Dr. Aaron Balick
Psychotherapist · Author · Consultant · Speaker
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I'm a psychotherapist, author, and keynote speaker who applies depth psychology — the study of the unconscious forces shaping human behaviour — to technology, AI, and modern culture. My perspective is grounded in something relatively rare in this conversation: more than two decades of clinical experience alongside proven academic credentials.
Through my framework of Applied Psychodynamics, I help leaders, organisations, and public audiences understand what is really happening beneath the surface of digital life — and what to do about it.
My Work:
My book The Psychodynamics of Social Networking was the first to apply psychoanalytic theory to social media — exploring how digital platforms mediate identity, relationships, and the self. Since then I've developed Applied Psychodynamics as a broader framework for understanding the unconscious forces shaping behaviour across technology and AI, leadership and organisational life, culture, and modern relationships.
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I share this work as an international keynote speaker, psychological consultant, writer, and media contributor. I write a regular psychology column for GQ and share more developed thinking on my Substack, Depth Psychology in the Digital Age. I've also written two self-help books — Keep Your Cool and The Little Book of Calm — and contribute regularly to television, radio, and print, offering psychologically informed commentary on the issues shaping contemporary life.
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Alongside Nathalie Nahai I co-hosted the podcast Time to Show Up, conducting in-depth conversations about fulfilment, work, and what it means to live well.
Background & Training
I trained as a psychotherapist before completing my PhD in Psychoanalytic Studies. I later became Director of the MA at the Department for Psychoanalytic and Psychosocial Studies at the University of Essex, where I am now an associate supervisor for post-graduate students That academic grounding informs everything I do — though I'm committed to making psychological ideas genuinely accessible without ever compromising on depth.
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My clinical experience spans schools, further and higher education, and more than two decades of private practice. I'm a clinical psychotherapist, supervisor, and consultant at The Balint Consultancy.
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I also have first-hand experience of the business world as founder and director of Stillpoint Spaces — a psychological innovation and education hub with spaces in London, Berlin, Zurich, and Paris. The project was forced to close following Covid, but the experience gave me a distinctive insight into entrepreneurship, organisational dynamics, and the human side of building and losing something significant. It's an experience I draw on directly in my consultancy work with organisations ranging from large companies like Google and Accenture to startups and charities.
I was the longest-serving mental health expert on BBC Radio 1, and have appeared across BBC Radio 4, BBC World Service, BBC Three, CBBC, The Guardian, Wired, and many other platforms.
Approach
Whether I'm in a therapy room, a boardroom, or a conference hall, my aim is the same: to bring the genuine insights of depth psychology to bear on the questions people are actually wrestling with — without dumbing them down, and without losing the human complexity that makes those questions worth asking.
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Work with me
I speak internationally, consult with organisations and leadership teams, and am available for media commentary and writing commissions. To enquire about speaking, please contact The Speaking Office. For consultancy and all other enquiries, get in touch directly.
I've worked with:
