Sarah Hosken
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This professional is currently not accepting new clients at this time.
This professional is currently not accepting new clients at this time.
About me
Registered Counselling Psychologist; Chartered Psychologist; Associate Fellow (BPS); CBT Therapist; Brainspotting Consultant; EMDR; Supervisor (BPS)
- 41 years experience working with mental health
- skilled at working with issues around anxiety (GAD, OCD, social anxiety, health anxiety, panic attacks etc), low mood, confidence and low self esteem
- trauma expert: working with trauma and accompanying feelings of disconnect, overwhelm, sadness, anger and grief
- loss and bereavement
- worked in the NHS in primary and secondary care
- led a crisis team for a national charity
- first responders: armed forces, police, medical
- training and supervising other therapists to work with trauma
- working with adults of all ages
- registered with The British Psychological Society and Health Professions Council
I am a Chartered Psychologist, Counselling Psychologist and Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society, with over 40 years of experience in mental health. I am also a CBT Therapist, Certified EMDR Practitioner, Brainspotting Consultant and BPS Supervisor.
My career began in 1985 serving tea and coffee at The Tuesday Club at Greenwich Mind, one of the UK's first mental health drop-ins. There I learned something that has shaped my practice since - people cannot think their way out of distress when they do not feel safe. Before any deeper therapeutic work can happen, people first need co-regulation, a safe relationship that helps settle the nervous system enough for deeper work to become possible. I left Greenwich Mind decades later, having trained as a psychologist and leading the Crisis Team and continue to co-facilitate a Hearing Voices Group for Greenwich Mind.
I have worked across a wide range of settings, including the NHS in primary and secondary care, with first responders such as armed forces personnel, police and medical professionals. My first specialist training in hypnotherapy gave me an early grounding in the importance of the mind-body connection and I continue to work somatically. A decade in the music industry also gave me a valuable insight into performance pressure, confidence and self-doubt, experience that continues to inform my work with clients in those areas.
I work with adults of all ages and specialise in trauma, CPTSD, PTSD, anxiety (including GAD, OCD, panic, social and health anxiety), low mood, confidence and self-esteem, grief and loss.
My approach is integrative, drawing on CBT, EMDR, Brainspotting, psychodynamic, person-centred, existential and humanistic models and I work with both short-term and longer-term therapy. I move fluidly between cognitive and talk-based approaches and somatic, body-focused work, depending on what each client needs at any given stage of their therapy. I also work somatically, particularly through Brainspotting, a focused, mindful brain-body therapy that works directly with the nervous system. It can be especially helpful when the body is stuck in survival states such as fight, flight, freeze or shutdown and when words alone don't fully reach what is being carried.
Research consistently shows that it is the therapeutic relationship, above all else, that sits at the heart of healing. In practice, this means taking time to understand your thoughts, feelings and experiences in a way that is meaningful to you. Some clients want to focus on the here and now; others want to explore the past or look toward the future. Some prefer a structured approach like CBT or EMDR, while others are drawn to more body-focused work. There is no single right way and my role is to work with you in whatever way feels most helpful.
Life does present us all with challenges at various times and change happens at different rates and in different ways for each of us. Yet, overall, I believe I can help my clients move forward in a way that respects their integrity and ability to make choices that are right for them at this time in their lives.
- CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy)
CBT theory explains how our thoughts influence our emotions, behaviour and body. Working with the CBT model involves exploring different ways of working with the above to regulate mood and behaviour.
CBT is recognised by the Government's NICE guidelines as the first line of intervention for most common wellbeing issues (e.g. anger, anxiety, GAD bereavement, depression, eating disorders, panic attacks, PTSD). CBT aims to quickly identify problems and build up the skills to resolve them.
http://www.babcp.com/Public/What-is-CBT.aspx
www.nice.org.uk/guidance
https//feelinggood.com - EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing)
EMDR is a recommended treatment (NICE 2005) for working with the distress caused by traumatic memories.
EMDR has also been used to work with a broader range of issues from anxiety (phobias, panic attacks etc.) to experiences such as grief, pain and depression.
http://www.emdr.com/what-is-emdr/
www.nice.org.uk/guidance - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TlJXYN9bPOg&fbclid=IwVERDUAND341leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHpMoEl6Sw158whiPnTPhEWHy6uTCKru07f7JgX0kxk3o2zsuCNBWzGYAIBTN_aem_25A7Lh1J4a8U6k9_F-O1ZA
Brainspotting
Brainspotting is a focused, mindful, brain/body therapy that locates points in the visual field to access, process and heal trauma in the body.
Brainspotting is also widely used to enhance performance in sports, drama and music.
http://www.brainspotting.com
Location
The Old Schoolhouse in Bexley Village is just off the A2 and is a 10 min walk from Bexley train station.
Training, qualifications & experience
Training & Professional Accreditation
Chartered Psychologist; Associate Fellow British Psychological Society
Registered Counselling Psychologist Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)
Supervisor British Psychological Society
Certified EMDR Practitioner EMDR UK & Ireland
Brainspotting Consultant Brainspotting Inc
Qualifications
2019 Brainspotting Consultant
2015 Brainspotting Certification
2012 Certified EMDR Practitioner
2005 Advanced Counselling Psychology (MSc)
2003 Counselling Psychology (MSc)
2000 Psychology & Counselling (BSc Hons)
1996 Certificate in Psychology
Experience
- Working with Mental Health Professionals
- Working with First Responders
- Workplace issues e.g. return to work, communication, performance issues
- Crisis Team Leader
- CBT Therapist, Crisis Counsellor and Training Consultant
- Training therapists to work with anxiety and trauma
- Previously worked for the NHS in primary and secondary care
- 27 years experience as a voluntary worker
- Co-facilitating Hearing Voices Group
- Supervising therapists who work with victims of war
- Trustee for a mental health organisation, advisory role in a college
- Developing and delivering well-being programme for businesses and schools
Ongoing Training and Supervision
I have regular supervision in accordance with BPS guidelines. I am committed to ongoing training as part of my personal and professional development.
Trainings include:
- Mindfulness
- Brainspotting
- Working with Chronic Trauma and Neglect
- Motivational Interviewing
- Mental Health Recovery Star
- Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training
- PTSD and Mental Health Workshop
- Hearing Voices
- Bipolar Workshop
- Mental Health First Aid Training
- Train the Trainer
- Brainspotting with Emergency Responders, Military Personnel & their Families
- Core Gift Discovery and Brainspotting
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.
British Psychological Society
EMDR UK
EMDR Europe
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
Working with first responders e.g. military, police, fire, ambulance etc.
Therapies offered
Fees
£120.00 per session
Health Insurance/EAP
Additional information
Fees start from £120 per 50 minute session.
When I work
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8am - 5pm Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
Closed for school holidays.
Further information
Healthcare Providers
I am registered with AXA/PPP, Aviva, Bupa, Cigna, Pruhealth & WPA
