I worked within NHS mental health services for 14 years. I completed my CBT training in 2011 and I have extensive experience of using CBT to help people work with emotional problems such as:

• Depression
• Low self-esteem
• Panic attacks and agoraphobia
• Social Anxiety Disorder
• Chronic worry (or Generalised Anxiety Disorder)
• Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
• Phobias
• Health anxiety
• Sleep difficulties
• Body image difficulties
• Some eating disorders
• Perfectionism

I recognise just how difficult it can be to ask for help and to start a course of therapy. I believe it is important to provide a safe and supportive environment and establish a trusting therapeutic relationship from the outset. This can help people to take the necessary steps that will ultimately reduce emotional distress and improve the quality of their lives. CBT focuses on helping people to develop a better understanding of their difficulties and learn new ways of thinking and acting. I adopt a compassionate, non-judgmental, and collaborative approach with all patients.

I am also a qualified clinical supervisor and have provided supervision to individual therapists and groups, from trainees to more experienced therapists. I am a teacher, tutor, and clinical supervisor on the IAPT CBT course at the University of Sheffield, which trains future CBT Therapists. Furthermore, I am the Programme Director for the Postgraduate Certificate in Clinical Supervision, which trains clinical supervisors who supervise Education Mental Health Practitioners (EMHPs) working within schools helping children of all ages. I am also the Programme Director for the IAPT Supervisor Programme, which trains clinical supervisors who supervise clinicians working within IAPT services.

I have enjoyed delivering workshops and career talks to local universities and to the public. I also acted as a discussant for a symposium on ‘IAPT and Primary Care’ and delivered a workshop at the 2019 BABCP national conference. The title of the workshop was ‘Maximising your effectiveness as a CBT Therapist’. Indeed, spreading the word of CBT and that mental health matters is something I am very passionate about.

I receive regular clinical supervision and ensure I am up to date with the latest developments in CBT. I am committed to Continued Professional Development and I am an accredited member of the BABCP. I am DBS checked and have Public Liability Insurance.

I’m Alison, I am an accredited therapist registered with the BABCP with a background of many years in NHS psychiatric nursing, a career I have thoroughly enjoyed! I have specialised in Alcohol and Drug issues and alongside this, have both ward-based and community experience in a broad range of psychological issues.

This cognitive-behavioural approach is a talking-therapy that can help illicit change through challenging specific current problems to gain a new perspective. In therapy we would work at a pace that suits you with the structure and timing fully explained and work together throughout. We’ll focus on the specific issues you find particularly difficult and look for practical ways to improve this. Your therapy – your goals!

Gaining support is the first step in working towards change and CBT is an evidence-based therapy that can assist in positive and manageable change. I can work with you on an extensive range of issues from everyday anxiety, stress or low mood to more persistent mental health issues such as:

• Social anxiety
• Health anxiety
• Panic Attacks Body image issues
• Depression Intrusive thoughts
• Self-esteem issues Anger management
• PTSD / trauma Sleep disturbance
• Bereavement Greif / loss
• Alcohol dependency Drug misuse

Also, emotions, mood and life events related to the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Psychotherapy aims to stop negative cycles which causes distress or anxiety or fear or embarrassment, by breaking into them. This lets you work to your goals and helps empower you to cope in a healthy way to feel better within yourself and deal with everyday life more confidently.

Training – ongoing training includes:

• Behavioural Activation for Depression
• CBT for Needle Phobia
• Advances in CBT for PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)
• Personality Disorder and CBT
• CBT for Health Anxiety and Corona Virus
• Early Intervention in Psychosis
• Volatile Substance Misuse
• Motivation Interviewing
• Co-occurring substance Misuse and Mental Health Disorders
• Treating Anxiety and PTSD

Having been particularly interested in cognitive behavioural therapy, I completed a basic skills course in 1999 and went on to complete a masters degree in psychosocial interventions and a post graduate diploma in cognitive behavioural psychotherapy. I am also trained in EMDR and DBT.

I have worked as a psychotherapist for the NHS for the last 13 years and during that time, helped to set up and teach on the IAPT high intensity CBT course at the University of Sheffield, for which our team won a Fellowship Award.

In the last 20 years I have worked with a diverse range of mental health problems with individuals and groups. I am particularly interested in helping people to understand how mental health problems develop, how they are maintained and most importantly, how they can be overcome.

I have extensive experience of providing evidenced based, CBT treatment for symptoms of:

• Severe worry / Generalised Anxiety Disorder
• Panic attacks and Agoraphobia
• Social Anxiety
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
• Health Anxiety
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Phobias
• Body Dysmorphic Disorder
• Depression
• Low self esteem
• Sleep difficulties
• Depression and anxiety in relation to Long term health conditions and medically unexplained symptoms.

I enjoy working collaboratively with clients to build a strong therapeutic relationship and develop skills and techniques to reduce symptoms and improve their wellbeing and quality of life. I always endeavour to help clients feel safe and supported throughout this process. I pride myself on my skills to help clients feel at ease and feel able to be open and honest throughout their journey in treatment. I am passionate about CBT as I believe it helps clients develop a deeper understanding of their difficulties and enables them to take control of their own mental health and make positive changes to improve their mood.

CBT is a proactive, present focused treatment which aims to help clients develop the strategies they need to tackle their emotional difficulties. It is goal focused, meaning we work together to identify what you would like to get out of treatment, and how we can work together to achieve this.

I engage in regular clinical supervision to ensure I provide the best possible care and continue to develop my clinical skills. I am also a qualified clinical supervisor and have experience in training and supervising other staff members in the treatment of depression and anxiety disorders.

I am a member of the BABCP and adhere to all ethical and professional standards, including data protection and client confidentially. I am fully DBS checked and hold public liability insurance.

Prior to training as a psychotherapist, I was a Social Worker in Adult Social Care, in Community Mental Health and supporting women fleeing domestic abuse. More recently I worked as a CBT therapist in a community Pain Management Team, providing CBT support for patients living with chronic pain and long-term health conditions.

In my therapy I draw on theory and practice from Acceptance and Commitment therapy (ACT), mindfulness and Compassion Focussed Therapy (CFT).

After my BSc(Hons) Psychology, I embarked on my Psychotherapy training with the University of Manchester, graduating with a Post Graduate Diploma in Cognitive Therapy in 2004.

Since then, I have worked in Service Development roles in Severe and Enduring Mental Health and worked in Senior roles in the NHS Primary and Secondary Care Psychology Services, and as a Consultant Psychotherapist in Forensic Psychiatry, successfully developing a Psychotherapy department and service in a Secure Hospital. I have also worked as Modality Lead in an NHS IAPT Service, and for a time in full time Private Practice. I currently work in Secondary Care Psychology for complex psychological presentations.

I have worked with most psychological difficulties, and am comfortable treating adolescents and adults. I am also qualified in Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (Parts I,II and III), and HCR-20 (Historical Clinical Risk). I have also completed my IAPT Supervisors Training (University of York), and have Clinically Supervised Post Graduate Psychotherapy Students, Clinical Psychology Trainees, and Medical Doctors completing Mental Health Training and Psychotherapy Training. I am also experienced in providing training, teaching, and have co-presented a Psychological model of Compulsive Buying at the BABCP Conference in Exeter.

I strongly believe in a good strong therapeutic relationship based on trust, respect and equality in sessions. I want people to be heard, and I believe in achieving a shared understanding of a problem as being a strong foundation to successful treatment.

Unhelpful thoughts and uncomfortable feelings are a normal part of being human. Sometimes however, we get stuck in painful vicious cycles by reacting to them in unhelpful ways. This doesn’t mean that we are broken, only stuck. If you would like to become unstuck by learning new ways of responding to these thoughts and feelings then maybe I can help you.

I have a lot of experience assessing and treating a wide range of anxiety and mood problems using CBT. I use a range of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and mindfulness tools to enhance and compliment traditional CBT. Over the years I have found this approach to be extremely effective in helping people to recognise and break unhelpful patterns, overcome problems and particularly in preventing relapse.

My aim is to get to know you and your personal values well so that we can, together, understand your main issues and make sense of what’s maintaining them.

If you’re finding yourself hooked by unhelpful thoughts and uncomfortable feelings, a CBT/ACT toolkit can help you manage these differently, empowering you to make the desired changes you need to live a richer, fuller and more meaningful life.