DForenPsy Doctorate in Forensic Psychology, 2021, University of Nottingham

MSc Criminological Psychology, 2014, University of Nottingham

BSc Psychology Hons, 2013, University of Nottingham

A typical assessment will be completed over 2-3 sessions. The main aim of an assessment is to explore your difficulties in depth. This is done by gaining a greater understanding of your current experiences, and how the problem or problems developed over time. The assessment gives me an opportunity to explore what has brought you to therapy, and importantly to understand why your difficulties are persisting. We may ask whether you’ve had any previous experiences of therapy and what was helpful or unhelpful about these. We may also ask you to complete some specific questionnaires to help me understand the problem(s) better. Finally, we will ask what your goals for therapy are so that we can formulate a treatment plan that will work best for you.

The length of therapy depends wholly on the problems you’re experiencing and what you’d like the outcome(s) of therapy to be. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines provide recommendations for the number of treatment sessions for specific difficulties. We work with people on a weekly basis for as few as 6 sessions to as many as 60 or more. The goal is neither to rush therapy nor to keep you in therapy for longer than you’d like. Once we know more about your history and current circumstances we’ll be able to give you a better idea of how many sessions you might need.

Yes. We don’t work with problems relating specifically to psychosis, OCD, eating disorders, addictions, ADHD, physical health conditions, or bereavement. We also wouldn’t work with someone who we deem to be a high risk of harm to themselves or others. We currently work only with adults on a one-to-one basis.

Whilst there are lots of different types of therapies out there for people to choose from, only a select few are actually backed up by strong scientific research. Therapies that are ‘evidence-based’ have been rigorously tested and found to be effective in reducing symptoms. we offer an integrative approach which, depending on your specific difficulties, may mean using techniques from two or more evidence-based therapies together in order to achieve the best outcomes.

We work with the following private health insurance companies: WPA, Aviva, Cigna and Healix.

Yes. Therapy can be life-changing for a lot of people, but it usually takes a bit of time and effort to see real changes. A psychological formulation is an important skill that distinguishes psychologists from other therapists and it is critical to the development of a bespoke treatment plan. Your formulation will be drawn up following assessment and it will identify what may be keeping your problem(s) going. A formulation uses psychological theory alongside your expertise on your own life to answer questions you might have about your difficulties, and to develop your treatment plan.

Following the Covid-19 pandemic, online therapy has become the preferred medium for busy clients. It allows you to choose a safe and comfortable space to have your therapy sessions from, and of course it eliminates a commute. Research suggests in-person and online therapy are equally effective at treating psychological symptoms. All the therapies we use can be delivered as effectively online as they can be in person. However, online therapy will not be appropriate for everyone, and we will seek to determine your suitability for online therapy during our initial conversation.

Our sessions are really your sessions and so we tend not to introduce too much structure, unless this is something you’d prefer. As a loose guide, we will usually start by reviewing your week and any difficulties that may have arisen. Depending on your individual treatment plan your practitioner may suggest doing some experiential work to rescript negative early life experiences, or they might help you to learn and apply new and more effective coping skills.

If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts and are unable to keep yourself safe, call 999.

If you are feeling low, you can email your clinician and they will respond between the hours of 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday, subject to their availability. You can also reach out to other support services including:

• Shout (text crisis service): 85258

• Samaritans: 116 123

• Your local NHS crisis service

• Your GP

• SANEline: 0300 304 7000

We request payment 48 working hours in advance of each session. Funds must be sent via bank transfer in order to secure each session. Bank details will be provided once you have decided you’d like to start weekly sessions.