I am a counselling psychologist. You can learn more about what this means here.
The cost of seeing someone like me (a practicing/applied psychologist) tends to be anywhere from £120 – £180 a session (50 – 60 mins) in the UK. This can depend on a number of factors such as where you live, what level of training the psychologist has, and how many years of experience the psychologist has.
Since I'm based in London, have a PhD, various professional registrations, and over a decade's worth of experience/education, my typical rates are in that range. However, my rates are very competitive, especially for the services I offer. I shall soon be able to private insurance. Please email me to receive updates on this.
Charging £120+ might sound like your therapist is rolling in doe, room costs, professional registrations, continuing education, and insurance overheads mean that the psychologist themselves only gets a fraction of what they charge for every session.
Also, psychologists aren’t able to work full working weeks like most people. Good therapy entails full focus, pre-session planning, and post-session activities such as note taking or gathering information for a client.This means 9 am - 5 pm back-to-back sessions are not possible.
Don't just take my word for it, though. Check out this website and this one for more information.
Short answer: Many!
Long answer: I am trained in many therapies/orientations. Because of this I can tailor my techniques to my client and their needs. Therapies I often use (but are not limited to) include person centered/Rogerian, meaning-making (logotherapy), cognitive behavioral, mind-body, psychodynamic and psychoanalytic (e.g., Jung, Adler), and Ericksonian clinical hypnosis.
Please note, while I use CBT techniques, I am not a CBT specialist and cannot provide CBT in the traditional/strict sense.
• British Psychological Society - Chartered Psychologist
• British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy - Registered Member
• American Psychological Association - Full Member
• The Parapsychological Association - Professional Member and Board Member
• Society for Psychical Research - Member
Registration applications pending:
• HCPC
• Practitioner Psychologist
These terms are often used interchangeably and the answer depends on your culture. Here in the UK, however, counselling is usually less-intensive and shorter-term. Thus, counsellors tend to have less education and abilities than psychotherapists. Psychotherapy is more in-depth and longer-term and counselling. Psychotherapists tend to have more education and abilities than counsellors. They tend to have at least a post-graduate degree. Depending on their education/qualifications, many can provide assessments and diagnose.
Thus, seeing a counsellor is generally cheaper. Your master's level psychotherapist is more expensive than a counsellor. And your PhD level psychotherapist (such as a psychologist, like me) is more expensive than either.
While a psychotherapist is qualified to provide counselling, a counsellor may or may not possess the necessary training and skills to provide psychotherapy.
Counsellors tend to hold a bachelor's degree or diploma. Psychotherapists tend to have a master's degree at minimum.
Psychologists need to hold a PhD (doctorate). The term "psychologist" is a legally protected title in the UK, and so anyone who does not have a doctorate level education in psychology cannot be considered a psychologist.
Depending on what sort of psychology was studied, a psychologist may be a "practitioner" psychologist (like me), where we are qualified to offer health services (such as psychotherapy, assessment, etc.). Practitioner psychologists are often counselling psychologists, clinical psychologists, or health psychologists and should be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). Counselling psychologists and clinical psychologists tend to have similar training and experience, but clinical psychologists, as the name implies, tend to focus on those with more severe mental health issues and in more "medical/clinical" settings, such as hospitals.
Psychiatrists are medical doctors who specialize in mental health medications and other medical treatment towards mental health. Most are not trained in psychotherapy but some choose to pursue further education to do so.
Definitely! I believe that cost should not restrict a person's access to health care. Please contact me to inquire.
If you are a current client, yes!
If you are a previous client, yes!
If you are not and never have been a client, you will need to become a client and see me for at least one session.
We can definitely talk about medications and supplements to inform you about them and prepare you to talk with your GP or psychiatrist, but as I am not a medical doctor I cannot prescribe medication.
Yes, I can see clients of all ages.
Anyone 16 years old or older must consent to mental health services to receive them, as they are legally deemed able to make the decision.
Standard sessions are 50 minutes.
My speciality areas include whole-person approaches, and working with people who have the following:
Mood disorders (depression, bipolar, etc).
Anxiety disorders
Psychotic disorders
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Exceptional (anomalous) experiences
Well, I can do both so it's definitely something we can and will figure out together! Counselling is shorter-term and more situation based, so if you only see me for a few sessions, then you received counselling. If you see me longer-term and we work on things like diagnosed mental health issues or trauma, etc, then we're doing psychotherapy. In the end, you'll get the care you need.
You can download an example here.
