.

Her specific experience extends to working with individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds, particularly focusing on those who’ve grown up amidst multiple cultures, including expats and second generation children and adults. She holds registration with both the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and the British Psychological Society (BPS).

Counselling Psychology
MSc Affective Disorders
BSc Psychology

Sanna Khan – CBT and EMDR Therapist (BSc, PGCert, PGDip, MBABCP)

Sanna is a BABCP accredited CBT psychotherapist and clinical supervisor with over a decade of experience in both the NHS and the private sector. In the span of her career, Sanna has worked with children, adolescents and adults presenting with an array of common and complex mental health difficulties and neuro-developmental issues, ranging from post traumatic stress disorder and OCD to eating disorders and psychosis.

She is a trained and experienced EMDR therapist. EMDR can be highly effective when supporting people with neuro-developmental issues who are experiencing symptoms of trauma. CBT and EMDR can be valuable approaches in addressing various mental health issues that are specific to women’s health and neurodivergence, for example:

Perinatal Loss, Miscarriage and Birth Trauma
Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS), PCOS and PMDD
Fertility Issues and Infertility
Prenatal and Postpartum Depression and Anxiety
Menopausal Symptoms
Women’s Mental Health
Body Image Concerns

Sanna recognises how life-limiting and isolating it can be to live with these difficulties and how many of you have felt frustrated, unseen and unheard. She has dedicated over a decade to researching, training and devising treatment programmes specifically to support women.

She has experience working in both primary and secondary care, supporting clients on a short-term and long-term basis. Currently, Sanna splits her time between working for the NHS Trust where she delivers one-to-one and group CBT therapy and offering clinical supervision to fellow qualified and trainee therapists, and her private practice. She works primarily as a Cognitive Behavioural Therapist (CBT) and EMDR Therapist (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) and incorporates Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) principles in her clinical practice.

PGDip in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
PGCert in Evidence-Based Psychological Therapies
BSc in Psychology

Dr Emma Eade – General Practitioner

Emma brings extensive scientific and clinical expertise to the field of sleep medicine, underpinned by a strong foundation in biochemistry and circadian rhythm research. With advanced medical training, a Master’s in Psychiatry, and decades of clinical practice, she adopts a holistic and functional approach to understanding and treating sleep disorders.

Her work recognises that sleep disturbances often arise from an interplay of medical, psychological, and lifestyle factors. Each assessment explores these multifactorial influences in depth, with an emphasis on identifying root causes and restoring balance. Dr Eade’s practice is collaborative and proactive, integrating evidence-based medicine with personalised strategies to optimise sleep, mental health, and overall wellbeing.

Giuseppe Rosano – Strategic & Commercial Advisor

Giuseppe Rosano is a business and commercial consultant with a wealth of experience spanning over 24 years. His expertise in business and personal passion for mental well-being brought him towards Nos Curare. His core business background belongs to the maritime and corporate world.

Following 16 years of the corporate world, Giuseppe rose to the level of senior director at one of the world’s largest ship brokerage firms. Despite recognising all of the benefits of working at such an established company, he found himself restricted.

As a result, in 2007, he founded his own company which is a specialist in his field and recognized worldwide. Using a less conventional, more individualised approach, his company aims to maintain long-term relationships that are built upon information, trust, and discretion. It became clear that working differently, on a smaller scale, would offer singular advantages – including the room to truly focus on a client’s needs with flexibility and creativity.

He brings a similar style and passion to the mental well-being sector which elevates patient needs at the heart of the clinic’s work.

Kim Page – Business Consultant

Kim has worked across Social Care and Health Care for over 20 years, as a commercial leader of services in the healthcare sector. As a ‘Responsible Individual’ and Managing Director, Kim has been engaged with the evolution of telehealth and telecare for over a decade.

Her success is in her approach, strategically aligning with stakeholder values, and enabling services to maximize the value of digital health through technology and people, for the best possible outcomes. She has been instrumental in influencing National initiatives (2013 ‘3m Lives’) as well as local services, particularly in Telehealth and Telecare.

A passion for people has also meant that Kim has mentored both Founders and businesses bringing innovation to the sector through Wayra UK and Healthbox. Her passion is now extended towards supporting Nos Curare to blend clinical innovation and care towards patients.

Since 2016, Kim has devoted her time to Isoshealth (Isosconnect) where she identified the opportunity for multidisciplinary practice to positively disrupt the private therapeutic space. Focused on utility, vision and value, Kim has placed an exemplary team around her vision of One digital home for all types of therapists, to build, operate and grow a private practice in a digital age.

‘Isos’ means equal – Kim and those working with her along the journey believe everyone should have equal access to the information and support they need to feel happy, fit and healthy, through experts.

Ruth Mills - Associate Mental Health Nurse

Ruth is an Associate Mental Health Nurse at Nos Curare, working under the clinical supervision of Dr Bijal Chheda, assisting with neurodevelopmental assessments. She also has a breadth of experience in supporting individuals with mental health diagnoses through creative and relational approaches. She is passionate about inclusive care and is committed to deepening the therapeutic support she can offer, with a special interest in DBT and CFT.

With a rich background in education and mental health, Ruth has held leadership roles in specialist and mainstream schools, working with neurodivergent children, care-experienced young people, and those with complex emotional needs. Her experience spans trauma-informed teaching, multi-agency collaboration, and the development of therapeutic arts programmes.

For two years, Ruth served as CEO of Designs in Mind, the largest arts-for-mental-health service in the West Midlands, supporting and facilitating creative group-based therapeutic sessions. Her work is grounded in compassion, creativity, and a deep understanding of neurodiversity.

Ruth is an MSc Mental Health Nursing student at Bangor University. Her current research focuses on neurodevelopmental conditions and the benefits of movement and making practices in improving mental health. She contributes to qualitative research through academic partnerships. She also brings a unique perspective as a parent-carer of a neurodiverse young person.

Shirelle Joseph - Assistant Psychologist

Shirelle is an Assistant Psychologist at Nos Curare, working under the clinical supervision of Dr. Bijal Chheda and Dr Bradley Powell. She holds a Psychology Honours degree from King’s College London, where she developed a strong foundation in data analysis, qualitative and quantitative research methods, and the latest advancements in clinical neurodevelopmental disorders. Her passion for this field led her to explore Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) as a technique to reduce anxiety in the autistic population for her final-year research project.

A graduate member of the British Psychological Society, Shirelle is an aspiring Clinical Psychologist with a deep commitment to supporting children, adolescents, and vulnerable individuals. She has extensive experience working with young people, particularly those with autism, learning difficulties, and mental health challenges. Her work within schools and educational settings has focused on designing tailored interventions that promote inclusion, development, and well-being.

Shirelle is passionate about early intervention, mental health advocacy, and evidence-based therapeutic approaches. She is dedicated to empowering young people, helping them build confidence, resilience, and the skills needed to navigate life’s challenges.

Paul Ballantyne – Assistant Psychologist

Paul is an assistant psychologist at Nos Curare, under the clinical guidance of Dr Bijal. Paul is also an aspiring clinical psychologist and is passionate about exploring alternative solutions to complex mental health disorders.

He has a wealth of experience working in the social care sector as a team leader, working with children and young adults with learning difficulties, Autism and acquired brain injuries. Paul showed an aptitude for developing behaviour support strategies for young people with severe challenging behaviour.

Paul is also a Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) practitioner. He treats a variety of patients with treatment-resistant disorders, including depression, anxiety, OCD, Bipolar, Addiction and Fibromyalgia (Chronic Pain).

Paul works with compassion and patience. His knowledge gained throughout his academic career is incomparable to his dedicated work with his patients and service users.

Kim Simmons – Administration Lead

Kim oversees the administration, accounts, and overall systems management, ensuring smooth and efficient day-to-day operations.

Leading a dedicated team, she specialises in streamlining systems, managing invoicing and payment reconciliation, and implementing effective practice management strategies. With a focus on creating seamless workflows and ensuring operational excellence, Kim is at the helm of the engine room!

Bharat Kotak – Chartered Certified Accountant

Bharat is a Chartered Certified Accountant and a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA), bringing nearly 40 years of experience to his role at Nos Curare.

With a distinguished background spanning roles in both the public and private sectors, Bharat has worked across various financial roles, including one at a global top four accountancy firm.

For the last 30 years or so, Bharat has established his own successful private practice, offering highly personal and tailored accountancy and financial advisory services to a diverse portfolio of clients. These include owner-managed companies, businesses and individual clients. He serves as a trusted advisor on financial matters at Nos Curare and will be contributing to the company’s growth.

Aga Swierczek – Onboard Registration

Aga focusses on providing a smooth booking process and exceptional client communication. Passionate in striving to make every interaction positive and stress-free. Her commitment to excellence ensures each client’s needs are met with ‘NC’ care.

Ellie Wordsworth– Invoicing Controller

Ellie specialises in ensuring smooth and efficient operations creating a steady order, with a strong focus on accuracy and support, ensuring workflows are kept on track.