Dr Alesia Moulton-Perkins

Have you or your child ever wondered whether you might have ADHD, Autism/ASD or Tics/Tourettes. Or maybe you already have a diagnosis and need support coping with these conditions? Perhaps anxiety, low mood, difficulties with relationships, or problems at school, college or work are holding you or your child back. In a complimentary initial session we will explore this together, and make a plan: this could be with me, or one of my colleagues at Neurodiverse Online if I think they are a better fit. We're a small, caring & highly expert team of psychologists working with neurodiverse adults and children

As a highly experienced and qualified clinical psychologist and cognitive behavioural therapist I have the right training and experience to diagnose and treat neurodevelopmental conditions, as well as emotional problems like anxiety and low mood/depression. I can help you to understand yourself better, enjoy life more and achieve a greater sense of wellbeing. By contracting a clinical psychologist, you can be confident you are receiving the highest levels of expertise and training currently available amongst mental health professionals in the UK.

I specialise in working with people who are seeking:

• a diagnosis of Autism, ADHD and Tourette's
  
• CBT for ADHD
  
• Psychological therapies for mental health difficulties in the context of autism
• therapy for Touette's/Tic Disorder (for adults). I offer Habit Reversal Therapy, CBiTS (Comprehensive Behavioural Intervention for Tics) and Explosure and Response Prevention.
  
• Support for parents, partners and families supporting people with neurodevelopmental conditions
• Cognitive assessments of learning difficulties and support for applying for accommodations in exams including school/college liaison

I can also treat the following mental health problems:

• anxiety disorders and stress, particularly generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), worry,  post-traumatic disorder (PTSD), panic attacks and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
• feeling sad or depressed including low self-esteem and low self-confidence
• relationship problems
• workplace issues e.g. relationship issues at work, work-related stress, bullying
• long term physical health conditions (LTCs)

Whatever your problem I will help you by using the most effective, evidence-based therapies like CBT, compassion-focused therapy, mindfulness and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT).

Where I work

I work mainly by video call but occasionally see face to face clients in Worthing.

How to arrange an appointment

The easiest thing to do is click the red ‘Email me’ button on my profile here. Alternatively, you can:

• email me directly on alesia@onlinepsychologyandcounselling.com
• phone me on  07903 653177

What are the unique features of what I offer?

• Specialist knowledge and skills in assessing Autism  I am trained to diagnose autism using NHS-recognised gold standard tools like the ADOS-2 and ADI-R
• Diagnosis of ADHD using NHS-recognised diagnostic tools
• Cognitive-behavioural therapy for ADHD, learning practical tools to deal with memory and concentration difficulties, disorganisation and impulsivity
• Therapy for Tourette's/Tic Dsorder such as Behavioural Therapy, Habit Reversal Therapy,or CBiTs
• Specialist training and experience in CBT, the most effective and evidence-based therapy recommended by the NHS. I have advanced training in CBT and have even taught it to new therapists at the University of Surrey so I am well placed to offer you one of the most effective, practical therapies currently available. I am a fully accredited CBT therapist with the BABCP.
• I am a clinical psychologist: this means that I have one of the broadest and most in depth therapy trainings of all therapy professions. Being a clinical psychologist means I am registered with the Health and Social Care Professions Council (HCPC) a goverment body set up to regulate healthcare professions and provide the public with quality assurance. I also hold chartership with the British Psychological Society. This means you can be sure you are seeing a properly trainined professional who is trained to work with a broad range of problems and client groups.
• Extra online materials: Included in your session fee, I provide extra online materials so you can extend and consolidate your recovery and learning between our sessions. From mindfulness or relaxation exercises to downloadable information packs, all resources can be viewed on a mobile phone or tablet as well as desktop computer
• Special training in online therapy: To give you the most ethical, highest quality and innovative service possible I completed specialist training in how to conduct therapy effectively online.

What are the benefits of therapy by video call

• Many scientific studies show that receiving online therapy is equally effective to in person therapy. For some people it can be even more effective. For example, people who are particularly shy or have social anxiety sometimes feel more comfortable online.
• Evidence from many studies shows that the therapeutic relationship formed by video call is just as strong as when people meet in person. Many of my clients have told me they felt a great sense of rapport and are very comfortable talking with me in this way.
• If you are a parent, have caring responsibilities, or live in a remote location online therapy can be the only way to get help.
• If you are a busy professional, distance counselling or remote therapy can be more convenient and time efficient. You can even have a session in your lunch hour if you wish

What is the difference between a clinical psychologist and a counsellor? Why are your fees higher than counsellors?

People often use the terms ‘counselling’, ‘psychological therapy’, ‘psychotherapy’, or ‘psychology’ interchangeably, but in fact they differ. These differences can be subtle and will vary according to individual practitioners.

Let’s look at the similarities first. As a client, the similarities you are likely to notice are that you will have the opportunity to explore your feelings and experiences safely with a qualified professional. In addition to listening carefully and asking relevant questions, both psychologists and counsellors will develop an understanding of your distress based on relevant theory, and will use this to guide the sessions. Another similarity is that both psychologists and counsellors will use an initial session (or sessions) to decide with you if they are the right person to help.

One of the main differences you are likely to notice is that psychology tends to focus in from a broad examination of your life towards identifying a particular issue that may be sustaining your problems, and works to overcome this using tried and trusted techniques. Counselling, on the other hand, often maintains a broader focus. It may be helpful to think of psychology as being based in traditional science, and counselling as a more philosophical approach.

This is reflected in the training:

• a clinical psychologist must by law have a doctorate in clinical psychology, while a counsellor should have at least a diploma recognised by one of the professional bodies (e.g. the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy). A clinical psychologist must have as a minimum completed 6 years of full time university education including an undergraduate degree plus a three year doctorate. A counsellor may have only completed a two year part time diploma on top of their university degree (although many counsellors have gone on to do further qualifications, it is not a requirement of their profession)
• Generally, the initial training of clinical psychologists is longer, broader, and prepares them to work with ‘clinical’ problems that are often more complex and severe than counsellors who generally work with problems that wouldn't have a clinical diagnosis. For example, counsellors’ initial training includes one therapy model with a particular age group, whereas clinical psychologists’ initial training must include several models and several client groups. Of course, there are always exceptions and many counsellors will have gone on to do other further qualifications after their initial training so they are able to work with a variety of therapy models and client groups.
• Clinical psychologists are trained to deliver evidence-based, scientifically validated therapies such as CBT. Counsellors are less likely to have had training in empirically validated structured treatments like CBT.
• Clinical psychologists are trained to conduct detailed psychological assessment, including assessments of cognitive functioning and the use of psychometric tests. Counsellors are not trained to do this.

Each approach has its pros and cons, and at the end of the day which you choose is very personal. Just bear in mind though that the title ‘counsellor’ is not protected in law, whereas the title 'clinical psychologist' is, so it is important to check what training your chosen professional has.

• People with long term physical health conditions (LTCs)
• Expats

Therapy: An Initial Consultation Session lasts 90 minutes and costs £195. The fee includes the assessment interview, and administration and scoring of assessment questionnaires. I am happy to include a mental health diganosis (if appropriate) for those patients who require this for insurance purposes, or for their own interest. Ongoing Therapy Sessions cost £130 per 50 minute session

Autism and ADHD Diagnostic Assessments: These have a different fee structure, with the cost depending on whether you require a report, and how much detail you reqiuire in it. Please contact me for further details.

Payment is taken prior to sessions. If you have health insurance I am registered with BUPA as a recognised provider. Depending on your policy, you may be able to have an autism or ADHD diagnostic assessment covered by your insurer.

Testimonials from clients

“Thanks again. I am generally feeling much better - I feel like I have a rock on which to stand, rather than before, when I felt I didn't have anything to stand on. I felt like you strike a really good balance between being a professional therapist with clear goals and lots of techniques, and also being a human being yourself, being down to earth, with humour and anecdotes, and empathy." Chris

"I’m really pleased I went ahead with therapy... I opted to have the therapy over video phone which was great because I could fit it in my lunch hour at work, which I wouldn’t have been able to do if I need to attend face to face therapy. Alesia was great. She gave me some really useful tools to take away from the sessions which really made me feel I could finally move forward. Even though we spoke over video call I still feel I was able to build a rapport with her. She was very easy going and I felt I could say everything I needed to in front of her without any judgement. I would thoroughly recommend both Alesia, and telephone therapy if you don’t have time to commit to face to face therapy."  Sarah

"If you have a busy schedule and or live in a remote location, I highly recommend online therapy with Alesia. She made it easy to settle into each session and not a single session was wasted. She actively listens and provides the help and tools needed to make improvements in mental health and life. I cannot stress how easier I find day to day activities now." Adam