Jemima

Jemima Atar is a London-based trainee psychotherapist and multifaceted author. Originally born in Switzerland, Jemima moved to the UK when she was three years old, where she developed her passion for psychotherapy and creative expression in tandem. Since childhood, Jemima has always been fascinated by people: learning their stories, how they make sense of what they’re going through, and how they share their inner lives with the world at large. As she matured, she explored these interests academically, studying psychology and English literature at A level. She always found these two disciplines complementary, as unpacking people’s inner workings meshed well with understanding the literary devices we use to reveal our truths through art. 

At university, she moved on to focus more specifically on mental health, and completed her BSc in psychology at University College London (UCL), but found the discipline of purely academic psychology to be limiting. Wanting to center her work on people in need and understanding their narratives, instead of reducing individual experiences to numbers on a page, she directed her focus to psychotherapy in particular, and is completing an advanced diploma in Humanistic Integrative Psychotherapy. She is currently pursuing an MSc in addiction and mental health as well.

Jemima is a strong believer in the power of the written word to both heal and connect. Finding strength and solace in her own personal experience by reading powerful books of self-disclosure inspired her to write work of her own. Her first book, Grief and Her Narrative: A Memoir of Sudden Therapist Loss, was published in 2021. It explores a particular form of loss that is not commonly addressed in psychotherapeutic fields or elsewhere, and candidly asks the reader to engage in asking questions—many of which have no clear answers. Through an exploration of both the common and the unique features of Jemima’s grief, this authentic memoir offers connection to readers seeking to understand their own nuanced experiences, and invites those in the field of psychotherapy to join this neglected discussion.

Jemima latest book, you are safe now, is a poetry collection about the trauma of sexual abuse and its emotional, physical, and spiritual aftereffects. Based on a combination of her own personal experiences and those of many other survivors she has spoken to, she explores complementary themes. These include losing childhood and reconnecting to the inner child, the loss of faith and the reclamation of faith in oneself, and the journey from powerlessness and voicelessness to self-definition and finding the confidence to speak out. 

Passionate about mental health awareness, Jemima’s writing reaches out to anyone experiencing bereavement, hopelessness, uncertainty, trauma, or suffering of any sort. Her innate sense of empathy and desire to spread a message of healing makes her work a powerful tool for all audiences, from those actively seeking to gain insight into a personal journey of recovery, to those seeking to understand and support others.

Jemima is also a regular contributor to New Thinking Magazine, where, among other topics, she has written about pandemic anxiety, maintaining good mental hygiene, active listening, and women-specific issues in psychology.