Advanced Psychotherapy Techniques
Hi, I’m Dr Tom.
I’m a Clinical Psychologist with many years experience using advanced psychotherapy techniques to successfully treat persistent mental health problems. For example, I have helped clients overcome emotion-related problems including depression, anxiety, trauma, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Bipolar Disorder and various personality disorders. My areas of special interest include developmental trauma, unexplained physical pain and attachment.
Thinking about starting therapy?
Thinking about starting therapy with a new therapist or perhaps starting therapy for the first time can be a daunting prospect. The variety of types of therapy and types of therapists can naturally leave someone wondering where to start. Well, up to date research on psychotherapy can give us a clue about this. Studies have shown that successful therapies involve a good match between client and therapist and a good match of technique with the problem being focused on.
Match between client and therapist simply means do you feel, at a relationship level, you click and notice wishing to spend more time with this person after the first appointment say. Research has also shown that there is not one therapist that clicks with every client. Rather, it is more accurate to say that if you do not click with your first therapist then there is likely to be one that you would get on with.
Match of therapy to problem means, ‘are the right tools being used here?’ and takes a little bit longer to tell. This can be judged by asking yourself if you are clearer about the problem you are needing help with or have even noticed some improvement with this in the first, say, 1 to 6 sessions. Generally approaching starting therapy as a processes of you assessing the therapist as much as they are assessing you, can help you stay connected to a sense of empowerment and make the whole experience of starting therapy feel less initially overwhelming.
My Approach
I combine almost 20 years of experience working in mental health settings, first for the NHS and then for the last 5 years in private practice. With this experience I provide an individually tailored therapy process that best fits your current needs. I have spent years dedicating much of my time to something called deliberate practice, honing my craft so that I am better able to match therapy technique to the specific difficulties that clients bring. Part of this ability to provide the right tool, comes from my rigorous training background as a Clinical Psychologist (qualified 2014) meaning that my training had greater breadth than many other training routes. During this training and subsequently, I have honed my ability to apply a range of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) approaches. In addition to this, I have specialised in particular, in applying Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) techniques in my work. This has greatly improved both the speed and efficacy of my therapy results (please see ISTDP section for more detail). I first received training in ISTDP in 2012 and completed my three year core training for this in 2018. A major part of the improvements in my outcomes I have observed from my deliberate practice has come from years of reviewing video recordings of therapy sessions in continuing ISTDP supervision.
Getting Started
I always start with a brief phone call free of charge so you have a chance to ask any questions you might have. This also gives me a chance to consider if the problem or problems you are seeking help for are best addressed by working with me at this point in time. The most reliable way to see if a therapy approach helps is however, to have a go and observe how you respond to it. As a result, after the first couple of appointments I will be in a better position to comment on how many therapy appointments in general may be needed before you see the results you are looking for. From my years of experience and knowledge I have gained, I believe your past does not predict your future, so you can only really know how much therapy will help you by giving it a try.
What my clients are saying…
“It took me over 10 years to find a therapist who understood why I was so stuck - even qualifying as a therapist myself wasn’t enough! Tom is caring and honest but also willing to be gently direct in guiding you to feel your emotions and shift your perspective. But most importantly, he gets results, even with chronic symptoms. I had dissociation, pain and fatigue that was worsening by the year. Now, I’m feeling my emotions, feel in the room, and I’m not stuck in chronic pain. Thank you so much”
"It would be no exaggeration to say that working with Tom changed my life. Tom’s approach worked exceptionally well for me and I was able to almost entirely eliminate symptoms I had been living with my entire life. I feel that Tom is easy to speak to and does an amazing job of making the therapy process as easy as it can be while simultaneously being incredibly effective and working on things in a way that it is lasting and profound. Tom has given me faith in the therapeutic process and the work I have done has improved my quality of life in a way I thought wasn’t possible."
"Working with Tom has been truly life changing. Our sessions felt like such a safe space, and Tom was always a calm and grounding presence. He encouraged me to hold space for emotions and was always receptive to any feedback I shared with him. He is incredibly patient and I felt like I was in a really safe pair of hands. I know myself so much better through working with him, and I always walked a little taller when I left each session."
"I have tried a number of different forms of therapy throughout life before this, but I found that the focus of the method - being in my body and focusing on what I was physically feeling - meant I was able to access and address issues much quicker than with more traditional therapies. It feels like a fast track therapy! Dr Mitchell guided me through the process with kindness and understanding. The whole experience wasn’t like any other therapeutic practice I’ve tried but I would definitely recommend to those who are curious."