For Clinical Psychologist Alara A. Ünlü, psychotherapy practice is a quest to understand the opaque layers of the human psyche, the fragile structures of the self hidden behind defense mechanisms, and the ways in which early object relationships are reflected in adult life today. She laid the academic foundations for this quest by completing her undergraduate degree in Psychology at Sabancı University with High Honors, following her education at the American College of Izmir (ACI). Due to her interest in psychology during her high school years, she participated in the Abnormal Psychology academic program at the University of Texas at Austin (USA) to gain an international perspective and examined the fundamentals of clinical psychopathology.
During his specialization phase, he enrolled in the Clinical Psychology (Thesis-Based) Master’s program at Istanbul Rumeli University. During this process, he successfully defended his thesis titled “Examining the Mediating Role of Self-Awareness in the Relationship Between Personality Traits and Depression and Anxiety Scores,”-Consciousness in the Relationship Between Personality Traits and Depression and Anxiety Scores,” successfully defending his thesis and earning the title of Clinical Psychologist with a high academic GPA of 3.92/4. Through this scientific research, she demonstrated the transformative impact of an individual’s awareness of their own internal processes (self-awareness) on the course of symptoms and self-construction, both theoretically and statistically.
Perspective on Clinical Practice and the Therapy Room
Alara A. Ünlü, who has been actively engaged in clinical work since 2022, possesses over 400 hours of intensive psychotherapy experience. Throughout this practical journey, she has conducted psychoanalytically oriented psychotherapy sessions in both Turkish and English across national and international platforms (Hypoworry, Özel Moodist Psychiatric Hospital, Eşlik Psychology Counseling and Training Center, etc.). In her clinical work, she has focused primarily on understanding the individual’s inner world, self-structures, and affective dynamics within the framework of the Masterson Approach and Object Relations Theory.
In line with her belief in the continuity of professional and theoretical development, Alara A. Ünlü closely follows and actively participates in scientific events organized by the IPA (International Psychoanalytic Association), ORI (Object Relations Institute), TR Together, the Istanbul Psychoanalytic Association (İPD), and Psike İstanbul. By closely following national and international studies that align with her clinical orientation and the psychoanalytic school she embraces, she continuously updates her professional vision.
Alara A. Ünlü approaches the therapy room as if it were those deep, unexplored areas beneath the calm and transparent surface of water. By moving beyond the fluctuations of daily life and the defense mechanisms on the surface, she aims to provide a safe, secure, and transformative experiential space where the individual can reconnect with their “true self”—which may be suspended or wounded. With a commitment to the transparency of therapeutic processes, professional ethics, and the continuity of clinical supervision, she continues her supervision processes uninterrupted under the guidance of international schools such as the New York-based Object Relations Institute (ORI) and the Masterson Institute Turkey. He considers maintaining these supervision, oversight, and training processes until the very end of his clinical practice to be a fundamental requirement of his professional stance.
