Özden Ocak, PhD
Clinical Psychologist, Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist
Throughout life, people may face losses, separations, illnesses, migration, or challenging relationships. Yet how these life events are experienced is often shaped by the emotional and relational patterns formed in early childhood. Psychoanalytic psychotherapy makes these patterns visible and understandable, while also making it possible to experience the present in a more liberated and more meaningful way. Therapy is not merely a place where problems are recounted; it is essentially a relational process in which these early experiences are re-enacted, processed and given new meanings.
My clinical practice reflects both my international academic background and my clinical training. I regard the therapeutic process as accompanying clients on such an inner journey — opening space for insight and awareness, and allowing new meanings and experiences to emerge. In doing so, I value not only theoretical knowledge but also a humane and caring relationship.
If you are an adult interested in beginning such a therapeutic process, you are welcome to contact me for a free short consultation. Sessions are offered in English or Turkish, either face-to-face or online.
Areas of Focus
Anxiety and panic
Depression, feelings of worthlessness
Grief and loss
Relationship difficulties and conflicts
Migration, belonging, and adjustment
Life transitions (separation, divorce, relocation, etc.)
My Approach
Psychoanalytic psychotherapy has evolved over time with different orientations and practices, yet at its core it offers a space for understanding and transforming the inner world. The tendency to be repeatedly drawn to certain feelings, relational patterns, or inner conflicts is often linked to experiences that could not be fully understood in the past and continue to find expression in the present. Therapy creates a space for these patterns to become visible, to be worked through, and to take on new meaning. Entering therapy does not require a major crisis in life; anyone who wishes to better understand their psychic patterns, inner world, and relational dynamics can begin a psychoanalytic psychotherapy process.
About Me
My curiosity about the human psyche goes back to my childhood. As the daughter of a transcendental meditation teacher, becoming acquainted early on with concepts such as “awareness” and “self-reflection” opened for me, at a very young age, the doors to a rich world of meaning that I would both explore with curiosity and gradually build over time.
After elementary school, I attended İstanbul Erkek Lisesi for my secondary education.
My Education
BA, Psychology – Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara
MA, Clinical Psychology – İstanbul Bilgi University
PhD, Cultural Studies – George Mason University, USA
