Clinical psychology at Twickenham therapy clinic
Clinical psychology is a treatment for people with various mental health problems.
Founded in 1896 by Lightner Witmer, although arguably practised for centuries
before, clinical psychology has evolved to become an incredibly useful tool
to help patients on their recovery journey.
Clinical psychologists are trained to deal with
patients with a variety of emotional, behavioural, or psychological issues
of all ages, although some psychologists may specialise in different age groups.
What can clinical psychology treat?
Clinical psychologists see a range of clients with conditions such as anxiety,
depression, addictions, or eating disorders. Someone who is feeling particularly
anxious around social groups may opt to see a clinical psychologist, or
a patient who is suffering a bereavement may book an appointment to discuss
their feelings and help them through this particularly trying time of their
life.
Clinical psychologists will sit down with a new patient and discuss their
present and past life, and use their extensive education in the subject
to assess what they think the patient's problems are.
The patient is encouraged
to talk about whatever is bothering them in detail, and the psychologist
will ask lots of questions about their life to try and assess why it is
that they are having difficulties.
The reason behind some people's mental health problems can take a while
to uncover, so the patient may find that they are speaking to the psychologist
for multiple sessions, depending on how complicated their situation is.
The clinical psychologist will then offer appropriate therapy; this may
be with them or another psychologist or therapist.
What to expect during treatment
Clinical psychologists can offer treatments like talk therapy or cognitive
behavioural therapy (CBT). Talk therapy or counselling is beneficial after
traumatic life events such as a bereavement. CBT is a type of treatment
that works with scientific methods to change the way that a patient thinks.
It is a popular type of therapy that is used to treat conditions like anxiety
or OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder). Psychologists of any type cannot
prescribe medication to patients, but they may recommend patients speak
to their doctor about taking medication.
Clinical psychologists are highly trained and do not judge anybody who
walks through their doors - their offices are safe spaces for patients.
Their goal is to find the best treatment for their clients and working with
them to deal with their mental health issues in a healthy way. This may
be the elimination of a mental health condition, or knowing how to deal
with triggers when they come up.
Therapist vacancy
Please contact the clinic.