About me
Hello, I’m Nicola.
I’m an HCPC Registered Forensic Psychologist, EMDR Europe Accredited Practitioner and Director of Beyond the Box Psychology an independent psychology practice that aims to help people move beyond labels and towards a deeper understanding of themselves. Therapy is one aspect of the services provided by Beyond the Box Psychology.
Throughout my career, I have worked with children, young people and adults across a range of criminal justice, mental health and private practice settings. Much of my work has involved supporting individuals who are neurodivergent and/or have experienced trauma, adversity, and complex life experiences. Alongside my private practice, I currently work as a Specialist Psychologist Member of the Parole Board and I am also undertaking a Professional Doctorate exploring the experience of people with autism within the criminal justice system.
My approach is collaborative, compassionate and formulation-driven. Whilst diagnoses can sometimes be helpful, I believe they are only one part of understanding a person. Together we will explore not only symptoms, but also your experiences, relationships, strengths and the factors that have shaped the way you think, feel and respond today. My aim is to help clients make sense of themselves rather than feel defined by a diagnosis, a particular experience or a set of difficulties.
I am an EMDR Europe Accredited Practitioner with additional specialist training in providing EMDR to children and adolescents. I have experience supporting adults, young people and children presenting with PTSD, Complex PTSD, single event trauma, attachment difficulties, dissociation, anxiety and the longer-term impact of traumatic experiences. My approach is informed by EMDR alongside Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), and Mentalisation informed approaches.
Whether you are seeking support following trauma, navigating a significant life transition, living with neurodivergence, or simply trying to understand recurring patterns in your life, therapy provides a space to pause, reflect and move towards the person you actually want to become. Many of the people I work with feel caught between who they have needed to be to survive and who they want to become. As a therapist, my aim is to offer you the space you need to make sense of the past, reconnect with the present, and move forward with greater clarity and confidence.
Training, qualifications & experience
I am an HCPC Registered Forensic Psychologist, Registered EuroPsy Psychologist and EMDR Europe Accredited Practitioner with over a decade of experience working across forensic, mental health and private practice settings. I hold a BSc (Hons) in Forensic Psychology, an MSc in Forensic Psychology and a Postgraduate Diploma in Forensic Psychology, and I am currently undertaking a Professional Doctorate at the University of Salford.
I have extensive experience providing psychological assessment and therapy for children, young people and adults presenting with trauma, PTSD, Complex PTSD, attachment difficulties, neurodivergence, emotional dysregulation and personality difficulties. My clinical experience spans prisons, personality disorder services, secure mental health settings, residential children’s services and private practice. I also previously worked as a Senior Forensic Psychologist within a specialist therapy team that provided Dialectical Behavioural Therapy to young people aged 10-18.
I am an EMDR Europe Accredited Practitioner and have completed additional specialist training in Child and Adolescent EMDR (Levels One and Two), alongside further EMDR training in the treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, providing EMDR to neurodivergent clients and trauma-informed formulation. I have experience delivering EMDR with both adults and young people presenting with complex trauma and attachment difficulties. I have also completed training in CBT based programmes for violence, Dialectical Behavioural Therapy Essential Skills and Foundational Training, Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (Level One only) and Mentalization Based Treatments with Children, Young People and Families.
Alongside my therapeutic work, I have extensive experience undertaking complex psychological assessments, providing consultation and supervision, and supporting multidisciplinary teams across health, social care and criminal justice settings.
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
Other areas of counselling I deal with
People with forensic history
Therapies offered
Fees
£120.00 per session
Additional information
- Initial sessions for new clients are £150 for 75 minutes to allow extra time for initial assessment and formulation.
- All other therapy sessions are £120 per 50 minute session.
When I work
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Regular working hours are from September 2026
