I know it is confusing trying to pick someone to help you. You want to know they will be able to understand your difficulties, they will be a human being first as well as a professional, and that they don't just give you text book advice but really get what you need. Therefore, I have put together some information about me to give you a little more idea about who I am and my approach. This may help you to ascertain if I am the right fit for you.
I have worked as a clinical psychologist in the NHS for over 21 years and I specialise in working with people with difficulties related to shame, self-criticism and trauma. The main approaches / models I draw upon are:
I am passionate about working in the NHS, and alongside working with adults with emotional or psychological difficulties. The client work I do is rewarding and challenging, usually working with complex presentations in which clients have tried various approaches that haven't worked for them. My role involves creating bespoke psychological interventions that are tailored to the person and their specific needs, especially when many of the people I successfully work with have been deemed 'unsuitable' or 'too complex' for other services.
Alongside working with clients, I also support and train mental health professionals as part of my NHS role. This involves working with individual professionals, training whole teams or influencing service development and the way in which mental health services are delivered to clients. This in itself is challenging as a common way of understanding mental health difficulties can often have a focus on the diagnostic and medical model rather than making sense of the difficulties a person may present based upon what is happening in their lives and the way they have learned to relate to themselves and others.
My Working Roles
Consultant Clinical PsychologistandDirector of The Leicestershire Psychology Service I offer private psychological services to adults with emotional distress. I specialise in working with adults with difficulties related to shame, self-criticism and trauma. I also offer clinical supervision to qualified mental health professionals working with adults with emotional distress. I shall soon be developing some online programmes and resources for people who would be interested in self development and improving their emotional wellbeing through online training and coaching.
Consultant Clinical Psychologist (NHS): Lead for Urgent Care Psychology I hold a senior NHS role in which I am responsible for leading a number of Clinical Psychologists working in Leicestershire Urgent Care Mental Health Services. This involves management and training of staff, service development and re-design within the Urgent Care Mental Health Pathway. I am passionate about the development of NHS services to ensure psychologically informed care is available to those who are unable to access private healthcare.
Past Working Roles
Assistant Professor in Clinical Psychology I have worked as an Assistant Professor / Senior Lecturer on the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology Programme across Coventry University and the University of Warwick. This role involved design, supervision and evaluation of clinical psychology doctoral level research, lecturing and mentoring of trainee clinical psychologists through academic work and clinical psychology placements along with training and support for NHS placement providers.
HCPC Registered / Chartered Clinical Psychologist I have worked as a clinical psychologist at various grades in the NHS since 2003. The majority of my work has been with people with a range of complex emotional difficulties and challenging presentations that require bespoke interventions. I have had a significant role in offering consultation, clinical supervision and training to NHS staff to improve the delivery of NHS services to ensure they are more psychologically informed. Whilst my expertise lies in working with adults with emotional difficulties, I have worked across a variety of areas such as bariatric services, eating disorder services, child and adolescent mental health and acquired brain injury hospital settings.
Professional Qualifications and Quality Assurance
Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (DClinPsy) Following three years of undergraduate training, and three years of NHS experience as an Assistant Psychologist, I undertook a further three year postgraduate doctorate in clinical psychology involving clinical work, academic work and doctoral research. This is the qualification required to practice as a Clinical Psychologist in the UK.
Practitioner Psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) By law I am professionally regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council which ensures that I meet national standards to ensure your protection. My registration number is PYL24355.
Clinical Psychologist (CPsychol) with the British Psychological Society (BPS) I am a chartered member of the British Psychological Society which is the benchmark of professional recognition for psychologists and reflects the highest standards of psychological knowledge and expertise. It is the gold standard of the BPS, demonstrating a commitment to professional development and high ethical standards of practice, teaching and research.
Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society (AFBPsS) The title Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society is awarded in recognition of several years' experience and contribution to the field of psychology.
Indemnity Insurance I am fully insured with professional indemnity and liability insurance.
Data Protection and Security I am registered with the Information Commissioners Office and have undertaken training in data protection to ensure I have a business that is secure and maintains your confidentiality.
Clinical Supervision As a requirement of my registration to practice as a clinical psychologist and to ensure the best possible quality of care I engage in regular clinical supervision of my practice. This enables me to consider the work that I offer and evaluate how well it is working and whether there is anything I could be doing better.
Ongoing Training and Development The field of clinical psychology and our understanding of the human mind and associated difficulties is ever growing and developing. As such it is important to me that I keep up to date with current ideas and practices to ensure I am offering the best service I possibly can. It is also a requirement of my professional registration to engage in regular professional development and training and I can be audited for this.
Design and Publication of Research Through my care and NHS role I continue to contribute to the research evidence base and use this evidence base to ensure I practice to the highest standards. My research profile is located here.