Dr Sarah Berger

Are you currently experiencing mental health difficulties that are restricting you from living the life that you desire?  Have you tried to overcome these feelings alone but still feel stuck? As a chartered clinical psychologist, I can support you to achieve positive change in your life.

Clinical Psychology

As a Chartered Clinical Psychologist, I have been trained to support people with a wide range of psychological difficulties using a range of psychological perspectives.  During the initial session, we will explore the current difficulties you are experiencing to gain a greater understanding of why these may have developed and what is keeping you feeling stuck. We will talk about what you wish to achieve during our sessions to ensure that we are focused on what is important to you. Whilst therapy will require you to talk about aspects of your life that can be challenging, my aim will be to make you feel at ease, listened to and understood in a non-judgmental and compassionate manner.  At the end of this session, we will discuss some recommendations made from the information you have kindly provided, regarding what I feel would be helpful for you to move forward to achieve your goals.  The sessions following this, will take an integrative approach, incorporating a range of therapeutic techniques that are tailored specifically to ensure that they address the needs and goals that we have identified together.

About me

My clients say that I am warm, caring and someone that they  feel comfortable  to  talk to from early on in our sessions together.  My commitment to you as a client is that I will listen to your difficulties and support you to work out and implement a plan for your recovery.  Together, we will work at a  pace that feels comfortable to you to help you to become happier, more confident and more fulfilled in your life.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

CBT is a short-term, problem-focused form of behavioural treatment that can support recovery in areas such as anxiety,  depression, panic OCD and trauma. Through CBT, people learn that their perceptions directly influence the way they respond to specific situations in their behaviours and actions. During CBT, clients learn how to challenge and question the rationality of specific thoughts to directly influence their emotions and behaviour. Clients are also encouraged to test out new beliefs through changing their behaviours through planned experiments. In this way, CBT targets specific unhelpful thoughts and beliefs and has a ‘here and now’ focus on the relevant set of client symptoms e.g. Panic Disorder. The Principles of CBT can be tailored to each client’s needs and situation.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

ACT looks at what makes up our internal world and how we can interact with it. ACT addresses our processes of thinking; how we internally process our stream of thoughts. It focuses on how we can rest ourselves in the present moment, rather than being focused on past memories or consumed by worry or anticipation of the future. ACT also looks for what we truly value in life and how we might move towards the version of ourselves that is grounded in what is personally meaningful for us and gives us purpose. The Principles of ACT can be tailored to each client’s needs and situation.

Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT)

CFT model suggests there are three different emotion regulation systems: a threat  system, which generates anger, disgust, or fear to protect us; a drive  system, which motivates us to seek outside resources like relationships, food, and status; and a soothing system, which is activated when we feel peaceful and content.  Mental health difficulties can be influenced by an imbalance between these three systems.  CFT provides ways to learn how  to better balance these systems and  help promote mental and emotional healing by encouraging you to be compassionate toward yourself and other people.

Eye movement desensitisation reprocessing (EMDR)

If you have experienced trauma that seems to have got stuck and keeps replaying itself in the form of nightmares, flashbacks or disassociation symptoms, EMDR could be helpful in enabling your painful memories to become less distressing and not triggered so easily.  EMDR directs your eye motions to affect how your mind processes data. The procedure aims to reprocess your frozen traumatic memories. The objective of eye movement desensitisation reprocessing is to desensitise your upsetting memories and allow you to move forward with your life without the upsetting effects of the trauma you have experienced. EMDR does not require you to relive the traumatic memories like some other therapies, but instead requires an image that is associated with the distress.

EMBERS Model for Menopause

The EMBERS model was developed by Simona Stokes to support women who are experiencing psychological difficulties during the menopause. This model includes the following modules which can be completed as a package or as stand alone sessions (1:1 therapy or online pre-recorded material).​

Enable your Sleep - support in improving the quality and quantity of sleep.

Master your Mind - support in learning how do deal with unhelpful thinking patterns related to anxiety and depression.

Befriend your Emotions - learn strategies to cope with difficult emotions.

Embrace your Purpose - gain clarity on what matters to you at this time in life.

Resolve in your Actions - learn strategies to increase motivation and take action to achieve goals.

Sustain and Support - learn strategies to maintain the progress you have made.

The Initial assessment session will be a 55 minute appointment.  This  session will focus on gaining an in-depth understanding of the difficulties being experienced and will include recommendations of treatment moving forward.

I have undertaken  ten years of academic and clinical training in psychology and clinical psychology. I am a qualified Chartered Clinical Psychologist who has worked in both NHS and private settings.

Therefore my fees may be somewhat higher than some other practitioners in order to reflect my training and broad experience in working with clients experiencing psychological distress, as well as the expertise I can apply in a diverse range of psychological therapies.  In addition to this, typically clients will have fewer sessions than when having sessions with some other professionals are my approach is directive and provides strategies to implement out of session, whilst giving you space to talk through the difficulties you are experiencing.

Following this, 55 minute sessions are recommended.

·      Session fees  are £120-£130

Please read some of my testimonials to see how I have supported other people in their recovery at https://www.berger.me.uk/testimonials

What to do next:

I would love to hear from you and discuss what is currently causing you distress to see how I can support you.  You can initially contact me by email (dr.sarah@berger.me.uk) or by telephone on 07498 519586 and we can arrange a time that is convenient for you to have an initial 15 minute consultation free of charge.  This can be conducted over the telephone or via Zoom. We can then arrange an initial assessment should you feel that you would like to progress.  Weekly sessions have been found to be most effective for recovery, but frequency can be discussed.

I am a recognised specialist to provide treatment for  Bupa, AXA-PPP, Cigna, WPA  and AVIVA insurance plans and am willing to consider other insurance providers.

Member of organisations

·       HCPC registered

·       Chartered status with British Psychological Society

I have been trained to use the EMBERS model which is a psychological model specifically developed for the symptoms of the menopause.  I offer  1:1 sessions,  webinars and online courses to support women through this phase in life.