Zeynep Selvili Çarmıklı
Expert Psychologist
Zeynep Selvili Çarmıklı didn’t grow up wanting to be a psychologist.
Early on, she had her heart set on becoming a dancer. Later, she was sure she wanted to be a vet. Until she was 7, she spent half the year in Izmir and the other half in Miami.
In high school, Zeynep discovered a new passion: psychology. While enrolled at Izmir St. Joseph French High School, she took courses in psychology and creative writing at Princeton and Georgetown Universities. She was intrigued. At 18, she moved to Florida full-time to study psychology and motion pictures at the University of Miami.
Why film? She has always loved watching, listening to, and telling the stories of real people. Zeynep loves movies – especially documentaries and animation (“Inside Out” is her favorite).
Later, she moved to New York City to earn her masters in applied psychology at New York University. It was there that she first discovered a new season, which soon became her favorite: winter.
The young Zeynep – who wanted a dancing career and a life spent exclusively in sunny climates – might be surprised by the adult version of her. But as she continued her education, Zeynep confirmed what she’d suspected since she was a teenager: Psychology was her true calling. It fulfills her desire to connect with people, to hear their stories, and to explore with them how to live a more meaningful life.
Today, Zeynep fulfills her passion for helping others with a brand of therapy that’s based in acceptance and self-compassion. She uses ACT (acceptance and commitment therapy), CFT (compassion-focused therapy), and MSC (mindful self-compassion) to help people shift their focus from self-improvement to self-acceptance. By teaching, writing about, and practicing mindfulness-based psychotherapies, Zeynep encounters a diverse cross-section of people and their stories – which she loves.
Zeynep Selvili Çarmıklı returned to Turkey in 2012, and she now lives in Istanbul with two cats, one dog, and a life partner. She’s an animal lover who practices ethical vegetarianism. She’s still discovering ways to become her own best friend.
