Psychology
What is Psychology?
Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and how it dictates and influences our behaviour, from our communication and memory to our thoughts and emotions. Psychology is about understanding what makes us tick and how this understanding can help us address many of the problems and issues we experience on a day to day basis. Psychologists are trained in a number of different evidence-based therapies so the right therapy can be matched to your needs. For example, someone may be searching for strategies to help them with anxiety and depression whereas the next person may want to explore why the past continues to impact on their day to day life. The key is about finding the right approach for you.
What Can I Expect?
Free telephone consultation
If you would like to book an appointment or would like to briefly talk to someone about whether psychological therapy is the right step for you then Victoria offers a free initial 15 minutes telephone consultation.
Contact Dr Victoria Hughes direct on 07769908827
Assessment for the suitability of therapy
The first appointment is an assessment session. The first session is a chance to explore your needs and any difficulties you are having and start to reflect on a potential formulation about any factors that may be influencing or maintaining your difficulties. At the end of this session Victoria will make some suggestions based on the types of approaches you would benefit from. Sometimes we may need more than one session to reach this conclusion. It is also a chance for you to see if you feel comfortable with your therapist. If Victoria does not think you would benefit from psychological therapy she will be honest and open with you from the start and make suggestions about what may help.
Therapy Sessions
All sessions last around 50 minutes to 1 hour and some people like to come weekly or fortnightly. It is important not to leave too long a duration between your sessions in order to maintain the progress you are making.
Each individual may require a different amount of sessions. Victoria can give you a rough idea at the start about the amount of sessions you may need. Sometimes she recommends a set amount of sessions and then a review.
If you have a budget, we can hold this in mind and plan your sessions around this.
Crisis – Or need urgent help
Unfortunately, Victoria is unable to provide crisis support to clients outside of the sessions you have together. Due to the nature of her work, she may not be able to answer telephone messages straight away. Therefore, if you are in crisis or need urgent help, please contact your GP, contact emergency services on 111 or go to your nearest A&E department.
You can also get help from the following agencies:
www.samaritans.org – or call 116 123
www.sane.org.uk
www.mind.org.uk