Dr Nargis Islam

I am a Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Accredited Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT) Practitioner with over 15 years of experience in working with people with a wide range of emotional difficulties including anxiety, depression, panic, physical health related difficulties, relationship problems, low self-esteem, anger problems, childhood abuse, the psychological effects of trauma, stress and work related problems.

Why you might be considering therapy:

Life can be difficult, and we can experience emotional challenges, relationship worries or challenging situations. We can feel sad, anxious, hopeless and overwhelmed, and end up feeling ‘stuck’, finding it hard to think about what to do to make things feel or get better. It can be a big step to think about therapy, and even finding out about what therapists and therapies 'are out there' can be quite daunting. However difficult it feels, it is important to hold in mind that considering therapy may also be your first step in recognising that we all need support to work through painful and bewildering emotional challenges at some point in our lives, and that positive change is both possible and achievable.

What I offer:

I provide a client -centred, compassionate and non-judgemental psychological therapy service, and my approach to therapeutic work is to be open and collaborative. Central to my approach is the importance of the therapeutic relationship; a safe and supportive space within which you can work on achieving positive change. I am trained and accredited in a range of evidence based therapeutic models and I draw on these to provide a therapy that is tailored to your individual needs and will focus on helping you to achieve your goals. I am particularly interested in helping people to recognise, connect to and develop their strengths and resilience so that the changes they make as a result of the therapy are sustained over time.

My therapeutic approach is integrative and in my therapeutic work I draw on various models including Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy, Compassion Focused Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Based Therapy, Cognitive-Analytic Therapy, Systemic Therapy and Psychodynamic Theory.

What can you expect from therapy?

I usually have a free initial phone call with those who enquire about sessions, this helps us to work out whether there is a good 'fit' and whether what I offer is appropriate to your needs. If we decide to proceed I will offer an initial 'assessment' session. This session is typically 1 - 1.30 hours, and in this we talk about the difficulties you have been experiencing, and what things you might want to work on. We will use this space to think about the most helpful and appropriate way to achieve these goals.

If we decide that therapy with me is a good option, we will usually arrange to meet for a set number of weekly one hour sessions. During the course of the sessions we will work together to develop an understanding of your difficulties within a psychological framework, a bit like a 'psychological map'. Through using this 'map' we will have a better idea of the kinds of strategies and skills that you will need to work on developing in the therapy to help you to manage and improve how you feel about the things that have been challenging to you. I also find it helpful to periodically review how we both feel the therapy is progressing, to make sure things are moving in the right direction, and to discuss anything that may need to change about the work.

Qualifications:

I am registered as a Practitioner Psychologist with the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC), and I have Chartered and Associate Fellow Status with the British Psychological Society (BPS). I am an accredited Cognitive Analytic Therapy Practitioner.

As a Registered Practitioner Psychologist I adhere to the code of conduct outlined by the Health & Care Professions Council and the British Psychological Society. In line with regulatory and professional requirements I receive regular supervision for my work.

Fees and Online Therapy Requirements 

I usually have a free initial phone call with those who enquire about sessions, this helps us to work out whether there is a good 'fit' and whether what I offer is appropriate to your needs,

We then have an assessment appointment, which is a longer (90 minutes) and costs £160, the following sessions are £120 p/hour.

I am currently only offering online therapy services: For online therapy you would need to have a stable internet connection.

Where I work:

Alongside my private practice I work for the NHS as a Consultant Clinical Psychologist, in acute adult mental health services, on inpatient wards, where I am Clinical Lead for Psychological Services as well as a ward based Consultant Psychologist. I work within a multi-disciplinary team, working with people experiencing long-term and severe mental health problems.

Alongside this, I provide consultancy services on mental health service delivery and mental health strategy to humanitarian/refugee and development sector organisations. I am a Senior Lecturer on the Prof Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at Lancaster University, and Co-Chair for the Committee for Accreditation of Training in Clinical Psychology (British Psychological Society). I have worked in the 3rd sector, with mental health charities and have been a Trustee for Oxford Sexual Abuse and Rape Crisis Centre (OSARCC).

The first appointment is longer (90 minutes) and costs £160, the following sessions are £120 p/hour.