TESTIMONIALS
"She has gifted me with [her] kindness, wisdom, insight, knowledge and healing"
"Treatment has enabled me to take up my life again [after] crippling OCD"
What kind of help can I expect?
Warm, friendly and approachabIe, I will work with you to make sense of the difficulties you are having, enable you to see things from a different perspective, think through possible solutions, learn some new strategies and techniques for you to use, and help you make the kind of changes you want to improve things and begin to feel better.
At our first meeting, my aim is to listen to you so we have a joint understanding of the difficulties you would like help with. As well as asking about your problems, I’m also interested to find out what you’re like as a person, hear what’s been going well and what you enjoy – I know that there is so much more to you than just the difficulties you are currently experiencing. Together we can draw on skills and resources you already possess during therapy.
Most clients find that having a clear agreed picture of their problems is in itself a major step forward to knowing what to do about them. After assessment, I will discuss the options for further help with you in more detail. These might include:
BA (Hons),
MSc, PsychD,
Cert Cog Ther (Oxon),
CPsychol.
Here are some of the questions I am more frequently asked. Please click on the questions below to see the answer. If you have any other queries, you can email me at ask@dreforrester.co.uk or phone me on 0741 560 2266.
What kind of help can I expect?
How can I make the most of my therapy?
How many sessions will I need?
Are sessions confidential?
What should I do now?
Why choose private therapy?
How much?
- Exploring the ways you think about your problems and the effects your thinking has on how you feel or behave
- Identifying things that you are doing (or not doing!) when faced by a problem that create vicious circles that contribute to keeping a problem going
- Supporting you to face fearful situations in order to promote your understanding of how anxiety problems work
- Learning methods and techniques for managing stress and breaking bad habits
- Develop more assertive behaviours and ways of building self-confidence
At this point, you may be thinking this all sounds like common sense… or even feeling like you couldn’t begin to imagine having the nerve to do any of these things. Well, much of what a clinical psychologist does is just common sense. I’ve already said that quite often you will already have ideas about how you can work on your problems, but trying to put this common sense into practice isn’t always that easy if we try to ‘go it alone’. That’s where I come in – like a coach, using my skills and expertise to help you identify solutions and applying them in a consistent way whilst gently encouraging you and giving you space to discuss your concerns about these changes. And if you feel daunted at the prospect of trying some of these things, it is important to remind ourselves that therapy is a process. From our first meeting, we will work together to make a plan that makes sense to you and tackle issues in achievable steps.
Have a look at my book https://www.ocduk.org/shop/how-to-deal-with-ocd/ to give you an idea of how I work.
How can I make the most of my therapy?
What a great question! It's important to remember that the therapy session is just a fraction of your week. It can be helpful to think about it as an opportunity to review how things have been going, consider what you might need to work on next, and develop a plan of what you will do before we next meet. If we have been working on a strategy or technique, we might agree that you will practice it as 'homework' before we next meet, or suggest some reading to further your understanding of your difficulties. Most clients find it helpful to make a few notes after the session of the key points they have learned, what they need to do for homework and how it went. If there is anything you didn't understand or aren't clear about, make a note of that too so we can clarify it when we next meet. The more you put into your therapy, the more you will get out of it. It helps to attend regularly and not leave too long a gap between sessions (unless we have discussed this as part of our overall treatment plan).
How many sessions will I need?
This will of course vary, depending on the kinds of difficulties you are having and their severity. Most people find that between 5 and 15 sessions is sufficient. We will review your progress on a regular basis.
Each session normally lasts an hour, although the initial assessment may take about an hour and a half. I would hope to meet with you on a regular basis, perhaps weekly at first to enable us to build rapport and get things moving. However, I realise that a weekly commitment might not fit in with your schedule. We can discuss what would work best for you.
Are sessions confidential?
All information you provide during therapy sessions is confidential including your name, address, phone numbers and GP and everything we discuss in therapy, unless at any time you tell me something that indicates that you are in danger from others or are in danger of harming yourself or somebody else. If so, I have a professional duty to inform your GP.
If you have been referred to me by your GP, another health professional or if your therapy is funded by an insurance company, they may request a report on the progress of therapy. This will focus on the work we have done together and how you have responded to this.
Why choose private therapy?
There are many reasons why you might prefer to choose private therapy. Not least, growing NHS waiting lists often mean you can’t get help at the time you need it or the kind of help you would like may not be available on the NHS. It may be that you would prefer not to discuss certain issues with your GP and would prefer to be able to make a self-referral.
By choosing private therapy, you can usually be seen far more quickly and at a time that is more convenient for you. You also have a choice over who you see. In my practice, you would liaise directly with me from your initial enquiry to the end of therapy.
How much?
Contact me for current fee schedules.
Initial assessments take around an hour and a half, with subsequent therapy sessions lasting one hour.
Sessions cancelled with more than 48 hours notice will not be charged for. However, I regret that where an appointment is cancelled with less than 48 hours notice the session will be charged at the full rate, irrespective of the reason.
What should I do now?
If you have concerns that you feel need discussing with a clinical psychologist, either email ask@dreforrester.co.uk or call me on 0741 560 2266 to book a free no obligation 15 minute telephone consultation or request further details. Don’t be put off if you reach my answerphone – during clinic times I may be unable to take calls. If you leave your name and telephone number, I will call you back in person as soon as I can (usually within 48 hours Mon – Thurs).
During the telephone consultation, I like to speak directly to the person who will be attending the appointment in order to advise whether or not an assessment is likely to be helpful. If after this you wish to proceed, we will make an appointment at a mutually convenient time to discuss things further.
If you prefer, I am happy to accept a letter of referral from your GP or Consultant Psychiatrist.
T: 0741 560 2266 E: ask@dreforrester.co.uk