Talking Therapy for Children, Adolescents, Families and Adults

 

All team members have extensive experience in providing a wide range of psychological treatments for people from a range of backgrounds.  We met as part of the Specialist Child and Adolescent Mental Health Team in Berkshire, over 7 years ago; we recognised that we work well together and decided to continue working as a team as our career paths evolved.  

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The benefit of working as a team, means that we have a wider skillset and have the option of offering a combination of interventions, depending on the client's needs.  For example, in some cases, both parents and the young person may require support and having separate clinicians means that this support can be co-ordinated.  

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We recognise that each individual's experience is different and while there are some similarities, we cannot make assumptions about anyone's difficulties and how it impacts on them.  We therefore work in a flexible and individually tailored way, based in evidence based practice, to find the approach that works for you.  

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Talking therapies typically involve weekly sessions, lasting around 50 minutes.  Sometimes we meet clients less frequently, such as fortnightly or monthly, but this is often once a good working relationship has been established.  For consistency, we try to see clients in the same time and day slot each week.  

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The purpose of therapy can vary; some people have clear defined goals, such as to overcome a phobia.  Other times, people may feel they need a safe, confidential and supportive space to explore difficult life experiences and make sense of their struggles.  It can, of course, be both these things.  Some people have the assumption that they need to understand their problems before coming to therapy, that they need to make sense.  However, the therapist is in a useful position to make sense of confusion and chaos; we therefore encourage clients to bring their "mess" and confusion to us, so we can help them untangle it.  

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It is important that the person seeking therapy is motivated and can see the potential benefit.  Some people can find it hard to talk about their feelings and to make sessions feel more comfortable, we can work in more creative ways, through games or art work.  

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What is the difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist?

The differences between some mental health professions can be confusing; it is important to understand that we are not psychiatrists and therefore are unable to prescribe medications.  A psychiatrist completes general medical training before specialising in mental health; this qualifies them to prescribe medication. Psychologists and psychotherapists are trained more specifically in human behaviour and mental health.  As experienced clinicians, we have worked alongside psychiatry colleagues for many years; this means that we can often give guidance on whether medication may be indicated as an aid to talking therapy.  If we feel that medication may help your symptoms, we can direct you either to your GP or local CAMHS services; there are also local private psychiatrists who may be able to help.  

 

 

Other Services: 

• Consultation and liaison - We are happy to consult with schools or other agencies that are involved in supporting our clients, additional fees may apply.

• Supervision -  We offer clinical supervision to other professionals – please contact us for more information

• Reduced rate therapy for trainees - for trainee counsellors, psychotherapists and psychologists who need to be in their own personal therapy, we are happy to offer individual therapy at a reduced rate.