Dr. Jennifer Foster (PsychD, BSc, HCPC registered)

About me

I am a Clinical Psychologist with over 10 years experience of working in a wide range of settings. I currently practice as a lead psychologist for one of the projects in a pioneering, award winning psychology service in the NHS. I also work in private practice with individuals (adults and children), families, groups and organisations.

I offer specialist psychological assessment and psychotherapy using a range of approaches (Incl. amongst others: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy CBT, Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, Interpersonal Psychotherapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Mindfulness, Mentalization-Based Treatment MBT, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy DBT, Systemic, Solution Focused).

I have experienced in working with all areas of mental health, distress and life challenges including:

• Anxiety, stress and worry (incl. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder & trauma, Panic, Generalised Anxiety, OCD, Social Anxiety, Specific Phobias)
• Low mood, loss, bereavement and depression
• Interpersonal, personality and relationship difficulties
• Anger management
• Addiction(of all natures)
• Unusual experience (e.g hearing voices)
• Sex related difficulties
• Difficulties related to sexuality (LGBTQ)
• Eating problems
• Self-harm
• Life stage challenges (incl. professional issues, career/work/school issues, parenthood, divorce/separation, adjustment)
• Physical Health, pain and Medically Unexplained Physical Conditions

I work with adults and children and also provide coaching, consultation, training and supervision to those within the field, on doctoral training courses and in related disciplines.

I am passionate about helping groups and organisations think psychologically about complex issues. I also train staff teams and work with organisations who support people with complex needs (incl. care homes, homeless hostels, mental health services, schools).

I’m passionate about supporting and empowering others to make meaningful change in their lives and welcome you to contact me to discuss what you think would be most helpful for you at the current time.

As well as practising from consulting rooms in various London locations, I am also able to offer assessments and therapy at your home or office; many people find that this is more convenient for their busy schedules

Therapeutic Approach

Assessment

As a Clinical Psychologist, I am trained to conduct specialist assessments using a range of tools and by integrating information from various sources including self-report measures and interview to determine the most helpful treatment option. An assessment for psychological therapy would usually be completed in one session, but for specialist assessments and when using a variety of assessment methods this process may extend over several sessions depending on the degree of complexity. It will focus on understanding your current situation, and explore how and when the problems developed and what would be most helpful at the current time.

Formulation

The formulation is a key part of the psychological process and involves integrating the assessment information with psychological theory to provide a framework for describing and understanding your situation and experiences. This is where we pull together the relevant bits of your life story, past experiences and current situation to make sense of who you are, and what you do, and highlight where change, if relevant, might be possible.

Intervention

The intervention, if required, is based on the formulation.  For some people having an extended assessment and formulation may be sufficient to help them see the links between factors that cause and maintain their particular difficulties. For others, further sessions, called therapy, may be required to help them to develop alternative ways of coping or responding to challenges in their life, their difficulties and distress.

The in-depth nature of my training and experience allows me to draw from a number of models of therapy as required. This includes Cognitive Behavioural Therapy CBT, Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, Interpersonal Psychotherapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Mindfulness, Mentalization-Based Treatment MBT, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy DBT, Systemic, Solution Focused Therapy.  My broad and extensive training helps me to tailor specific formulations and treatments plans to you and your personal situation, thus increasing the efficacy of our work.

Some of the techniques may include:

• Using psychological models to facilitate change (e.g. when there are difficulties with motivation)
• Psycho-education (education to understand the nature of unpleasant physical or emotional symptoms and their link to difficulties such as anxiety or depression)
• Skills training (e.g. teaching skills such as mindfulness or techniques to manage worrying, self-critical or other distressing thoughts)
• Teaching problem solving skills and coping strategies
• Exploring personal values and belief structures to unveil meaningful aspects of life and guide value-based action
• Conducting behavioural experiments (termed "homework" in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, to test out beliefs or practice techniques taught in sessions)
• Looking at ways to improve communication techniques or the quality of relationships.

Type of clients

Individuals (adults, children and young people)
Families
Organisations

Format

Face to face assessment and therapy
Short term or long term – time-limited and agreed
Mentoring
Supervision
Teaching and Training
Consultation

Additional Information

I am registered with the Health and Care Professions Council.  This affiliation means that I agree to uphold the highest standards of professionalism and ethical consideration in all aspects of my therapeutic work and decision-making and am regularly monitored to ensure I abide by the professional standards as outlined by the HCPC.