A. Brassett-Harknett
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
Since 2002 I have been specialising in working with adults with eating disorders, body-image disorders, and post-traumatic stress.
I have also worked with, and welcome enquiries from, adults who are troubled by all manner of other psychological problems, such as: depression and mood disorders; anxiety; panic disorder; phobias; obsessive compulsive disorder; addictions; relationship difficulties; bereavement; personality disorders; life transition problems; employment-related issues; gender and sexuality issues; autistic spectrum disorders; and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. This list is not exhaustive, and I welcome whatever psychological problem a client chooses to bring to therapy.
In my work I integrate a number of different therapies in which I have been trained, to suit each individual client I see. The emphasis of the therapy depends upon my client’s preferences, his/her particular problem and/or the stage of therapy; I also take into consideration research evidence (e.g. NICE Guidelines).
I have been trained in the following approaches: existential psychotherapy; cognitive behavioural therapy; humanistic and person-centred therapy; motivational enhancement therapy; experiential therapies (e.g. Gestalt); hypnotherapy; psychodynamic psychotherapy; mentalisation-based therapy; emotion-focused therapy; compassion-based therapy; internal family systems therapy; lifespan integration; the Maudsley model of anorexia nervosa treatment for adults (MANTRA); and the Maudsley’s emotional and social mind model for bulimia and binge-eating (ESM).
I am bound by the codes of conduct and ethics of both the British Psychological Society (BPS) and the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). I am listed on the BACP’s accredited Register of Counsellors and Psychotherapists, and I am a member of their ‘Private Practice’ subdivision; I am also an invited Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine.
Training, qualifications & experience
Qualifications:
- Psychology BSc(Hons), University College London, 1994.
- Psychotherapy and Counselling Cert., Regents College London, 2001.
- Integrative Psychotherapy and Counselling MA(Hons), Regents College London, 2006.
Background and experience:
I began delivering talking therapy as an assistant psychologist in the NHS in 1994, where for a couple of years I worked in a general adult psychology department in a hospital in north London, under the supervision of Steve Pilling (one time Director of the ‘National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health’ (NCCMH), which produces the NICE mental health guidelines).
For many years following this I was an academic, carrying out research into a range of mental health, child development, educational and quality of life issues. For example, I was a research fellow at the Institute of Education (now part of UCL) from 2001-2007 where I was part of a team that developed the UK’s national birth cohort studies, and where I provided reports directly to the Department for Education and Employment, and published research in journals, monographs and in a co-authored book.
Then in 2002 I began working part-time in the NHS, at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust’s Adult Eating Disorder Unit at the Maudsley Hospital, receiving direct training and supervision from both Professor Janet Treasure and Professor Ulrike Schmidt. There I became responsible for developing expertise within the team at working with both complex trauma and eating disorders. I also helped to develop ‘MANTRA’ - a treatment for anorexia that is now recommended in the NICE guidelines; and I also helped to develop a group treatment for bulimia and binge-eating disorder, 'ESM', which I also use now with very successful outcomes in individual treatment. Whilst working at the Maudsley Hospital my team was named ‘Best Mental Health Team 2017’ by the British Medical Journal; and I was proud to be given the Trust’s 2017 award for ‘Transforming Lives’, for which I was nominated by my patients.
I have worked in private practice since 2004, with consulting rooms in in central London and in Croydon, Surrey. I now work in this capacity full-time, having left the NHS in early 2018. I have been supervising the work of other psychotherapists since 2007. Also, since 2020 I have been working collaboratively with The Nightingale Private Hospital in Marylebone, The Priory Private Hospital in Glasgow, South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust in Northern Ireland, and Ireland’s Health Services Executive.
Member organisations
BACP is one of the UK’s leading professional bodies for counselling and psychotherapy with around 60,000 members. The Association has several different categories of membership, including Student Member, Individual Member, Registered Member MBACP, Registered Accredited Member MBACP (Accred) and Senior Registered Accredited Member MBACP (Snr Acccred).
Registered and accredited members are listed on the BACP Register, which shows that they have demonstrated BACP’s recommended standards for training, proficiency and ethical practice. The BACP Register was the first register of psychological therapists to be accredited by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA).
Accredited and senior accredited membership are voluntary categories for members who choose to undertake a rigorous application and assessment process to demonstrate additional standards around practice, training and supervision.
Individual members will have completed an appropriate counselling or psychotherapy course and started to practise, but they won’t appear on the BACP Register until they've demonstrated that they meet the standards for registration. Student members are still in the process of completing their training.
All members are bound by the BACP Ethical Framework and a Professional Conduct Procedure.
Accredited register membership
The Accredited Register Scheme was set up in 2013 by the Department of Health (DoH) as a way to recognise organisations that hold voluntary registers which meet certain standards. These standards are set by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA).
This therapist has indicated that they belong to an Accredited Register.
Areas of counselling I deal with
Therapies offered
Fees
£120.00 - £200.00
Additional information
My fees range from £120-200 per person, and vary according to: the problem for which you are seeking therapy; whether you are seeking individual, couples’ or group therapy; and where therapy is conducted. For this reason, I would encourage you to drop me a line or give me a call so that we can discuss your circumstances, and I can give you a better idea of the cost.
When I work
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morning | |||||||
| Afternoon | |||||||
| Evening | |||||||
| Night |
Monday 11 a.m.–8 p.m.;
Tuesday 11 a.m.–8 p.m.;
Wednesday 11 a.m.–7 p.m.;
Thursday 11 a.m.–6 p.m.;
Friday 12 p.m.–6 p.m.
Further information
How to get started:
If you would like to consider embarking on a course of therapy with me, just drop me a line by e-mail or give me a call (and, if I am unable to answer, please leave me a message on my confidential answerphone). I will happily answer any questions you have about how this could work for you.
I invite any prospective client to have a single assessment appointment first, before agreeing on a contract of therapy. This enables me to gather a great deal of information in order to determine whether a prospective client has a problem with which therapy can help, and whether I would be the right person to offer that help; it also gives my prospective client the opportunity to ask questions, and to determine whether I am the person with whom he/she would like to work, in the event that an offer of weekly sessions is made.
Following an assessment, I write a letter summarising what was discussed, and, if relevant, make an offer of therapy with details about the estimated length of treatment and the psychological/psychotherapeutic model that would be used. My prospective client can then choose whether or not to take up the offer, and if so, a regular weekly time can be agreed upon and a first appointment can be booked.
Sample of ex-client testimonials:
“First and most importantly I would like to say a big thank you to all of your great knowledge, expertise and rationality that you have shared with me to try and help me to beat the eating disorder. Not only are you are great professional therapist, you are a warm, lovely, funny and intelligent woman…I feel I can talk to you about anything without worrying about any consequences.”
"Above all I want to thank you for helping me beat the unbeatable, change the unchangeable and believe in the unbelievable…You never let me give up, you picked me up off the floor, taught me how to crawl and then walk. Now I can run but I will never forget the one who made me believe I could win the race. Through your work, you make miracles and together we have achieved a miracle. I owe you everything.”
“I want to thank you so much for your help and support. You are the BEST THERAPIST I have ever had. You have helped me realise that there is so much more to life without an eating disorder. … Thanks again for being such a positive encouraging therapist.”
“First and foremost I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for making it so easy for me to come here and talk to you… I am eternally grateful to you for helping me to find the courage and offering me the comfort of listening and helping to open up. You were never overbearing or pushy, so I was not afraid to come and speak to you, so thank you for this…For all this, I am my future self will always be eternally grateful to you.”
“For every single moment of your time you have given to my treatment over the past 10 months, I thank you. You will never know how much it has meant to me, to know you and receive your help in all its many forms. You saved my life. I will never forget you, your kindness and the many lessons and advice that have contributed to this point. From one happy customer!”
“I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for the incredible changes I have witnessed in my life, that wouldn’t have been possible without your wise and compassionate guidance.”
“If you had asked me 9 months ago where I saw myself now, I would never have thought it possible that I could be where I am today. I just feel like I have been given a new lease of life, and I am so grateful for that. Over the past few months I have learned so much from you. You have allowed me to be someone who I’ve always wanted to be - you have let me be the ‘real’ me…You have helped me get my life back and I am never going to let it go.”
Publications:
(note that a change in my marital status in 2004 resulted in a change of name)
Brassett-Harknett, A. J. & Butler, N. (2007) Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: an overview of the etiology and a review of the literature relating to the correlates and lifecourse outcomes for men and women. Clinical Psychology Review, 27 (2), 188-210.
Brassett-Harknett, A. J., Butler, N., Joshi, H. & Bryar, R. (2006) Health visitors’ awareness of local service accessibility. Community Practitioner, 79 (3), 49-53.
Brassett-Grundy, A., Joshi, H. & Butler, N. (2004) Millennium Cohort Study: Health Visitor Survey Interim Report. London: Centre for Longitudinal Studies, Institute of Education, University of London.
Brassett-Grundy, A. & Butler, N. (2004) Prevalence and Adult Outcomes of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: evidence from a 30-year prospective longitudinal study. BG Occasional Papers No. 2. London: Bedford Group for Lifecourse and Statistical Analysis, Institute of Education, University of London.
Brassett-Grundy, A. & Butler, N. (2004) Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: an overview and review of the literature relating to the correlates and lifecourse outcomes for males and females. BG Occasional Papers No. 1. London: Bedford Group for Lifecourse and Statistical Analysis, Institute of Education, University of London.
Schuller, T., Hammond, C., Preston, J., Brassett-Grundy, A. & Bynner, J. (2004) The Benefits of Learning. London: RoutledgeFalmer.
Brassett-Grundy, A. & Hammond, C. (2003) Family Learning: What Parents Think. Centre for the Wider Benefits of Learning Monograph No. 4. London: Institute of Education, University of London.
Brassett-Grundy, A. (2003) Researching Households and Families Using the Longitudinal Study. LS User Guide 20. London: Office for National Statistics.
Jackson, S., Feinstein, L., Levacic, R., Owen, C., Simon, A. & Brassett-Grundy, A. (2002) The Costs and Benefits of Educating Children in Care. CLS Cohort Studies Working Paper No.4.
Jackson, S., Feinstein, L., Levacic, R., Owen, C., Simon, A. & Brassett-Grundy, A. (2002) The Costs and Benefits of Educating Children in Care. A Report to the Social Exclusion Unit from The Thomas Coram Research Unit, Institute of Education, University of London.
Schuller, T., Brassett-Grundy, A., Hammond, C. & Preston, J. (2002) Learning, Continuity and Change in Adult Life. Centre for the Wider Benefits of Learning Research Report No. 3. London: Institute of Education, University of London.
Brassett-Grundy, A. (2002) Parental Perspectives of Family Learning. Centre for the Wider Benefits of Learning Research Report No. 2. London: Institute of Education, University of London.
