As a Clinical Psychologist I am trained to treat a wide range of mental health conditions. Even if the symptoms you’re experiencing have not been officially diagnosed, I can still help. Clinical Psychologists don’t always need a diagnosis to treat someone because our understanding of the problem informs the treatment and there are many factors that we take into account in developing this understanding. For example, key factors might include significant life experiences, stress, or trauma but it is not just these experiences per se, but an your response to these experiences that can have an impact on you and how you cope. An understanding of what has happened to you, how you have coped and the effectiveness of your coping is what we term a ‘psychological formulation’ and it is as unique as you are, which is why treatment is bespoke to your needs and what you want to get out of therapy.

Sometimes people seek help from a therapist even when they aren’t quite sure what is troubling them. I offer brief consultation sessions (which are free) so please do get in touch if you wish to talk about therapy to see if I am the right person to help you.

Common Conditions

I often see clients presenting with the following difficulties:

• Anxiety (including anxiety disorders, such as panic disorder)

• Work-related stress

• Low confidence

• Depression or low mood

• Trauma - Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex trauma

• Medically Unexplained Symptoms/ somatic or functional presentations

• Mood issues related to a physical health condition or long term condition e.g. cancer, gastroenterological disorders, diabetes, kidney disease, persistent pain - see below for more details.

Long Term Conditions

Living with a physical illness or chronic condition can be challenging on an emotional level. Being diagnosed with a long-term condition such as persistent pain, kidney disease or diabetes for example, may require significant lifestyle changes and adaptations to be made. This might include compliance with challenging treatment regimes, dealing with side-effects to medication. Living with a long term condition might also mean adjusting to a change in roles and responsibilities at home or at work and perhaps even coming to terms with losses felt in this context. I can help here by compassionately listening to the challenges faced by someone who is living with a long term condition, or caring for someone that is, and together we can think about what kind of intervention might be most helpful moving forwards.

Medically Unexplained Conditions and Persistent Physical Symptoms

The human body is an amazing machine. We are built with a physical structure which operates on a fine balance of chemicals (e.g. hormones), thinking processes (cognition), and messages relayed between our physical and emotional parts (neurons). When you have symptoms that cannot be explained by a scan or medical test, sometimes these symptoms might be referred to as ‘medically unexplained’ or ‘somatic’ or ‘functional’. Common medically unexplained symptoms include irritable bowel syndrome, migraines and persistent pain. Whilst these conditions might be medically unexplained, I like to think of them as perhaps functionally explained i.e. that perhaps there is a problem somewhere within the complexity of the human mind and body that might offer an explanation for these symptoms - rather like a problem with the software instead of a problem with the hardware. When symptoms are unexplained it can sometimes feel as though people are ‘faking’ or lead people to think that they not believed. The feelings this can produce might even make symptoms worse.

You might have already seen lots of professionals and still be left feeling uncertain about your symptoms and prognosis. You might have tried lots of different medications, had lots of scans and tests and still be no closer to a resolution you’re happy with. You might just want to gain a non-medical perspective on your symptoms. If any of this sounds familiar and if you want to think about a psychological approach to your symptoms then please do get in touch with me.

Working with medically unexplained symptoms is an area of particular interest to me. I am keen to help people to look at their symptoms in a different way which might include exploring past stressors or traumas where relevant or perhaps work towards creating a rich, full and meaningful life in spite of the symptoms.

Therapeutic Approaches

I have extensive experience of providing Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) including third-wave CBT therapies such as Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

Intensive Short Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP)

In addition I have also completed core training in Intensive Short Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (2024) conducted by ISTDP-UK, a programme certified by the International Experiential Dynamic Therapy Association (IEDTA).

ISTDP is an intensive form of dynamic psychotherapy designed to alleviate psychological suffering in an effective way. This is achieved through the use of distinct therapeutic techniques which utilise the therapeutic alliance between client and therapist. ISTDP sessions are 90 minutes in duration and therapy sessions are usually video-recorded (with the client’s consent). ISTDP is an evidence-based treatment for people suffering with unexplained physical symptoms, including functional symptoms.