People can commonly experience emotional distress, relationship issues or disruptive patterns which do not settle without professional support. In such circumstances, they often seek help from a clinical psychologist. Psychology is the science of how people behave, think and feel. Clinical psychologists have a psychology degree plus two or three years of further training for another degree or diploma. They are specialists in applying psychological theories and methods (therapies) to the mental health problems which people can experience. A description of the general scope of their work is given here.
Dr Mark Papworth provides assessment and treatment for a range of psychological difficulties, including:
Depression
Stress & tension
Sexual problems
Anxiety, panic, phobias and obsessions
Sleep disorders
Anger control
Eating problems
Relationship problems
Difficulty in coping with events such as bereavement or divorce
Difficulties in coping with physical illness, disability or pain
Adjustment to recent traumatic or childhood experiences
Currently, legal-/court-related assessment and treatment are not offered.
Mark is a registered practitioner with the following insurance companies: BUPA, AxaPPP, Aviva, Vitality and WPA. He also sees clients with policies from other companies.
Mark is also found here, here, here and here
The British Psychological Society (BPS) is the professional body associated with practising psychologists in the UK. You can use their website to find a psychologist who offers a service to the public and use this website to check that they are registered. Mark is chartered with the BPS and registered with the Health and Care Professions Council. All chartered psychologists have completed the appropriate training for their particular area of work.
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Workers other than clinical psychologists also offer forms of psychological assessment and treatment. This can make it challenging to determine who is best able to meet your needs. Here are some descriptions of these roles that may help you to choose if you feel that clinical psychology may not be right for you:
The difference between a clinical psychologist and a psychiatrist is that psychologists spend most of their clinical training dealing with psychological problems. They are not medical doctors. They do not carry out physical examinations or prescribe drugs. Psychiatrists have a general medical training and have later specialised in mental health problems. They can prescribe drugs where necessary, are experts in medication for psychological and psychiatric issues, are thorough in their ability to provide diagnoses, and are knowledgeable about complex interactions between physical health issues and psychological problems. You can check whether a UK medical doctor is registered [here].
The scope of counsellors’ work in the UK varies. This is because, unlike the terms ‘clinical psychologist’ or ‘psychiatrist’, ‘counsellor’ is not a legally protected term here. This means that anyone can use the term to describe themselves, regardless of their qualifications. Generally speaking, counsellors are not trained to provide diagnoses for psychological problems. They offer support for less complex issues, for example, help with milder depression, normal grief reactions or in adjusting to certain life changes. Their approach has traditionally been more ‘non-directive’ in nature. This refers to the counsellor acting more in a facilitator role, rather than offering specific methods or tailored plans for recovering from psychological problems. I would recommend always checking that your counsellor is registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy [here] to ensure they work within an ethical framework and have met certain minimum training requirements.
‘Psychotherapist’, again, is not a legally protected term in the UK. Psychotherapists can come from a variety of professional backgrounds, including: medicine, psychology, counselling, social work and nursing. They should have completed some form of therapy training beyond this and tend to specialise in providing a specific type of therapy. Some therapies can be more suitable than others in addressing particular issues. Clinical psychologists are required to be well-versed in several different forms of therapy to meet the needs of a diverse range of client groups and specialise in who they see (for example, adults, people with neurological problems or children). Again, make sure that your psychotherapist is registered with a professional body. This will depend on the form of psychotherapy offered. Examples are the British Association for Cognitive and Behavioural Psychotherapies [here] and the Association for Cognitive Analytic Therapy [here].