About me
I should probably start by mentioning that I haven't always worked as a Clinical Psychologist; my career in this field started relatively late (at the ripe old age of 34!). My working life has taken a somewhat nomadic path; I've worked as an administrator in the Civil Service, as a Human Factors Consultant investigating and quantifying human error in the rail, maritime and nuclear industries immediately after completing my Undergraduate degree and then in various performance, project and programme management roles in the telecommunications sector. I initially joined the NHS as an Assistant Psychologist, before starting my Doctoral training at the University of Edinburgh. Once qualified I worked in the north-east of Scotland for almost 5 years, working in an Adult Mental Health service and providing additional sessional input to a Community Rehabilitation Unit and the local DBT service.
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Since moving to Gloucestershire 10 years ago I've worked in various NHS service settings, initially with 2gether NHS Foundation Trust and more recently with the newly-formed Gloucestershire Health & Care NHS Foundation Trust. All my post-qualification work has focused on working with adults with a variety of mental health issues including psychosis, Personality Disorder and other complex psychological difficulties involving multiple or 'overlapping' diagnoses. As an Applied Psychologist I've also been heavily involved in supporting other mental health professionals in their work. In the summer of 2022 I took the decision to leave the NHS to work on a freelance basis and established Great Bear Psychology Services.
Consequently my life, work and clinical practice experiences have been diverse and varied. I believe that this enables me relate to people from a wide variety of backgrounds and with a broad spectrum of difficulties; I also have a good understanding of how the NHS and its various services operate, as well as how commercial and 'third sector' organisations function.
Therapeutic style
I work with clients in a collaborative way, so that together we gain a better understanding of their difficulties, needs and goals from therapy. Based on our initial understanding of the problem (sometimes referred to as a psychological formulation) the client and I decide together what treatment approach is likely to be most helpful - I like to think of this as the meeting of the client's expertise about their lives and difficulties, and my knowledge of psychological theory and treatment approaches. I tend to work in blocks of six sessions at a time (though clients can choose to leave therapy at any point) with a review at the end of each block where we decide what has worked well and whether further work would be helpful. This may be a continuation of previous work, or may follow a break in therapy to allow the client to consolidate what they have gained from therapy so far.
My therapeutic work is formulation-led and based as far as possible on the most up-to-date research and clinical evidence and NICE guidelines. I draw on a number of therapeutic models including CBT and other 'Third Wave' cognitive therapies such as Schema Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Where appropriate I work from a trauma-informed perspective, potentially drawing on tools and techniques from Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR). Having trained and worked in Behavioural Family Therapy (BFT) I also work with families, often alongside another therapist.
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Where the client and I agree that it might be beneficial to do so, and with the appropriate consent, I will liaise with other healthcare professionals as part of a client's care - for example regarding medication, or the comprehensive management of risk to clients or others.
Credentials & Safeguards
I have an Undergraduate degree (B.Sc) in Psychology and a Doctoral qualification in Clinical Psychology (D.Clin.Psychol), awarded by the University of Edinburgh. This is a three-year training course provided by the university in collaboration with an NHS Trust, where clinical placements (each 6 months long) are undertaken, working under supervision in a variety of NHS Mental Health services. The course also requires students to complete small and large scale research projects, including a final doctoral thesis. My thesis research investigated people's experiences of recovery from mental health problems and continues to inform how I practice.
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Having successfully completed the formal training required to work as a Clinical Psychologist, I am now Chartered by the British Psychological Society (BPS) and registered to practice as a Practitioner Psychologist (Clinical) by the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC). I have Enhanced DBS (Criminal Records) clearance and hold professional liability insurance to cover all aspects of my work.
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As the majority of my experience and expertise has come from working with an adult population unfortunately I do not take referrals for children and adolescents under the age of 16.