Gemma Krier-Mead

Welcome to my Therapy page. I'm a Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist, Mindfulness Practitioner (Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy) and I am trained in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.  I am also a registered Mental Health Nurse. I am a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP Reg) and licenced for practice with the NMC (Nursing, Midwifery Council).  I have over 20 years of qualified clinical experience behind me and I have supported many people, young and older, to overcome a wide range of mental health conditions and emotional problems, within the NHS, private practice, education, forensics, courts/criminal justice and the voluntary sector.

I believe that everyone, with the right kind of support, has the potential to master their life struggles or mental health problems, despite what a person is facing or how they may be feeling. For me this is important, having this belief for a person to live a happier and meaningful life, especially so when a person feels like they have lost their hope and confidence. 

How could I help you?

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy helps you change the way that you feel, through making changes with how you think and your behaviour. Let’s give an example, if a person feels really down or anxious, it's not that their thinking is wrong or bad, but it's likely that the person experiences very critical, worrying or negative thoughts. This in turn affects the way that they feel and what they feel able to do. I would help you find ways of thinking about yourself differently, supporting you to develop more balanced thinking. We all see the world through our own eyes, based partly on our past experiences. If our beliefs about ourselves as a person are not so good, then this can darken our view of the world, like putting on a pair of dark glasses. But it doesn't have to be this way, as you can learn to develop more positive beliefs. Often our problems get stronger because of the things we do, or don't do perhaps. Making sense of this and trying out new things gives you the chance to make real changes in your life. CBT isn't a complicated kind of therapy and many people have found it so helpful for their recovery.

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy has its roots in the far East, from ancient Buddhist practice; but you don't have to be a Buddhist or even have any beliefs to practice being Mindful. Mindfulness helps you to stay in the present moment and to accept yourself for who you are without criticism or judgment. Our minds can be filled with so much worry or anxious thinking or perhaps we feel stuck in the past, beating ourselves up with what could have been or what we should have done. You may find that you are really battling with your thoughts, or trying to push them away. In the end, this can make us feel much worse. It's as if our mind really does have a mind of its own. Before we know it, we can be left feeling so down, upset or angry, without truly understanding how we got to feel this way. Using a Cognitive Mindfulness approach you can learn ways to become mindful in your own life, from practicing different meditations and breath techniques, to learning more about the way that you think and feel. You will discover that you can slow your mind down and give yourself the chance to step aside from these loops of thinking. In doing so you give yourself the space to think about things differently and act differently too. Mindfulness can help not just emotional difficulties but also with physical problems too.

I am the founder of Therapy at Promise and I offer therapy with Face to Face appointments, Skype or with Phone.

For fees, please do enquire with me directly

Each session lasts 50 minutes

I believe that therapy should be affordable for everyone, so I am able to offer a limited number of reduced fee rates for anyone that would not be able to afford on-going therapy

I work in a Private Therapy Practice in central Kingston, Kingston-Upon-Thames, South West London, Surrey and I am soon to be expanding my practice to Harley Street, London.

* Home visits can be made if travelling to see your Therapist is difficult, due to your personal circumstances.  For your first session we would ask that you come to the Therapy Practice.  Fees may vary depending upon your location.

How soon would I be able to see you?

I will get in touch with you on the same day that you contact me.  I am usually able to offer people their first appointment within the week.  

I would be able to see you during the weekdays and evenings and over the weekend.

I also offer workshops and courses for clients and professionals/support staff on overcoming Anxiety, Depression, Bi-polar, Psychosis, Mental Health Awareness and Mindfulness.  Anyone is welcome, whether you are experiencing these difficulties yourself or you care about and support someone whom is.