Self-Love And Live A Fulfilling Life – Exclusive Interview With Behnaz Zeraatgar

Behnaz Zeraatgar is a licensed Psychotherapist with a masters degree in psychology and a master of medical science with a major in Psychotherapy. She works with approaches such as MCT and CBT but also other approaches that are aligned with the clients needs. Zeraatgars conviction is that we have the capacity to change destructive patterns and her greatest passion is to decrease suffering and transition towards personal growth and a life of purpose.

Behnaz Zeraatgar, AlignedTherapy KBTvalet

Introduce yourself! Please tell us about you and your life, so we can get to know you better.

My name is Behnaz Zeraatgar and I have a master's degree in psychology, licensed Psychotherapist and a medical science degree with a major in psychotherapy and also a MCT – Institute certified therapist.

I was actually 15 years old when I decided I wanted to study psychology and one day open my own practise. Early on in life I noticed I love the topic of human behaviour and psychology was a subject I felt and yet to this day feel such a passion for. Decreasing pain, being able to evoke/rise hope and in a Teamwork helping my clients find joy and happiness in life makes me extremely grateful and happy.

To tell you more about me, I was born in Tehran-Iran and moved to Sweden with my family at the age of eight (mum and dad and my older sister who is my best friend). Being multicultural has shown to be a great asset in life and also as a therapist considering I meet people from all backgrounds and ages.

Another passion of mine except my work is dancing, I dance Cuban dances such as Cuban rumba, casino/salsa, timba and son. Music and dancing in general (all kind of music) makes me so happy but Cuban music and dance has a special place in my heart. I usually say I give therapy to other people but my therapy is dancing, travelling and my meditation routine.

I have always prioritized travelling, not only because it is fun and makes me happy but because I truly believe travelling can lead to self-growth, increases one's perspective and widens one's horizon.

I speak Farsi, Swedish, English, and Spanish and a goal is to also learn Italian cause not only do I love Italy but in my opinion Italian is one of the most beautiful languages.

What is your business name and how do you help your clients?

AlignedTherapy KBTvalet BZ. I help my clients through evidence based treatments/therapies with all ranges of mental health challenges. To mention some examples of what type of challenges people come to me for is; anxiety disorders such as Generalized anxiety disorder, health anxiety, social anxiety, OCD. Depression, relationship challenges. Lack of Self-esteem and/or self-confidence and much more. What kind of audience do you target your business towards?

All, my youngest client at the moment is 8 years old and the oldest is 83 years old, Children, teenagers/adolescents, adults, individual, couples and families. This is the beauty of my job and I would like to reach whoever is open for personal growth or in need of therapy.

What are your current goals for your business?

I aim to through my business help as many people as I can in this lifetime. Help them decrease pain, suffering, increase their level of self-love and live a fulfilling life where we can make this world more beautiful and shine together. Also to educate in the field of psychology through evidence-based knowledge and treatments cause unfortunately there are a lot of misconceptions nowadays and some can maintain mental suffering. What would you like to achieve for yourself and your business in the future?

I would love to be able to work more globally and be able to make psychotherapy more easy accessible. Would also like to break all stigmas and false assumptions that still linger in regard to therapy/psychological treatments in different part of the world or in some cultures. Who inspires you to be the best that you can be?

My family inspires me, through them I have created what I consider to be beautiful life values and to be and stay authentic. Their sacrifices in life have made it possible for me to live the life I live and do the job I’m doing. What is your work inspired by?

It’s inspired by the passion I have for genuine interest in people, in psychotherapy/clinical psychology and when I see how beautifully people can turn hardship and pain to joy, hope, fulfilment and happiness. It’s the Best feeling in the world and what inspires me even those days when it's more challenging. Tell us about your greatest career achievement so far.

I would not say it’s one thing but instead more of a process. The fact that I reached the dream I had already at a young age is one but also that I have increased my knowledge through multiple degrees and been able to through all that knowledge help many people and at the same time live as I preach.

Follow me on Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info!

Read more from Behnaz!