How I Can Help
It can take a lot of courage to make that first step to get help so I'm happy to chat through any concerns or questions you might have before you commit to any appointments.
I offer interventions for a wide range of problems to both individuals 16+ and couples.
· Depression & low mood
· Anxiety & Worry
· Panic attacks
· Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
· Social Anxiety
· Low self-esteem & body image issues
· Phobias
· Post traumatic stress (PTSD)
· Childhood trauma
· Chronic pain & health conditions
· Relationship & interpersonal difficulties
· Sexual problems
· Employment difficulties & work stress
· Perfectionism & Procrastination
· Binge Eating & Obesity
· Self harming & destructive behaviours
· Sleep problems
· Bereavement & Grief
Therapy
What is the difference between a Counselling Psychologist and a Counsellor?
Counselling Psychologists undergo in-depth rigorous training for several years and will hold both an undergraduate and doctorate degree. They are trained to assess using a range of techniques including psychometric measures and integrate research with psychological theory in order to provide a scientific evidence base to the therapy.
They must be registered and regulated by the HCPC (Health and Care Professions Council) to ensure ongoing best practice. However the term “counsellor” is not regulated so essentially anyone can practise as a "counsellor" regardless of qualification or experience. If you choose to see a "counsellor" rather than a psychologist it is for this reason that is very important to investigate their credentials before beginning work.
Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT)
CBT is a therapy which examines the way your thoughts, feelings, behaviour and physical body interact to maintain ongoing distress. For example when we feel anxious, our bodies can react in 'fight or flight' as we think of worst case scenarios. This can then make us adapt our behaviours and avoid certain things creating a negative cycle. By unpicking this cycle we can begin to find alternative healthier coping strategies to our difficult feelings.
Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT)
CFT is helpful in working with feelings of low self-esteem and shame. The therapy draws on an understanding of human evolution and biology to make sense of how our mind has evolved to experience self-criticism, anxiety and depression. It explores how to start developing a more compassionate view towards ourselves to manage the negative self talk loops we get trapped in.
Psychodynamic Therapy
Psychodynamic therapy looks at recognising unhelpful patterns of behaviour from a person's childhood with their caregivers that might be being repeated in the present causing interpersonal problems. Psychodynamic therapy can be particularly beneficial for those who have lost meaning in their lives or have difficulty forming or maintaining personal relationships.
Dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT)
DBT helps you learn to accept difficult fluctuating emotions and begins to build skills to help you regulate so you feel less at the mercy of your emotions. It will help you ground yourself in the moment, cope better with personal conflict and setting healthy boundaries in relationships, self-sooth and become adept at identifying your emotions allowing you to feel more in control to take healthier action plans in your life.
Behavioural Couples Therapy (BCT)
BCT's main aim is to promote emotional acceptance and enhance communication between partners. As the sessions progress a shared understanding is reached to help build a secure emotional connection within the relationship.
About Me
I’m a Counselling Psychologist & Specialist Cognitive Behavioural Therapist. I hold a doctorate in Counselling Psychology and a post graduate diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). My CBT training was at the institute of psychiatry in London, a world leader in CBT research and practice. I’m also trained in Behavioural Couples therapy. Over the past 14 years I’ve worked in a range of settings including over 5 years in an NHS specialist CBT service in London.
I believe therapy is a collaborative process, with therapist and client both being experts working together to create lasting change. We start therapy by developing a shared formulation which is a way of understanding how everything fits together, and often helps to identify how or why difficulties have come about.
As a Counselling Psychologist I am trained in a range of therapeutic models allowing me to draw elements from these according to the difficulties that an individual is experiencing at any given time. I work primarily using Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) but also draw on Psychodynamic, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT).
More recently I have grown an interest in using somatic based techniques within therapy. Such techniques highlight the importance of the mind-body connection and help regulate the nervous system by releasing pent up tension that is weighing on your emotional and physical wellbeing. This is particularly helpful when working to process traumatic events.
I'm fully accredited with the British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP) and registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). I'm fully insured and my work is supervised in line with BABCP and HCPC policy.
FEES
Sessions are 50 minutes long and typically provided weekly to achieve some momentum to the work, however I can be flexible to suit you. Generally clients attend for 10-30 sessions, but this may vary depending on your needs.
Sessions are held in a comfortable therapy room in Chichester with free parking and also accessible by public transport. I also offer telephone and online sessions. Please contact me to discuss fees and current availability.
Private Health Insurance
I am an approved provider with most private health insurance companies. Please note that if you are have private healthcare insurance and wish to cover the costs of treatment through your insurance, your insurance company may require a referral from your GP, or a Psychiatrist. You will need to check with the company you hold your policy with what their criteria are. I am happy to register with your insurer if your policy is with an insurance company I am not currently working with.