While traditional in-person therapy is commonly what comes to mind when someone thinks about working with a psychologist, the recent challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic also brought opportunities to develop new ways of working. For many people, remote access has proven to be a more convenient and accessible way to engage in psychotherapy, and research is repeatedly showing similar outcomes to those of traditional in-person sessions.
The way that I work in therapy involves visually monitoring what is happening with a client during sessions and is the primary reason why I only work via live video and do not offer sessions over the telephone.
My approach in therapy
As a Counselling Psychologist, I am trained in a range of psychotherapeutic models and qualified to assess and treat a broad spectrum of mental health difficulties across the lifespan. Rarely do people fit neatly into one specific way of working, the ability to integrate techniques from different therapy approaches offers flexibility to tailor therapy to your individual needs. Ultimately, the main aim is to help you to more fully understand yourself, how past experiences may be influencing the here and now, and how your problems and difficulties are being maintained. Working at such depth is rarely an easy process, but can result in change that leads to healthier psychological and interpersonal functioning over the longer term.
Ethical Practice
My private practice is indemnity insured and delivered in line with the BPS, HCPC and BACP ethical frameworks and codes of conduct. I also attend regular clinical supervision with a HCPC registered psychologist and accredited BPS clinical supervisor.
Models of therapy that I use
Psychodynamic
My core approach draws from Psychodynamic and Attachment Based Dynamic Psychotherapy. This way of working is exploratory and uses the human relationship with a therapist to gain a deep understanding of someone’s emotional and psychological process helping to resolve deeper rooted problems with anxiety and depression. Dynamic psychotherapy is typically a mid-long term therapy and can be particularly helpful for problems relating to early life experiences, persisting problems in relationships, and social anxiety where shorter-term therapies such as CBT have not proven to be helpful.
CBT
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is typically a highly structured short-mid term therapy, recognising how past experience influences our beliefs about the world, others, and ourself, but mostly focusses on breaking current cycles of thoughts, feelings, and actions that maintain the symptoms of anxiety and depression. CBT can be particularly helpful for problems such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Panic Attacks, Health Anxiety, and Generalised Anxiety, or where someone requires short term structured intervention focussed on symptom management. Trauma-focussed CBT also has a good evidence base for the treatment of single event trauma (PTSD).
EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing is an advanced psychotherapy that uses a technique called bilateral stimulation, through eye movements, sound, or physical tapping, and has been found to aid the processing of historical memories of adverse experience (trauma) that still impact significantly in the present. EMDR can be particularly effective in the treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD (multiple traumatic events). I am currently completing accredited training in EMDR and assessing clients on a staged case by case basis.
Practicalities
I deliver all formal sessions through the professional live video platform Zoom, from a private and confidential home office. Initial consultations are typically undertaken via Google Meet.
Remote psychotherapy can be a very beneficial and convenient way to access help, and offers clients a wider choice of clinicians when they are not restricted by location in the UK. However, there are differences from physical face to face meetings, including adaptations to technique, as well as practical considerations such as your opportunity for privacy, access to a suitable video enabled device and stable internet connection.
Spiers Psychology Online 
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