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​A bit about me

​I studied my undergraduate psychology degree in Sheffield and went on to complete my doctorate there in 2008. I worked in neuropsychology, health psychology and community and inpatient mental health services before moving to work in Berkshire as a Principal Clinical Psychologist in the Trust's mental health assessment team. I started private work alongside this in 2014 and set up Hart Psychology in 2019. 

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I live and work in Hampshire and am a wife and a mum to two children. I have a love of the outdoors, nature and gardening, I'm never happier than when digging in my garden on a sunny day! Aside from this, I love art, learning about nutrition and attempting to keep fit, always a challenge with the busyness of life.  

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My style

I believe therapy is about connection at its heart. It is about building a caring and trusting relationship with someone so that we can show our true feelings and fears. The therapeutic relationship has been demonstrated to be the biggest predictor of change in therapy.  Through this, we find our sense of worth and can heal and help difficult feelings and parts of ourselves.  My approach is to be human - warm, compassionate and 'on your team'. Together, we can identify goals you'd like help with and to start making change. I like sessions to have a structure and to enable you to develop skills you can take away and use when therapy ends. 

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Psychological interventions

I use an integrative approach, drawing upon Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Schema Therapy in formulating psychological difficulties.  I often incorporate compassion-focused and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy approaches in my work, and this can be particularly helpful for individuals seeking to develop self-confidence and reduce shame or self-criticism.  I believe strongly in identifying and building on your current strengths and resources and will use solution-focused approaches, when appropriate.

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I am a certified schema therapist and am registered with the International Society of Schema Therapy (ISST).   Schema therapy addresses the core origins of psychological distress by identifying unmet childhood needs, core beliefs about yourself and others and understanding difficult and distressing relationship patterns and coping behaviours. It is a longer-term therapy which is helpful for individuals who have been struggling with difficulties for some time, may have made limited progress with shorter-term therapies such as CBT and have difficult or repeating patterns within relationships and difficult coping behaviours.  

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Assessments: I provide a thorough ADHD assessment process for adults including an initial screening appointment, semi-structured interview based on the DSM-V, input from relatives/significant others and a detailed report with recommendations and next steps. I also offer bespoke ADHD coaching post-diagnosis.

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​​What will a session be like?

I offer an initial assessment appointment to meet you and understand your difficulties in depth and help you identify your goals for psychological therapy.  I might ask you to complete psychometric measures to aid this process, if appropriate. We will then develop a joint formulation (a psychological understanding of your difficulties based on psychological theory).   In a nutshell, I want to discover what brings you to therapy, what might have led you to experiencing difficulties and what might be keeping your problems going, or keeping you feeling stuck.​​

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I understand that it can feel like a brave step to seek psychological therapy, and therefore it is important to take the time and find the right professional to help you. You are invited to contact me for a free discovery call before deciding if you wish to book an initial assessment appointment.  Treatment will always be tailored to you and your specific needs, hopes and goals. If, through our discussion, I'm not the right person to work with you then I am happy to offer advice about other therapies and services which might be a better fit for you.  I offer both in-person and online assessments and therapy.​​

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