About me
My name is Ishpal and welcome to my profile. I am a Senior Counselling Psychologist and I have more than 15 years experience in offering individual and couple therapy. I provide therapy for a wide range of emotional and behavioural difficulties, distressing life events, relationship difficulties, sexual problems, and personal development. I have experience and a special interest in working with relationship difficulties, sexual problems, sexual health, and long term health conditions, including cancer, diabetes, and HIV.
I have extensive experience working with LGBTQ+ clients and I am an ally. I have experience of working in numerous NHS services including primary and secondary care and have worked with people experiencing severe and enduring mental health difficulties, including depression, anxiety, mood disorders, and personality disorders. I also have experience within charity settings, specifically working with children and families affected by domestic abuse.
I have specialist experience in working with people living with long term health conditions, depression and anxiety, identity difficulties, racial trauma and sexual difficulties.
How I work
I offer psychological therapy for individuals and couples and I work using an integrative approach, drawing on a number of theories, including: humanistic, psychodynamic, cognitive behavioural, narrative, and psychosexual therapies. I have extensive training and clinical experience working with different therapeutic approaches and this enables me to work flexibly to meet the needs of my clients. I offer therapy for personal development, for people to gain greater insight into themselves and their relationships, and for a range of emotional and behavioural difficulties.
My experience
In addition to working privately, I previously worked within the NHS as a Senior Psychologist in a specialist Sexual Health and HIV service. I have more than a decade of experience working with people with long term health conditions and I provide Psychosexual therapy to individuals and couples experiencing sexual problems and relationship issues. My portfolio of experience is varied; I have worked with adults and young people experiencing depression, anxiety, domestic abuse, health anxiety, low self esteem, relationship difficulties and sexual problems and have many years experience working with LGBTQ+ clients.
I am registered with the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC) and am a Chartered member of the British Psychological Society and I am committed to high ethical standards of practice and professional development.
As a psychologist, I have a particular responsibility to highlight and support individuals and communities who experience racism, homophobia, sexism, transphobia; any form of injustice that means people are treated unjustly or are ignored by society. In my service I seek to challenge institutional racism, sexism, homophobia and transphobia, and create a service that focuses instead on empowerment, hope and equity.
Next Steps
Thinking about starting therapy can be anxiety provoking and you may have many questions about what therapy involves. I offer a free 20 minute telephone consultation as an opportunity for you to ask any questions you may have about me or the way I work. After this, we can make an appointment for an in-person or online consultation.
If you decide to meet with me for an initial consultation, I will use the opportunity to learn more about you, your needs, current difficulties, and hopes for therapy. This is also an opportunity for you see how I work and reflect on how comfortable you feel working with me. Toward the end of this initial consultation we will think together about a way forward.
Training, qualifications & experience
- CPsychol (British Psychological Society - Chartered Psychologist)
- PsychD in Psychotherapeutic and Counselling Psychology (University of Surrey)
- BSc (Hons) in Psychology (Royal Holloway, University of London)
- Highly specialist experience in Sexual Health Psychology and Psychosexual therapy working with individuals and couples.
- Secondary care experience working with people with severe and enduring mental health difficulties.
- Working with children and young people and people experiencing domestic abuse.
- Long term health difficulties, working with individuals, couples and carers.
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.
British Psychological Society
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
Other areas of counselling I deal with
- Relationship difficulties
- Racial trauma
- Painful sex
- Problems with getting or maintaining erections
- Early or delayed ejaculation
- Loss of interest or enjoyment in sex
- Difficulty in reaching orgasm
- Feeling out of control with sex
- Sexually transmitted infections
- HIV
- Infertility
- Conflicting feelings and/or fear of pregnancy
- Concerns about gender and/or sexuality
- Cultural and religious influences on sex
- Lack of knowledge about sex
Therapies offered
Fees
£120.00 per session
Concessions offered for
Health Insurance/EAP
Additional information
I offer a free 20 minute telephone or online consultation, you may have some questions about therapy and about what you would like from therapy, therefore I offer this telephone session as a first step.
My fees for initial consultation and subsequent 50 minute sessions are £120 for individuals and £140 for couples.
I offer concessionary prices on a limited basis for students, trainee therapists and lower-income earners/unemployed. Please do ask me about this when you call/email.
I am registered with various insurance companies including AXA PPP, Aviva, and WPA.
When I work
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Early morning | |||||||
| Morning | |||||||
| Early afternoon | |||||||
| Late afternoon | |||||||
| Evening |
Further information
As a registered psychologist, I am bound by the British Psychological Society (BPS) and the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) code of ethics.
