Dr Sobia Khan

Thank you for visiting my page. I am the director of Utopia Psychological Services, which is a private mental health service based in Newcastle Under Lyme, in Staffordshire. I also see clients nationally and internationally. My other job is a lead for clinical health psychology in the NHS.  

I am a Chartered and HCPC registered doctor of Clinical Psychology, with a specialism in the treatment of complex trauma.

Assessment
I like to get to the bottom of things - and therefore, in your first few sessions with me I will hope to go over as much information as possible with you about the past, present and your hopes for the future. This assessment will then enable us to develop an understanding/ hypothesis (formulation) about:

1) What your current difficulties are
2) The factors in your early life that may be contributing to these difficulties
3) any recent events which have triggered your current problems
4) what is preventing you from getting better or reaching your goals
5) What your strengths are or what resources you have which will help you to get better
6) What your goals are

Care plan/ Treatment plan
Once we have gathered the above information we can develop a care plan or a treatment plan. This will be based on my recommendation of what psychological therapy I think would be helpful for you. This will be based on the most up to date clinical research and also on guidance from the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). In drawing up this plan we would take into consideration which goals you would like to prioritise. This plan would also take into account what you are able to afford. I am able to design a psychological intervention which is brief (1-6 sessions), or medium (6-20) to longer term (20 +).

Experience
I hold over 15 years  experience delivering Mental Health Services. During this time, I have had the opportunity to work within In-patient, Out-patient and community mental health services. This means that I have treated people with a wide range of difficulties and across the whole range of severity. Having seen positive results for people experiencing mild, moderate or severe difficulties, means that I am confident about the effectiveness of therapy and people's potential to change their circumstances for the better. I have held Clinical Psychology positions within the NHS and also within a national charity, treating survivors of torture and those who have experienced organized violence. .

I specialise in working with trauma along the whole spectrum of severity e.g. from human rights abuses, childhood abuse to bullying. There has been an increase in demand from individuals who are experiencing trauma and stress due to their work e.g. Police officers, humanitarian workers, and also those working in stressful corporate settings. Employee Assistance Programmes (EAP) are now available via some organisations, therefore, it is worth asking your HR department about this.

Positions

Director and Clinical Psychologist - Utopia Psychological Services - 2015 - Present
Clinical Psychologist - Black Country Partnership NHS Foundation Trust - 2010-Present
Clinical Psychologist - Freedom from Torture West Midlands - 2010 - 2015
Trainee Clinical Psychologist  - University of Nottingham/ Derbyshire Mental Health Services - 2007-2010
Assistant Psychologist - South Birmingham Learning Disabilities Services -2006 -2007
Assistant Psychologist - Moseley Hall Hospital Birmingham - 2005-2006
Health Care Assistant - Notts Healthcare Highbury Hospital - 2003- 2005

Qualifications

2021 - Prince2 Project Management Practitioner 

2016 - Bond Solon Expert Witness Certificate  - Cardiff University/Bond Solon
2013 - Training of Trainers - Solution Focused Therapy
2012 - EMDR Certificate part 1,2 & 3
2011 - STAR Supervisor training
2011 - Training of Trainers - Freedom from Torture
2010 - Doctorate of Clinical Psychology
2004 - BSc Psychology Honours


Philosophy
My work is my passion and I pride myself in delivering a high standard of service. I am constantly trying to learn new methods and approaches to helping people and thrive on seeing people improve their situation and enjoying a better quality of life. I continue to provide training voluntarily alongside Freedom from Torture and also hold a position in the NHS as Clinical Lead for Health & Paediatric Psychology. Prior to this role I worked at the Royal Stoke Hospital within the Critical Care Unit. 

I am able to deliver therapy through an interpreter and I am also able to adapt mainstream therapies to ensure they are culturally appropriate and sensitive.

I offer everyone a Free of Charge Pre-Assessment Telephone Consultation

The fees below are for a 50 minute face to face, telephone or video counselling session.

Self Funded Treatment

• Individual Therapy: £120 per session 

Health Insurance

Most national and international Private Healthcare companies are accepted including (but not limited to):

• Bupa
• Axa
• Cigna
• Pru Health
• Aviva
• Simply Health
• WPA
• and more…

It may be possible to use your private health insurance to cover the cost or part of the cost of your appointments. Each healthcare provider (Bupa, Axa, Aviva, Cigna etc) have slightly different policies but most of them are happy for you to approach us directly in the first instance.

It is worth remembering that therapists are often able to work short-term which may fit with your budget. It may be worth discussing these issues at a consultation or even on the phone, so that if your therapist offers flexibility in their fees or frequency of sessions, they can make this known to you.