Your Team
An Elite Team at Your Service
Our team consists of practitioners from a broad range of healthcare, therapeutic and bodywork disciplines. We understand that one type of practitioner does not suit everyone and that it is important for both the therapeutic team and the client to match for the most effective results. We have carefully selected a dynamic group of professionals that include English, Spanish, American and Australian psychologists all of whom practice a wide variety of psychological therapies.
All are qualified and certified to the highest levels of international accreditation and are considered to be leading professionals in their fields.
Every client program is supervised by the Clinical Director and all practitioners are experienced at treating complex client issues within an integrated multi-disciplinary environment.
This method enables consistent communication, highly efficient treatment, and seamless client experience.
Your team
In total our treating team numbers 36 different practitioners and each client team generally consists of 6 – 8 practitioners. The staff selected to work with you will be hand-picked to best meet your therapeutic needs and requirements.
Further selection criteria are applied to ensure a cultural fit. We find that therapy is more readily embraced when the client feels completely comfortable with their practitioners. This selection process applies across your entire team; from your support staff to your psychologist.
To ensure your confidentiality every team member is bound by a strict confidentiality agreement.
Emily Hepworth
Client Services Director (Global)
As Istana Jiwa’s Program Director, Emily oversees team management and all aspects of each client’s program ensuring that their experience with us is exceptional in every way and treatment goals are met.
Emily’s personal journey combined with her years of experience working with VIP clients around the world makes her uniquely qualified to work closely with our clients in their quest to change their current circumstances for the better and take charge of their lives again.
To read an interview with Emily and her insights into dealing with stress and burnout please click here
Dr Jeremy Alford
Lead Clinical Director
Dr. Jeremy Alford is a graduate member of the British Psychological Society, Member of the International Association for Cognitive Psychotherapy and the Member of The British Society of Clinical and Academic Hypnosis.
He is a qualified clinical hypnotherapist & neurofeedback/biofeedback therapist and is the Founder and President of the Middle East Eating Disorders Association www.meeda.me a non-profit organisation.
Jeremy adopts an integrative cognitive behavioural therapy approach in addition to mindfulness practices. This combination and Jeremy’s progressive attitude offer the best results in the overall psychological intervention of mental health therapy treatment.
Dr Yasmin Halim
Head of Medical Team (Asia)
Dr. Yasmin Halim is a graduate of Hasanundin, the fines medical university in Indonesia. Yasmin and her team provide expert care in the management of withdrawal from substance abuse and they specialise in working in the field of mental health.
Yasmin has deep experience in emergency medicine and is internationally certified in traumatology and cardiology.
Yasmin oversees all medical screens, medical supervision protocols and ensures that our clients are safe and have appropriate medical care for as long as required.
Dr Marja Van Engelen
Head of Medical Team (Europe)
Dr. Marja van Engelen heads our clinical and nursing team in Europe. She is a graduate of the University of Utrecht with over 40 years of experience in international clinical operations.
Dr Marja’s experience ranges from general practice to internal medicine (Amstelveen Medical Hospital), occupational medicine (KLM, royal Dutch airlines) and she specialises in the latest practices of integrated medicine.
Rima Sams
Operations Manager (Europe)
Rima’s role is to oversee and manage operations in Ibiza, so your days run seamlessly, and you always feel 100% secure and cared for in your serene and beautiful environment.
Rima is from London, she has experience working with VIP clients in treatment and understands their needs perfectly. Further back Rima has a well-known background in event production, interior and clothing design, and natural foods.
Rima has traveled extensively and Ibiza was her home for a decade. Her long connection with the Balearics and their enchanting secrets means she is the ideal person to ensure all your daily needs are met and your time with Istana Jiwa Ibiza is life-changing.
Sophie Lonsdale-Ross
Head of Client Service (Europe)
Sophie and her team attend to our clients’ needs making sure that everything is taken care of, from acting as proxy business and personal PAs to ensuring the smooth running of every aspect of each client villa.
Sophie’s Buddhist practice combined with her soft, warm and understanding nature allows her to connect with our clients both emotionally and intellectually.
Sophie has the gift of helping people reach their full potential and lead fulfilling lives on each individual’s journey through treatment. Her background in International Communication, Healing and Sound create a special support for our clientele.
Sophie Clyde
Head of Complementary & Healing Therapies (Europe)
Sophie specialises in therapeutic practices that work in harmony with our natural healing process. Her work interweaves many lineages, including somatic therapy and bio-mechanical movement for deep relaxation, stress, trauma and physical injuries.
“My work is inspired by the transformation these practices brought to my own life. Yoga freed me from the pain of a genetic postural condition, while Reflexology stilled my mind and brought me profound inner calm. Since becoming a Yoga Alliance accredited teacher and therapist in 2011, I have traveled and shared my love of these practices around the world.”
Sophie offers a soothing space in which to recalibrate. Working with awareness, I gently guide the body back to its parasympathetic mode. In this peaceful space you can reconnect to your natural rhythm. Simply be, tuning into breath and sensation. And learn to release, safe in the knowledge that you are fully supported.
Isabel Ribiero
Head Chef (Europe)
We may have some of the most talented psychotherapists and practitioners in the world but Isabel is often the team member that our clients come to love the most. Her culinary skills span the globe and every meal is an expression of her passion for delicious healthy food.
Isabel is a graduate of the University Senac-Brasil and further certified in Gastronomy in the Basque Country specialising in Mediterranean cuisine.
She has worked in Brazil, Canada and prior to Ibiza worked alongside Martin Berasategui and spent 5 years in the Michelin Starred restaurants Lasarte and Oria.
Nicole Bulsara
Operations Manager (Asia)
Nicole is Istana Jiwa’s Operation’s Manager, and is the main point of contact for our residential clients.
Her personal journey with addiction combined with her extensive field experience in the private care industry and her Bachelors of Science in Hospitality Management gives her the empathic understanding and attention to detail required to create the welcoming, peaceful and luxurious treatment environment that Istana Jiwa is known for.
Nicole brings her gentle and compassionate presence into our clients’ lives while they are with us and, working closely with Emily, ensures the bespoke world-class care that helps each of our unique clients foster growth and achieve profound change.
Agathe Fay
Head of Complementary & Healing Therapies (Asia)
“Hi, I’m Agathe, I lead the wellbeing practices team at Istana Jiwa. I love life and want to help others feel the same way!
I have been fortunate enough to learn from beautiful bright souls in the world of yoga, meditation, breathwork, Buddhist dharma, self-love, and inner child healing and have studied in California, Texas, New York, Mysore, Dharamshala, and Bali. My passion is to now share these many treasures and sacred practices with others. It brings me great joy to connect, listen, hold space, and guide our clients to become their own teacher and healer – for them to see themselves, love what they see, and recognise their power. My mission is for everyone to unearth their inner luminosity and spread joy and love so that we may all vibrate higher. I am curious and playful; love to travel, jump in the waves, and frolic on the beach. I am passionate about environmental conservation, particularly the ocean and our colorful friends that call it home.”
Catalina Benedetti
Holistic Psychology (Asia & Europe)
Catalina is a Holistic Psychologist who incorporates breathwork and meditation techniques into her practice.
Clients coming to us for depression and anxiety respond particularly well to Catalina’s uniquely versatile set of skills.
She is trained in Art-therapy, Gestalt, Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Sound Healing and Kundalini Yoga. She believes in reconnecting with your inner voice, and that the only possible guide is yourself and your own body.
Using these tools Catalina accompanies her client’s growth process, facilitating the space needed to observe with honesty, accepting each facet of oneself, understanding the specific function of each emotion the client experiences, and doing so with the confidence to express and assume it in order to transform it into something productive in their evolution.
Using psychotherapy, the body and breath, Catalina teaches our clients to express their true essence and connect with their own ability to change and shift old patterns and beliefs to become the person that they have always wanted to be.
Luke Howard
Lead Coach Personal Training (Asia)
Luke heads up the Personal Training team at Istana Jiwa working with our clients at all ability levels from complete beginners to professional athletes.
He is qualified to the highest and most current certifications in personal training, mobility & flexibility, weightlifting, sports nutrition and martial arts instruction. Luke is also highly graded in various martial arts and when not coaching he is an active professional MMA fighter
“I’ve always believed that a healthy mind and body go hand in hand. I work with our clients to facilitate an encouraging and supportive environment and I help them reconnect and then build on the confidence they have in themselves and their abilities.
The fitness component of a client’s program provides a healthy physical outlet and strongly complements the other holistic components of each client’s program, in turn, bringing about increased self-esteem, balance and wellbeing within the individual.”