Frequently Asked Questions
FAQ's about our online therapy & in-person therapy in Norwich. Talking therapies delivered by Clinical Psychologists. Begin your journey to better mental health.
General
As we are a private practice we do not require a GP referral (although we would welcome one).
You may self-refer through our Book page or ask your GP to send a referral to [email protected]
Clinical Psychologists are doctors of clinical psychology and are regulated by the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC). Our Clinical Psychologists also have Chartered Status with the British Psychological Society (BPS) which is “legally recognised and reflects only the highest standard of psychological knowledge and expertise” (visit the BPS to learn more).
Clinical Psychologists work to alleviate psychological distress, improve psychological wellbeing, and treat mental health problems. They have advanced skills in a variety of different therapeutic models and routinely undertake research and service evaluation, contributing to the current state of knowledge in our field.
Further information can be found at the Association of Clinical Psychologists’ webpage.
Yes, our Clinical Psychologists are fully qualified. The title of ‘Clinical Psychologist’ is a legally protected. This means only people with the required qualifications and experience to be a Clinical Psychologist, and who are on the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC) register as such, can use this title.
In addition, our Clinical Psychologists have Chartered Status with the British Psychological Society (BPS) which is legally recognised and means they are “trusted to deliver the highest standards to those who need [their] services whether that is in research, teaching or practise”.
On our Clinical Psychologists’ about page you are able to verify their individual registration status by clicking the relevant logo.
For more information please see the HCPC’s website and BPS’s website.
We are a specialist psychological therapy practice. Our clinicians are experts in psychotherapy and have specialist training in a range of modalities. As a practice, we are committed to:
- Helping our clients as much as possible and as quickly as possible.
- Using evidence-based approaches which have been shown to be clinically effective.
- Using the best and latest clinical research evidence.
- Putting you, the individual, at the heart of everything we do.
Our clinicians truly want to help and see you succeed. We provide a specialist service that is personal and bespoke to you. We do this by taking into account your individual needs, preferences and values, and combining this with best and latest research evidence.
Appointments to see or speak with our Clinical Psychologists depends on their availability. Many can offer weekend or evening appointments.
If we are unable to answer your call because we are busy, please leave a message and we will phone you back as soon as possible, usually the same day. Alternatively, please feel free to contact us by email.
We will listen to you and ask for some basic information, such as your name and what you would like help with. We will happily answer any questions you may have.
If you would like to proceed, we will also arrange a free 10-minute telephone consultation with a Clinical Psychologist to explore how we can best help you or suggest you complete our online referral form.
We provide therapy online to anyone in the UK and in-person at our clinic in Norwich.
Our clinic is located at:
77 Newmarket Road
Norwich
Norfolk
NR2 2HW
Our clinic is located in an ideal location with on-site parking. It is private and has pleasant surroundings.
Research has found that online therapy is similarly effective to in-person therapy.
Please note that we do not provide urgent or emergency services.
For urgent mental health support, please visit the NHS find an urgent helpline website, call NHS direct (dial 111), or call the Samaritans (freephone 116123).
In an emergency, dial 999 or go to A&E if you are able to.
Therapy
First and foremost your therapy will be guided by you. You are ultimately in control of your treatment.
Depending on your needs and complexity, a psychological assessment may first be recommended. This is to help develop a comprehensive ‘picture’ of you, which may include diagnoses should you want this, and make treatment recommendations.
After, you will then usually meet weekly for your therapy sessions. The first few session are usually devoted to psychological formulation. This means developing a shared psychological understanding of your difficulties and often includes your predisposing, precipitating, and perpetuating factors, as well as key cognitive and behavioural components. Your formulation will be shared with you and often takes the form of a model with an accompanying narrative. This is a key step as it should clearly identify treatment targets. This process in itself has also been empirically shown to be therapeutic as it helps people make sense of who they are and why they might be in their current situation. For some people this is all they need.
Once your formulation has been developed, the formal intervention component of psychotherapy begins. This is where you will actively work with your Clinical Psychologists to change your thoughts, feelings, or behaviours, and help you achieve your therapy goals. This is usually the longest stage of therapy.
Before your therapy comes to an end, you will usually cover relapse-prevention with your Clinical Psychologist to ensure you have the tools and confidence to prevent the same problems happening again in the future.
Therapy will then often come to an end, although you may agree with your Clinical Psychologist to taper your sessions and/or review at some point in the future.
Yes, of course. It is important that you are able to develop an effective therapeutic alliance with your Clinical Psychologist. If you would like to see a different Clinical Psychologist please speak to your current one, if you feel able to, or contact our friendly admin team.
Therapy sessions are 50-minutes. Psychological assessments are 90-minutes.
Clinical Psychologists have specialist training in at least two therapy models but often they have much more than this. Our clinicians are able to draw on a range of therapies such as:
- Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
- Psychological Counselling
- Psychological coaching
- Trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy (TF-CBT)
- Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)
- Eye Movement Desensitisation & Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Exposure therapies
- Exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy
- Dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT)
- Psychodynamic therapy
- Cognitive analytic therapy (CAT)
- Meta-cognitive therapy
- Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT)
- Integrative psychotherapies
Our aim is to help you as much as possible and as quickly as possible. How long therapy takes is highly variable and depends on a number of factors such as complexity or how deeply rooted your challenges might be. It also depends on your individual goals and preferences, as we are always guided by you.
Some may only need a few sessions but usually people will have around 8-15. In some situations people may need therapy for 6 months or longer, but we always aim for the fewest sessions possible.
Psychotherapy, just like psychiatry and medicine, cannot make guarantees. However, psychotherapy that is evidence-based and delivered by competent clinicians has been shown in countless clinical trials to be significantly effective for a range of issues and mental health problems. Psychological therapy is recommended by the UK’s globally respected National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) for a range of issues and conditions, and often as first-line treatment.
Everything you say to your Clinical Psychologist is strictly confidential. This is something we take very seriously.
However, as regulated professionals, there are some rare and exceptional situations where your Clinical Psychologist may need to break confidentiality, such as if they genuinely believe you or someone else are at risk of serious harm.
For full information please see our therapy contract or feel free to contact us and we would be happy to help.
Everything you say to your Clinical Psychologist is strictly confidential, including from your employer. Confidentiality is something we take very seriously. Although we sometimes recommend sharing limited and relevant information with your GP for the purpose of providing you the best care possible, we will never do so without your consent. We are a private service and therefore do not have to share information with your GP.
However, as regulated professionals, there are some rare and exceptional situations where your Clinical Psychologist may be required to break confidentiality, such as if they genuinely believe you or someone else are at risk of serious harm.
For full information please see our therapy contract or feel free to contact us and we would be happy to help.
Yes of course. Our Clinical Psychologists offer a free 10-minute telephone consultation.
You are also more than welcome to call or email us with your query so we can pass these on to the Clinical Psychologist you are interested in and get back to you with their answers.
Yes of course. Feel free to browse our Clinical Psychologist biographies here and let us know if you have someone in particular in mind.
Not necessarily. Although some individuals may prefer face-to-face therapy, the research consistently shows its effectiveness is comparable to therapy by telephone or video call. More and more individuals are opting for virtual therapy due to convenience and being able to access therapy no matter where you are.
Fees & Cancellations
Our fees are as follows:
- Initial telephone consultation (10-minutes): Free
- Psychological therapy (50-minutes): £110
- Psychological assessment (90-minutes): £200
The fee for other services, such as letters or reports, is based on the time it takes your Clinical Psychologist to write the document or perform the service.
Appointments must be cancelled at least 48-hours in advance to avoid fees. Unfortunately, appointments which are not attended or cancelled after 48h are charged at full price.
Please let us know as soon as possible if you need to cancel an appointment by phoning or emailing us at [email protected]
Some of our Clinical Psychologists do accept private health insurance, but not all. Please state you are intending to use private health insurance when you contact us.