About me

*Following guidance related to COVID-19 and to ensure the safety of my clients, I am now offering telephone and online-video appointments only.*

My Therapeutic Approach as a Clinical Psychologist

I understand that difficulties can affect us all. And I know that reaching out for support, to engage openly and honestly with your emotional pain might be overwhelming. Even choosing the ‘right’ therapist can feel hard. So, I will meet your courage with the warmth and respect it deserves, and a confidence that your efforts will be rewarded with positive changes and a renewed connection to yourself, others and the world.

As a Doctor of Clinical Psychology, I offer expert consultations, assessments and therapy for individuals of all ages, couples and family systems who are seeking support to make sense of difficult life experiences, emotional difficulties and/or unwanted behaviours.

Initial Psychological Assessment and Formulation

Perhaps you don’t know exactly what’s wrong, or where your difficulties started? Or maybe your experience of a difficult life event(s) is causing you distress? Compassion is central to all of my clinical practice and I will provide a safe place for you to share your story, without judgment. My collaborative approach means we will work together to find a shared understanding of your difficulties. I will bring a broad and extensive understanding of psychological theory to develop a formulation of your presenting concerns, which, together with your input, will inform the most helpful type of therapy for you.

Therapy

I work beyond symptom reduction, to explore the root of your difficulties. Engaging honestly and openly with therapy can feel hard and it requires commitment to look at things that might feel painful. But my clients reflect time and time again that these efforts have enabled them to disentangle themselves from emotional, behavioural and relational patterns and bring about life changing results. In seeking therapy to connect with, understand and improve your distress, I hold a confidence that your efforts will be rewarded with positive changes and a renewed connection with yourself, others and the world. I am passionate in my belief that therapy can work for anyone.

Types of difficulties I work with

I work with clients who present with a broad range of difficulties. Examples are listed below, but this is not an exhaustive list and I welcome enquiries about support with problems you may be having which aren’t here.

Anxiety including obsessive-compulsive disorder, phobias, social anxiety, panic attacks, generalised anxiety disorder
Depression, feeling sad and low mood
Work-related stress
Trauma or post traumatic stress as a result of life events, including accidents, physical health diagnoses, abuse and domestic violence
Perinatal mental health including birth trauma, OCD, postnatal depression, bonding and attachment, birth phobia, loss, abortion, infertility
Couples therapy and relationship difficulties including affairs, betrayals, issues with intimacy and sex, separation and divorce
Grief, bereavement and loss
Emotional adjustment to acute and chronic physical health problems
Self harm
Confidence and self-esteem
Difficulties in managing your emotions
Relational difficulties, sometimes diagnosed as 'personality disorders'
Anger

Therapeutic Models

My wealth of training and experience in the delivery of multiple models of psychotherapy means I will provide an integrative, evidence-based and clinically-informed intervention that is tailored to you. Specifically, I draw on the following approaches:

Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT)

Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR)

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

Compassion-focussed principles

Mindfulness

Training, qualifications & experience

I am a Chartered Clinical Psychologist registered with and regulated by the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC) and British Psychological Society (BPS). I have over 10 years of experience supporting people with their distress, mental health, relationships, unwanted thoughts, feelings and behaviours, and work-related stress. I have experience of offering psychological assessments and therapy to children, adults of all ages, as well as couples, families and systems, in both community and hospital settings.

Qualifications and Training

Facilitating Reflective Practice Groups
Doctorate in Clinical Psychology
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR: Parts 1, 2 and 3)
Experiential Dynamic Therapy - Skills Training
Personal Construct Psychology Foundation Course
MSc: Clinical Applications of Psychology
BSc with Hons: Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience

General Information about Clinical Psychology Training

Clinical psychologist is a legally protected title awarded to individuals upon successful completion of their Doctorate in Clinical Psychology. They are required to register with the HCPC in order to practice and must engage with regular professional development activities and clinical supervision, ensuring continued adherence to the standards of best clinical practice. All clinical psychologists are trained to deliver multiple, evidence-based models of psychotherapy. Their training also means they can provide therapy to individuals across the life span, including children, young people and adults of all ages, as well as couples, families, services and organisations. As such, clinical psychologists are highly skilled professionals who can deliver an integrative, evidence-based and clinically-informed therapeutic intervention that can be tailored to the unique needs of their clients. Counsellors and other talking therapists are not trained to doctoral level and they typically work using one therapeutic model. Working with a clinical psychologist means you are not constrained to one therapeutic approach and their broadly informed perspective means you will have access to the type of therapy that best suits you and the nature of your difficulties.

Member organisations

Registered / Accredited

Areas of counselling I deal with

Photos & videos

Fees

Additional information

Please get in touch to enquire about fees. Sessions can be self-funded. Alternatively, I am a recognised healthcare provider for the following insurance companies: AVIVA, AXA, Vitality Health. If your insurance provider is not listed here, please get in touch and I may be able to organise registration.

Initial psychological assessments: During this 60 minute appointment we will start to establish a shared understanding of your difficulties, goals for your therapy and develop a treatment plan tailored to your unique needs.

Therapy: Usually, committing to weekly or fortnightly sessions supports good therapeutic outcomes. Therapy sessions are 50 minutes in length. Depending on your goals, at the start of your therapy you may wish to set a fixed number of sessions or enter into a more open ended agreement.

Letters and reports: I can provide you, your employer or other healthcare providers with a letter confirming your appointments at no extra charge. A summary of, or full report pertaining to your psychological assessment and / or therapy can be written for an additional fee.

When I work

Monday to Saturdays and evenings

Further information

Email Me Here
Telephone: 0116 403 0083

Alternatively, visit my website www.cooleypsychology.co.uk for more information about my services.

Dr Robyn Cooley