Dr Alina Vaida

Dr Alina Vaida is a Consultant Psychiatrist in General Adult Psychiatry and Medical Psychotherapy. She qualified from the University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Târgu Mureș, Romania, and completed four years of psychiatry residency in Romania. In 2011, she moved to the UK, where she undertook further psychiatric training across two subspecialties. Her medical psychotherapy training focused primarily on psychodynamic psychotherapy, but she also gained experience and attended training courses in other modalities, including DBT, MBT, CBT, CAT and family systemic therapy. During her psychiatry training, she worked in a wide range of settings, both inpatient and outpatient, including liaison psychiatry.

In her NHS role, Dr Vaida is the psychotherapy tutor for her trust, overseeing psychotherapy training for psychiatry trainees. She works with the liaison team and across the trust, supporting patients with complex mental health difficulties such as personality disorders, functional disorders, neurodivergence, dissociative disorders, and mood and anxiety disorders.

She has published and received awards for work on training-related topics—including access to psychotherapy training and supervision, and experiences in Balint groups for psychiatry trainees—demonstrating her commitment to improving psychotherapy education for psychiatrists. She regularly teaches psychiatrists and other mental health professionals about incorporating psychotherapy skills into everyday psychiatric practice.

Her approach to psychiatric care is integrative, going beyond diagnostic labels to understand current difficulties in the context of a person’s life story, family dynamics and social circumstances. With particular attention to early trauma and neurodivergence, Dr Vaida helps clients make sense of their experiences and symptoms. She integrates psychodynamic, DBT and CBT approaches, alongside lifestyle interventions, into her psychiatric practice. Her expertise in psychotherapy is especially valuable for patients who are unsure whether they need therapy, medication, or a combination of both, as she can advise on the most suitable psychotherapy modality.

A particular area of interest is the interplay—and at times confusion—between neurodivergence, personality traits, trauma, and hormonal changes. She works with patients to better understand their challenges, strengths and support needs.

Dr Vaida has a strong interest in physical exercise and enjoys exploring different forms of movement for their benefits to both physical and mental health. With interested patients, she discusses the role of physical activity in enhancing wellbeing and regulating stress.

She remains engaged with emerging developments in psychiatry, including the impact of diet on mental health, the growing field of psychedelic research, advances in neuromodulation, and the use of artificial intelligence in mental health care.