Welcome
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)
EMDR Therapy
CBT Supervision
in Epsom, Cobham, Surrey and Online
I am passionate about helping people to overcome their problems so they can live the best lives they possibly can, fulfilling their potential and living the life that’s important to them.
Over the last 26 years working initially as a Registered Mental Health Nurse and later as a CBT Therapist and EMDR Therapist, I have gained experience of working with people struggling with a wide range of mental health problems.
I am an accredited Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist (CBT) and EMDR Europe Accredited Practitioner. During a 15 year NHS career, I worked in a variety of mental health settings wthin the NHS in therapist roles. These included a number of community mental health teams, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre, and an eating disorders service. In addition to running a successful private practice in Cobham, until the summer of 2022 I held an Associate Tutor post at the University of Surrey where I taught and supervised the practice of trainee CBT practitioners.
In 2006, I completed my Cognitive Behaviour Therapy training at Goldsmiths College, University of London, obtaining a Masters degree. I have been a fully accredited therapist with the British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP) and the Association for Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (AREBT) since 2007. I became an accredited EMDR practitioner with the EMDR Association (EMDR Association) in 2018.
I specialise in the treatment of depression and anxiety disorders, including panic attacks, generalised anxiety, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), social anxiety, health anxiety (hypochondriasis), body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), bulimia nervosa, phobias and stress.
Video Call Sessions:
Wednesdays, and Thursdays between 9.00am and 5.00pm. Evening video call appointments may be possible - please enquire.
Many of my sessions are now held via a video call. Whilst this option doesn't suit everyone, it can offer a number of advantages over face to face sessions. I am able to offer greater flexibility in terms of the time slots I can offer, it can be more convenient - no traffic or parking for you to contend with, and it also ensures regular sessions can continue to take place.
Remote CBT sessions can be incredibly useful when trying to overcome problems like OCD and social anxiety. Similarly, EMDR therapy works very well when held remotely and I continue to successfully treat many of my clients in this way. For more information on how this might work then please get in touch.
For my consultations via a video call, my preference is to use Zoom, Microsoft Teams or WhatsApp, whichever you would feel more comfortable with. Access to a computer or tablet is preferable over using a phone due to screen size.
For those who would prefer Face to Face sessions, Epsom is easliy accessed by car, bus or train and Cobham by car. They are within a short distance of Cheam, Banstead, Sutton, Esher, Surbiton, New Malden, Worcester Park, Ashtead, Ewell, Coulsdon, Croydon, Guildford, Stoke D'Abernon, Bookham, Oxshott, Weybridge, East and West Horsley, Byfleet, and Reigate.
Face to Face Sessions:
Mondays evenings in COBHAM
Tuesday daytime in EPSOM
Friday daytime in EPSOM
COBHAM CLINIC: I offer therapy sessions in person on Monday evenings in Cobham between 6.00pm and 9.00pm.
EPSOM CLINIC: I offer in person therapy sessions on a Tuesday between 8.30am and 4.00pm, and on a Friday in between 8.30am and 4.00pm.
Contact Me
Telephone enquiries: 07976 245293
Email enquiries: info@surreycbttherapist.co.uk
When emailing me through my website, please do ensure you enter your email address and phone number correctly on the enquiry form as I can only respond to the email address you provide. I aim to respond to an messages before the end of the next working day, but at busier times, it may take me a little longer.
What is CBT?
CBT stands for Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, a form of psychotherapy which was developed in the 1950's by Dr Albert Ellis and Dr Aaron Beck. CBT is based on the principle that people experience psychological problems largely because they hold rigid and self-defeating irrational beliefs about themselves, others, or the world. Our thinking affects how we feel and behave. As a CBT therapist I aim to help my clients identify unhealthy thinking and behaviour patterns and work alongside them to challenge these and bring about positive change.
Today, the benefits of CBT are widely acknowledged. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommends CBT in the treatment of clinical depression, generalised anxiety, panic disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD).
For more information about CBT, please visit the website of the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP).
What is EMDR?
Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing (EMDR) is a form of psychological therapy that helps people to overcome the impact of traumatic events. People affected by trauma can have symptoms which include having intrusive thoughts or images about the event, experiencing traumatic nightmares and disturbed sleep, increased irritability, poor concentration, avoidance, and hypervigilance.
EMDR is recognised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) as a treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It is a powerful therapeutic approach and can sometimes have advantages over Trauma-Focused CBT.
EMDR therapy can be delivered effectively face to face or online. When working online, the technique is slightly different, for example using shoulders taps instead of eye movements, otherwise the process and outcome is exactly the same.
Sometimes our minds can have trouble making sense of a disturbing event such that it remains highly distressing to us when we think about it even years later. EMDR therapy helps the individual to desensitise to, and process the memory, so that they can think about it without experiencing such strong emotion.
For more information about EMDR, please visit the EMDR Association website.
FAQs
I offer evening appointments face to face in Cobham on a Monday between 6.00pm and 9.00pm. A limited number of evening video calls are possible on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday - please enquire.
Generally, a course of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy would on average last for 6 to 12 sessions depending on the condition being treated. I try to offer treatment for common mental health conditions in line with the guidelines of the National Institute for Care Excellence (NICE). EMDR therapy sessions likely to take a little longer purely because they likely to be trauma focused. However it is possible to achieve positive results with both treatment approaches in fewer sessions, for example with specific phobias. I will try to give you an indication as to how many sessions we might need following an initial assessment.
No. With several years of clinical practice behind me and informed by ongoing continuing professional development training, I draw upon current CBT and EMDR Therapy knowledge and use the approach I think is most likely to work in a given situation. In addition to a more traditional CBT approach, I may use Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT) or one of the "third wave" mindfulness based CBT approaches such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Metacognitive Therapy (MCT) and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (MBCT).
All daytime assessment and therapy sessions are of 50 minutes duration and are charged at £95 for new clients from January 2024. Evening Sessions are charged at £115 per session. Please note the session fee charged is the same, regardless of whether appointments are being held via video call or held face to face in Cobham.
All payments for treatment are collected via a secure online payment service.
For clients whose treatment is covered by insurance, a different fee may be charged depending on the additional requirements of the insurance provider. I am recognised as a provider of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy by AXA PPP Healthcare, Healix Healthcare, Cigna Healthcare, Aviva, Group Ama, PMI, CS Healthcare, and Simplyhealth. HOWEVER, I AM NO LONGER ACCEPTING ANY BUPA OR VITALITY FUNDED REFERRALS.
Be aware you are liable for all insurance claims not paid by your insurer, e.g., excess payments, if your policy limit has been exceeded, or if treatment has not been formally authorised prior to treatment commencing.
Cancellation Policy
Cancellations received by giving between 24 and 48 hours notice will incur a charge of 50% of the usual session fee. Cancellations received by giving less than 24 hours notice will incur a charge for the full session. Please note that insurance companies do not usually cover the cost of cancellations.
Get in touch
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about how therapy works, or to arrange an initial assessment appointment. This enables us to discuss the reasons you are thinking of coming to therapy, whether it could be helpful for you and whether I am the right therapist to help.
You can also call me on 07976 245293 if you would prefer to leave a message or speak to me first.