Dr Mark Groves

I am a Chartered Clinical Psychologist, registered with the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC). As a Clinical Psychologist, I am trained to doctoral level to deliver evidence-based therapy from a variety of therapeutic models. This allows me to tailor therapy to your individual needs. If you want to find out more, I have written a little about how a Clinical Psychologist is different from a Counsellor, Psychotherapist and Psychiatrist below.

How is a Clinical Psychologist different?

Clinical Psychologists train to a doctoral level in a range of therapies.  This allows us to tailor therapy to your specific needs, no manuals! A particular skill for Clinical Psychologists is our training in understanding what is going on for you and why. By being aware of why we are struggling, we can then make steps to overcome those difficulties.  Counsellors and Psychotherapists are also qualified therapeutic practitioners but are generally trained in one therapeutic model and not to doctoral level. Psychiatrists are also doctors but they work with people experiencing mental health difficulties using medications to help manage these difficulties rather than talking therapies.

Why do people choose to have therapy?

People look into therapy for a variety of reasons including psychological, emotional, personal or relational difficulties. I am passionate about understanding each person as an individual and tailoring therapy to their unique needs. I have trained in a breadth of psychological models, which allows me to adapt therapy appropriately by selecting the aspects that will be most helpful to you.

My values

I believe that people are the expert of their own experiences but challenging life events can mean that any one of us can develop difficulties with our mental health and wellbeing and then find it difficult to identify a way of moving forward. At these times, I am passionate about offering my expertise as a Clinical Psychologist, combining this with the individual’s expertise about themselves to support them to make meaningful changes in their lives.

I want to support the people I work with to challenge the stigma that can often be attached to a mental health difficulty and provide a framework for them to develop a perspective of a mental health struggle as an understandable reaction when considered within the context of their life experiences. I understand that seeking psychological therapy can be daunting and scary so my initial aim for everybody I see is to develop a trusting relationship with them. This allows us to work openly and develop a plan together for moving forward, which is meaningful to the individual. Experiencing a mental health difficulty or living with a chronic condition can be all consuming and I have hope for everybody I work with that change is possible.

What to expect from your therapy sessions

I work to provide a safe, contained and confidential space on a weekly basis in which you can share the difficulties you want to work on, at a pace, you feel comfortable, so we can work together towards understanding and change in the direction of your values.

The first session is the assessment where we will explore what you have come to therapy for, what you have tried in the past, what helped and what didn't help. At the end of this session, I will try and make some recommendations around what may be most helpful for you.

After the assessment session, the therapy sessions will be 50 minutes. Each person I work with is unique and so it is difficult to predict how many sessions will be needed. From a personal perspective, my aim is only to work with a person for as long as it is helpful and to empower the person to leave therapy with the skills they need.

Taking the next steps

I appreciate that looking for a therapist can feel a bit overwhelming and confusing. I hope the information above will help to answer some of your questions but if you would like to know more, please contact me in confidence at mark@flexiblemindspsychology.co.uk

I also work with people experiencing chronic health conditions such as chronic fatigue and chronic pain. I work with young adults and I also offer group work.

I provide a bespoke service that is designed to meet your individual needs. For a 60 minute assessment fees are £130. Individual therapy sessions are £130 and are 50 minutes. I may consider concessions so please ask me. Please get in touch with me if you would like to find out more by email mark@flexiblemindspsychology.co.uk