Psychological Well-being

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Dr Paul Garden

Painful life events, challenging relationships, and personal issues often lead to putting difficult thoughts and feelings to the back of the mind. This results in only temporary relief from emotional pain as the difficulties remain unresolved and therefore keep reappearing and growing. Talking this through with a psychologist can help you to understand the origins of your problems, and the way in which they are reinforced and maintained. The process of therapy is aimed at developing understanding of your distress through examining the present situation and exploring how various factors- including past experiences- might be influencing the way you feel. These insights can then be used by you to develop a sense of empowerment and control over the difficult thoughts, feelings and emotions that underpin your distress.

I am a Health Care Professions Council (HCPC) registered Psychologist, chartered by the British Psychological Society (BPS), and a registered member of the British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (MBACP). I am also listed in the British Psychological Society Register of Applied Psychology Practice Supervisors (RAPPS).

Equipped with prestigious degrees from various London universities, I have spent several years working in the NHS in a number of services, providing psychological treatment for mental health issues ranging from relatively moderate emotional challenges to more complex psychological interventions (primary, secondary and tertiary care services).

While personality, anxiety, depression, and emotional trauma are areas of expertise, I am interested and experienced in working with people who want to engage in therapy to think about themselves more deeply, and to understand and relate to themselves better. As a psychologist, I am trained and experienced with a range of psychological models, though I mainly use psychoanalytic, existential-humanistic and compassion-focused models for therapy.

Over the past decade, I have worked in the NHS and a range of mental health charities, as well as my private practice, which I operate from the Harley Street district of central London. Currently, my practice is largely online.

Alongside my private practice, I am the Service Director at Headstrong Counselling (https://www.headstrongcounselling.co.uk), a Community Interest Company which offers low-cost therapy provided by over 500 trainee therapists. As well as directing the day to day running and development of the organisation, I provide clinical consultation and supervision to its large team of supervisors.

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About Paul

My 20’s and 30’s were spent travelling, mainly around Asia, immersed in Eastern psychology, philosophy and spiritual practice. This led me back to the UK where I studied Neuroscience and Psychology in an attempt to understand the benefits of meditation scientifically. This interest has grown, and I have now been studying, researching and practicing Western Psychology since 2008. Before this, I studied, practiced and taught Mindfulness-based techniques internationally for around twenty years.

Academic qualifications

  • Professional Doctorate in Counselling Psychology.
  • Doctor of Psychology (DPsych)
  • MSc with Distinction in Early Psychosis Intervention.
  • Master’s Research: The Neuroscience of Mindfulness (Distinction).
  • BSc First-Class Honours in Psychology & Neuroscience.

Therapy experience
Quite often I work with people who are at a stage where they want to make sense of, and find meaning in their lives. This in itself can form the basis of valuable therapeutic aims.

Although I avoid too much emphasis on the use of labels, some examples of diagnoses I often work with include:

  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Addiction
  • Personality
  • Psychosis
  • Trauma/PTSD

Other typical examples of issues that people bring to our sessions include:

  • Self-Esteem
  • Self-criticism
  • Identity
  • Stress
  • Relationships
  • Sex and Sexuality
  • Anger
  • Loneliness and Isolation
  • Loss, grief and bereavement
  • Physical Health (e.g. Pain, Sleep, HIV, terminal illness)
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Location & Fees

Location
Since the beginning of Lockdown restrictions in March 2020 my practice has been largely online. The success of this over the past year or so indicates that online sessions will continue to be offered beyond the pandemic.

Otherwise, and depending on Covid-19 guidelines etc, we will meet for our sessions in my consulting rooms in central London, W1, Close to Harley Street, subject to availability.

Fees
Initial consultation:                                £85.00 for a fifty-minute session.
Individual Psychotherapy Sessions:   £125.00 – £150 fifty-minute session (Fee dependent on time and location).

Clinical Supervision of qualified and trainee practitioner’s is available on a sliding scale dependent on qualification status.

First Session
I offer an initial consultation session at a reduced rate (£85) as an opportunity for you to discuss your current concerns and difficulties for which you are considering therapy. I will address any questions that you may have, and together we will decide whether this is the right moment for you to begin therapy, and if so, we will agree on the duration and focus of our work.