Best Psychological Therapies in 2025
Key Takeaways—Guide to Right Therapy in Dubai (2025)
- ACE Score (Adverse Childhood Experiences) is a useful tool to understand how past trauma may affect health today.
- ACE Score (Adverse Childhood Experiences) is a useful tool to choose the type of therapy one may require.
- ✔️ Classic therapies like CBT, DBT, ACT, and Psychodynamic remain helpful but may feel surface-level for trauma.
- Somatic and trauma-focused therapies (IFS, EMDR, DBR, SE, Breathwork) reach deeper emotional wounds safely.
- New trends include tech-assisted (VR, neurofeedback, AI apps) and psychedelic-assisted therapies (e.g., Ketamine, MDMA).
- Internal Family Systems (IFS) and EMDR are two of the most effective integrative trauma therapies available in Dubai.
- The best therapy depends on your history, needs, and safety—healing is about finding your unique path, not one-size-fits-all.
How do you choose which therapy is best?
When most people think of therapy, the idea that comes to mind is sitting across from a therapist in a quiet room and talking about feelings. That traditional model is still important and very effective, but in 2025 therapy has grown into something much bigger. Traditional talk therapies are increasingly understood as having limitations.
Human stress and trauma don’t just live in the mind—they show up in the body, in our nervous system, and even in the way we move and breathe. Many of the modern and reinvented therapies bring together mind, body, and science in ways that create more pathways to healing.
So, if you’ve ever felt like regular talk therapy didn’t quite work for you, here are some of the most exciting and effective therapies being used today.
To choose the best therapy in Dubai, one way to do this is to check out your Adverse Childhood Experiences Score.
What is ACE Score & Trauma Awareness
The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Score helps you understand how early life experiences may still affect your mental and physical health today. It also helps you understand if regular talk therapies would be useful for you or not.
- ✅ 0–3 ACEs: Lower risk of toxic stress-related issues.
- ✅ 4+ ACEs: Higher risk of chronic illness, mental health struggles, and emotional challenges.
- 👉 High ACE scores don’t define you — resilience, therapy, and support can change the outcome.
Knowing your ACE score can help guide your choice of therapy in Dubai. Trauma-focused approaches like IFS and EMDR are especially effective when early life stress plays a role.
ACE Self-Quiz
Check your Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) score. Click the boxes that apply to you:
What is the ACE Score?
The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Score measures the impact of early adversity on long-term health and well-being. It is based on 10 types of experiences before age 18.
The 10 ACE Categories
- Emotional abuse
- Physical abuse
- Sexual abuse
- Emotional neglect
- Physical neglect
- Witnessing domestic violence
- Household substance abuse
- Household mental illness
- Parental separation or divorce
- Incarcerated household member
Interpreting Scores
0–3: Lower risk for toxic stress-related health issues.
4 or more: Higher risk for chronic illness, mental health disorders, and risky behaviors.
Summary of therapies and limitations
- Classical therapies (CBT, DBT, ACT, and Psychodynamic) are effective but may have limitations in getting to the deep roots of trauma for some.
- Somatic therapies address stress and trauma stored in the body but may not fully address other dimensions of the mind-body space.
- Tech-based therapies expand access but can’t replace human connection.
- Psychedelic-assisted and holistic approaches are moving into mainstream care. Their success depends on the depth of preparation and integration work before and after.
- EMDR can work for many, but success depends on the preparation of clients, especially those with complex and multi-layered trauma.
- Internal Family Systems (IFS) integrates mind, body, and spirit for deep healing. It may not align for those who cannot accept the multi-part understanding of the mind.
About Dr. Millia
Dr. Millia Begum
is a trained trauma specialist with over 25 years of clinical experience in psychiatry and therapy. She trained in the UK’s NHS system and served the NHS in various senior roles.
She is a former EMDR Europe Approved Consultant, EMDR researcher, and board member of the EMDR Association UK. She is now a member of the EMDR International Association (EMDRIA).
Dr. Millia is a Certified Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapist, bringing a compassionate, parts-informed approach to her work with clients in Dubai.
📞 Contact Dr. Millia
If you would like to book a consultation or learn more about services, please get in touch:
- Clinic: First Psychiatry Clinic
- Address: 975 Al Wasl Road, Dubai, UAE
- Phone: +971 55 355 7855
- Email: info@milliabegum.ae
- Website: milliabegum.ae
📍 Location & Opening Hours
Opening hours
- Monday: 09:00 – 18:00
- Tuesday: 09:00–18:00
- Wednesday: 09:00–18:00
- Thursday: 09:00–18:00
- Friday: 09:00–18:00
- Saturday: 09:00–18:00
- Sunday: 09:00–18:00