Dr Debbie Stuart
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This professional is currently not accepting new clients at this time.
This professional is currently not accepting new clients at this time.
About me
I am a Chartered Clinical Psychologist working with adults. This means I trained to doctorate level in the NHS, where I worked for 15 years. In the NHS I worked mostly in teams across community and inpatient settings. The people I worked with had complex and longstanding mental health concerns, enabling me to develop a set of skills that I bring to my work now. I have had my own practice since 2016, located in a quiet street in Tooting. I encourage everyone to come in person.
Whilst I am trained in a number of different approaches, over time I have found that I work best using a psychoanalytic approach. This means working within a safe and reliable relationship to gradually explore and understand your inner world. It often involves bringing underlying or hidden ideas and feelings to light. Most people find that, over time, being able to look at these buried feelings helps to make some sense of themselves, opening up options and reducing self-defeating and painful patterns of behaviour.
What to expect
After a preliminary call we would usually arrange to meet for two initial consultations. I find it takes time to get to know one another and having two initial meetings can help us decide whether I am the right person to help you. If at the second meeting we agree we would like to continue working together, we will arrange to make a start on regular sessions.
Because it can take time to understand and change long-standing ways of relating to yourself and others, I work in an open-ended way. This means we don’t set a certain number of sessions at the start, and we finish when you feel ready. Psychoanalytic psychotherapy is an in-depth approach that gently challenges long-held ideas and patterns. I pay close attention to how you find this, and adjust the pace and depth to allow progress to unfold at your own pace.
What I can help with
People come to see me with different problems or concerns. Often the people I work with have tried shorter, symptom-focused therapies and are now looking for something more. Many people have concerns that they feel are linked to trauma or their early family situations. Some people aren’t really sure how to describe the problem. Whatever the concern, I will take it seriously, help you put words to it and to consider how you would like to move forward.
Examples of problems I work with might be:
- Problems in finding or sustaining relationships
- Feeling either overwhelmed by or cut-off from emotions
- Abuse or trauma
- Complex family relationships
- Loss or bereavement
- Medically unexplained pains or sensations
Training, qualifications & experience
My Qualifications and Training
- Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, 2006, University of East London
- MSc in Systemic Psychotherapy, 2014, Kings College London
- MSc in Philosophy and Ethics of Mental Health, 2000, University of Warwick
- BSc (Hons) in Psychology, 1999, University of York
- I am registered with the BPS (Membership no. 456123) and HCPC (Registration no. PYL17582).
- Candidate Member of the British Psychoanalytic Association (meaning I am undertaking a training in Psychoanalysis)
My experience
I worked in the NHS before, during and after my Clinical Psychology training, from 2000 to 2016. Post-qualification I worked mostly with people who had complex or long-standing issues. This meant working as part of a team in both outpatient and inpatient units. For the last seven years there I held a senior post which meant my work also included managing and training others, collaborating in research, and teaching at various training institutions. I bring these skills to my work now, having moved into private practice in 2016.
I also qualified as a Systemic Family Therapist and spent some years in the NHS working with couples and families. I no longer do this work but carry an understanding of couple and family dynamics into my individual work now.
I now also work part-time at CPU London, a well-respected charitable organisation offering low-cost long term psychotherapy to those less able to access the private sector. I have also held various academic posts for example at UCL and The Anna Freud Centre for Children and Families.
Member organisations
school Registered / Accredited
Being registered/accredited with a professional body means an individual must have achieved a substantial level of training and experience approved by their member organisation.
The HCPC are an independent, UK-wide health regulator. They set standards of professional training, performance and conduct for 16 professions.
They keep a register of health professionals who meet their standards, and they take action if registered health professionals fall below those standards. They were created by a piece of legislation called the Health Professions Order 2001.
Registration means that a health professional meets national standards for their professional training, performance and conduct.
Areas of counselling I deal with
Fees
£90.00 per session
Additional information
The initial consultation is for 75 minutes, charged at £110
The second consultation is for 50 minutes, charged at £90
The fee for 50-minute weekly sessions is £90
Some people come more frequently, in which case the fee per session is reduced.
I also work as part of the Low Fee Scheme with the British Psychoanalytic Association, which means I can offer psychoanalysis (4 or 5 times a week) at a significantly reduced fee. Please get in touch if you are interested.
When I work
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