Clinical Psychology sessions will usually be offered online via Skype or Zoom. If you prefer to use a different e-platform this can be discussed and agreed subject to its online security.
Clinical Psychology sessions may be available face-to-face for those able to travel to dept 16.
Assessment – starter Session (1 hour 30 minutes): 110 euros
For effective treatment it is very important that you feel comfortable talking with your psychologist and that you and your psychologist have a shared understanding of what is causing your problems and how to fix them. To get a detailed picture of how you can best be helped the starter session is very structured, with lots of questions about the impact that your current symptoms are having on different aspects of your life. Having examined your difficulties I will then help you to decide if a clinical psychologist is the best professional to help you to control and relieve your symptoms and if so, whether you feel motivated to work with me.
There is no obligation to continue on to regular therapy sessions. It may be that with the better understanding of your symptoms gained through the assessment session, you already feel more able to cope. Or you may want time to consider other options for help and support.
Regular Therapy Sessions (50 minutes): 95 euros.
As every person’s struggles are unique to them, there can be no set pattern or therapeutic format for everyone. However, psychological therapy sessions are most likely to be effective if they are regular (weekly/fortnightly) for a period of weeks. Therapy sessions are your safe space to talk and work, together with your psychologist, to make sense of what is setting off and maintaining the symptoms that you want to get rid of.
Anxiety, depression, anger and other clinical symptoms are physical ways that our bodies show internal distress. It is often our inability to voice and challenge these underlying distressing feelings and fears (worries that we may be hurt, rejected, viewed as crazy, be misunderstood, blamed etc.) that keep those symptoms coming back.
Problem-focused psychological therapy is an active treatment, exploring the feelings that are hidden behind your symptoms and teaching you new skills to overcome them. In addition to the time spent in therapy sessions, you will usually be given practical homework exercises (e.g. a diary to record and monitor changes in your symptoms, frequency and intensity of anxiety attacks, depressed feelings, angry outbursts) and will be asked to bring these to discuss in future sessions.
By its very nature, revealing your inner fears will at times make you feel uncomfortable and challenged. Clinical Psychologists are trained to safely encourage, guide and support you to recognise triggers for your unwanted thoughts and behaviours. You will learn techniques to confront your hidden thoughts, fears and feelings and will practice these in therapy and when you experience symptoms between sessions. In this way you will become skilled at using the techniques when you need them the most. Thereby gaining control over how much your mental health symptoms continue to impact your life
At the end of therapy, it is important to review your progress and ensure that you feel comfortable and practiced using your new skills to manage your stresses. It is also important to have considered potentially difficult situations that may arise in the future and to have an action plan ready to deal with them.
Contact us to make an initial appointment.