Why might psychology sessions be helpful for me?

As a Consultant Clinical Psychologist, I am skilled in the assessment and treatment of psychological and emotional difficulties. I am able to offer support for adults on an individual basis, as well as for couples or family members if you would like to be seen together.

You may be wondering whether you would benefit from having therapy sessions. It may be helpful to know that there are a range of ways in which psychological support can be valuable at different points in our lives. These include:

·         Seeking help for a specific problem that you are struggling with

·         Wanting a safe, therapeutic space to work through feelings or experiences                            

·         Adjusting to the transitions and challenges that life may bring

·         Learning more about yourself

·         Improving overall emotional well-being

I am aware that lots of us lead busy and often stressful lives and I am passionate about considering ways to support overall emotional well-being, compassion and resilience. I also have experience of supporting people to implement lifestyle changes via coaching. Coaching involves identifying psychological barriers that might get in the way of you achieving your personal goals and working on tailored strategies to overcome these.

Having worked in a number of mental health services, I have extensive experience of working with people in the following areas:

·         Stress and burnout

·         Anxiety

·         Panic attacks

·         Low mood and depression

·         Eating disorders

·         Body image

·         Grief and loss

·         Low self-esteem

·         Low confidence

·         Loss/changes in identity

·         Lifestyle change

·         Relationship difficulties

·         Adjustment to transitions

·         Post-diagnostic support

·         Carer well-being

·         Carer and family support

With significant experience of working in memory clinics and neuro-rehabilitation services, I am also able to provide post-diagnostic support for people experiencing a range of cognitive impairments (such as mild cognitive impairments and impairments related to dementia, stroke and brain injury). I am able to offer support for individuals and couples/families/carers.

Please do feel free to contact me if you would like to discuss something that you are struggling with that has not been mentioned above. If I am unable to offer you therapeutic support, I will try to provide details of other possible avenues of support based on your needs.

What will it be like when I have psychology sessions?

I provide a safe, collaborative and confidential space in which you are able to explore, understand and receive support to overcome the challenges that you are experiencing. Although having therapy will require you to talk about experiences or aspects of your life that may feel challenging, please be assured that there will not be any pressure to disclose anything that you would prefer not to talk about. Sessions will offer a non-judgemental space in which your views and experiences are respected.

As everybody has different experiences and needs, the first couple of times that we meet will be an opportunity to find out more about the difficulties that you are experiencing. There is no commitment to sign up for further sessions at the ‘assessment’ stage if it does not feel like the right ‘fit’ or timing for you.

If we agree that it would be helpful to continue meeting, we will then be able to discuss the areas that you would like to focus on and identify goals for our work together. I will support you to develop your understanding of the difficulties that you are experiencing and to learn skills and strategies that will allow you to implement changes.

Informed by the evidence-base and drawing on my skills and training as a Clinical Psychologist, I regularly use cognitive behavioural therapy, compassion focused therapy, solution focused and motivational interviewing based approaches. I also draw upon an integrative approach.

All sessions are tailored to your goals for our work together. This means that therapeutic approach that I will use will be collaborative and focused on your individual needs, drawing upon my academic background, specialist training and clinical experience.

Practical information

When you contact me via email (enquiry@doctorreena.com), I will arrange a 10-15 minute telephone call where I will ask you questions about your current situation and the difficulties that you are experiencing. The purpose of this call is to obtain a brief overview and there is no charge for this. Our initial discussion will help us to determine if it would be helpful to arrange an assessment/consultation session so that we can further discuss the support that you might need.

Session length for one to one work: The initial assessment/consultation session will be up to 75 minutes in duration, with subsequent therapy sessions being 50 minutes in duration.

Session length for work with carers/family members: There is the option to have either 50 or 90 minute appointments when working with couples or family members jointly.

Sessions are held via zoom, video call or by telephone (based on your preference) with clinic slots available on some weekday evenings, Fridays (all day) and Saturday mornings.

The frequency of our sessions together and the length of input will be tailored to your goals and needs. Most people find it helpful to meet on a weekly or fortnightly basis to begin with. Meeting regularly during our work together allows us to helpfully review and build on tasks that we agree on in therapy. It is possible to space sessions out a little more as we come to the end of our work together.

Fees for 1:1 therapy:

• Initial assessment/consultation session: £150 (up to 75 minutes)

• Therapy sessions: £120 (50 minutes)

• Follow up sessions (if required after a block of therapy): £80 (30 minutes)

Fees for couples/family support: Please contact me to discuss fees as this depends on the nature of support required and number of attendees.

Fees for letters/reports: Please note that requirements for any written letters or reports will incur an additional charge.

Payment of session fees: Please note that payment is required 48 hours prior to your session time in order to secure your appointment. Please also note that a cancellation policy will apply (the terms and conditions of this will be discussed during our initial telephone contact and/or emailed to you prior to the initial assessment/consultation session).