Psychological Well-being

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Dr Paul Garden

I am a HCPC registered psychologist, chartered by the British Psychological Society (BPS), and a registered member of the British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (MBACP).

Equipped with degrees from several prestigious London universities, I have spent several years working in the NHS in a number of services, providing psychological treatment various for mental health issues, ranging from relatively low intensity care to higher levels of psychological complexity (primary, secondary and tertiary services).

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

Painful life events and personal issues often lead to putting difficult thoughts and feelings to the back of the mind, which results in only temporary relief from emotional pain as the difficult issues remain unresolved and therefore keep reappearing. Talking this through with a psychologist can help you to understand the origins of your problems and help you to understand the process by 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 past experiences might be influencing it, and using these insights to develop a sense of control over the situation and, therefore, your life.

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, and from Shoreditch in the City.

I offer an initial consultation session at a reduced rate (£60), as an opportunity for you to describe in detail the issues that have brought you to therapy, and to ask me any questions you might have, and also for me to then explain how we might approach your treatment. Based on this, I usually recommend that you take some time to consider before committing to therapy.

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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
We will meet for our sessions in my consulting rooms in central London, W1, Close to Harley Street, or in the City, Shoreditch EC2, whichever is more convenient for you, and subject to availability.

Fees
Initial consultation:                                £60.00 for a fifty-minute session.
Individual Psychotherapy Sessions:   £100.00 – £120 fifty-minute session (Fee dependent on time and location)

First Session
Our initial consultation will provide you the opportunity 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.

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Contact

Please contact me if you need any further information, or would like to make an appointment.