Camilla Poncia, BSc (Hons), MSc, C Psychol

About me

I am a Chartered Counselling Psychologist and accredited supervisor for therapists. I have over 12 years experience working with adults, couples, adolescents and children. I also offer family therapy. I run a well established private practice in Westbourne, Bournemouth from dedicated consulting rooms. My practice is quiet, discrete and welcoming.

As a psychological therapist my aim is to help you cope with feelings and symptoms and change behaviour patterns that may contribute to your difficulties. My approach is not simply about "talking about your problems" but also to work towards solutions and enabling you to regain more control over your life. This approach can be brief or longer term, depending on the severity of your issues but the emphasis is on helping develop more rational thinking styles.

When you first come to see me, you will be booked in for an assessment session which is usually a double session to allow enough time for me to get a detailed history and understanding of your difficulties. At the end of the assessment I will be in a better position to discuss how we will proceed from there in terms of duration of therapy and specific goals that you may have. You will always be an active participant in therapy and I will endeavour to frequently check your progress and ask for feedback in terms of how you feel therapy is progressing. There is nothing worse than not being able to express your own frustrations if you feel things are not moving forward, therefore I always welcome good feedback and open discussions.

I have experience in working with a wide range of disorders and difficulties, including anxiety, depression, OCD, trauma, eating disorders, ADHD, psychosexual issues, personality based difficulties, addictions, self harm and bipolar disorder to name but a few. Different approaches may suit different types of difficulties or disorders, I will always inform you as to what approach I think would best suit your problems and explain how we might go about conducting the therapeutic approach.

I also run established psychoeducational groups on Assertiveness and Comfort Eating (or people with an unhealthy relationship with food) which have had very positive feedback so far. These groups usually take place in an early evening and would consist of no more than 6 people. Groups have been proven to be very effective for certain types of issues as they enable people to share thoughts and ideas and help support each other.