Lale Akhrass

Lale is currently work as a part-time therapist at an all girls secondary school in north London, having completed her masters in integrative child psychotherapy several years ago.  She also chairs the ethics committee for her training college.  She has an undergraduate degree in International Affairs from Lafayette College in Pennsylvania, which led her to work for JP Morgan for over a decade.  During this time in New York, she was active in a mentoring programme for under privileged children from Harlem, aimed at providing them hope for a better future.

Lale says ‘With Turkish and Chilean parents, born in Chile, and growing up in many countries, I find myself feeling more as a global citizen, transcending all borders and nationalities.  I have lived in Argentina, Chile, Angola and Zaire, and I am married to a Syrian/Lebanese. ‘

She continues ‘My husband, two children (aged 10 and 13) and my broader family are central to my life.   They inspire me to look at myself honestly, and it is with this awareness that I take on the Climb4Freedom challenge.   The climb is symbolic of raising consciousness at a personal, communal and global level.