THERAPY - Caring for you
As a clinical psychologist, I aim to create a warm, gentle, collaborative and encouraging environment to help clients flourish during therapy. I see my role as a privilege and work with clients to help make change in the areas that they identify as being important.
I am able to offer therapy to both individuals and couples navigating challenges together. Please see below a list of difficulties that I have experience working with:
- Depression
- Anxiety difficulties including social anxiety, health anxiety, panic disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and phobias
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Body image difficulties and appearance-related concerns
- Low self-esteem
- Difficulties with shame, guilt and self-disgust
- Adjusting to a health condition or life changing injury
- Distress due to medical challenges during the perinatal period
- Anticipatory grief
The main therapeutic models that I use are Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). I use an integrative approach, drawing on psychological techniques from a range of evidence-based therapeutic approaches, depending on what is contributing to and maintaining a person's difficulties or distress.
QUALIFICATIONS & ACCREDITATION
I am registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as a Practitioner Psychologist. Please see a list of my qualifications below.
- Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (DClinPsy) – Cardiff University, 2022
- Low Intensity Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Interventions – University of East Anglia, 2018
- MRes Clinical Psychology – University of Birmingham, 2015
- BSc (Hons) Psychology – The University of Wolverhampton, 2013
I have also undertaken further training in Compassion Focussed Therapy and EMDR.
EXPERIENCE
Prior to commencing clinical psychology training in 2019, I worked as an Assistant Psychologist in an adult eating disorders service and then as a Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner in NHS Talking Therapies where I supported clients with mild to moderate depression and anxiety difficulties.
During clinical psychology training, I completed four core placements with clients across the lifespan. In my final year, I specialised in perinatal mental health where I was on placement in a community perinatal service and an inpatient Mother and Baby Unit.
After qualifying as a clinical psychologist in 2022, I worked in a children’s hospital across cardiology and critical care services. Within this role, I worked with children, their parents and families to help them cope with a child’s diagnosis, upcoming medical procedures and stressors related to inpatient admissions including sitting with uncertainty. Whilst in this post, I developed a particular interest in using CFT after seeing how beneficial it can be for clients during incredibly difficult times in their lives.
At present I am working in a primary-care based eating disorders service for adults.
One thing to be clear on when you’re choosing a psychologist, is that therapists are humans too. This means no one therapist will feel ‘right’ for everyone. I want you to know that that even if we aren’t a helpful match, there will be a therapist out there for you, so please hold hope that you can be supported in the way you need.
SUPERVISION
I have experience providing supervision and teaching on Compassion Focussed Therapy. I am currently accepting supervisees who are keen to develop their own compassion focussed therapy skills and their own self-practice.
PUBLICATIONS
Thomson, K. and Thompson, A. (2024). The experiences of individuals with body dysmorphic disorder: A systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative research. Body Image, 50, 101727. (10.1016/j.bodyim.2024.101727)