Manal is a psychologist at OpenUp. During the conversations with Manal, you will explore how you can bring more peace and regularity into your life. She uses a personal trans-diagnostic approach, in which increased confidence in one’s capabilities is central.
This method lends aspects from cognitive behavioral therapy and ACT, through which you learn to better understand your thoughts and emotions and to better recognize and accept your boundaries.
Together you will work to master new tools to confidently face not only current obstacles but also potential future ones.
Manal believes that a strong capacity for empathy and an understanding of the personal, cultural and social context is essential in a conversation. After all, people are multi-dimensional and it is in that complexity that lies your strength.
Manal takes care of her mental health by putting her thoughts on paper, going out with her camera, or riding her bicycle through Casablanca. In a time where our mental capacity is stretched more than ever, strengthening the mind-body connection can brings us closer to ourselves.
Manal obtained her Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology at the Erasmus University Rotterdam, after which she continued to work as a researcher at the Erasmus Medical Center. In 2020, she founded her project “heard. seen. & safe.” where she currently provides mental support to young adults from marginalised communities in Morocco.
Manal speaks Dutch, English, and Moroccan Darija.
