Transform your life

Psychologists complete core training to become qualified and they go on to complete further continued professional development (CPD) each year.

CPD aims to help provide a quality, effective and up to date treatment service for customers and referrers.

Core training

Dr Blackburn has completed the following substantial qualifications & accreditation –

• BA honours in psychology
• Doctorate in clinical psychology
• British Psychological Society – Chartered Clinical Psychologist  & Associate Fellow
• HCPC Registered Practitioner Psychologist 

Further training 

• Post graduate certificate in adult (post 16) education (PGCE), with distinction
• Certificate in health & social care management, NHS & Open University
• Bond Solon & Cardiff University expert witness certificate in Civil Law
• Post graduate diploma in cognitive therapy, Oxford University & Warneford Hospital cognitive therapy centre
• Certificate in third wave CBT
• Accredited BABCP Psychotherapist
• EMDR - Level I, intermediate and II trained therapist
• EMDR with children and young people
• EMDR Uk & Ireland  & EMDR Europe recognised practitioner
• Supervision certificates & register of applied psychology practice supervisors (RAPP’s)
• Certificate in research methods
• Certificate in anxiety disorders
• Cognitive analytical system for psychotherapy (CBASP) training
• Mindfulness based cognitive therapy training (MBCT)
• Dialectical behaviour therapy training
• Compassion Focused therapy training

We help people with a range of psychological difficulties, including but not limited to -

• Anxiety, panic & worry of various types
• Depression including reactive, chronic and bipolar
• Trauma & adjustment in relation to accidents, loss and life events
• Sleep difficulties
• Relationship problems
• OCD
• Health related concerns
• Long standing coping and personality issues
• Confidence problems & low self worth.

Our service is only open to adult clients at present. 

Customer Care

Our service aims to put customer care at the centre of our service, in order to improve year on year.

Attendance 

We book on a 'first come first served' basis and try to accomodate most attendance preferences, in our weekly clinics.

Clients and referrers can get in contact, without obligation, for a free initial chat.  Enquiries are welcome 7 days a week. Please leave a message at busy times.

Risk Management 

We have transparent policies in terms of managing risk, to help to keep our customers safe and informed. 

Dr Blackburn holds a enhanced DBS certificate, for working with adults and children.

Our service cannot offer out of hours crisis or emergency provision, but we do help clients to change risk behaviours over time, using therapy.

In an emergency, if you are unable to keep yourself safe, please contact your GP or crisis contacts as pre - discussed.

Alternatively ring 999 or 101.

GDPR

Our service is registered with the Information Commissioner's office (ICO) and is compliant with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), taking care of your confidential, personal data.

If customers decide to attend assessment and therapy, or supervision services, we provide full details of our privacy and data protection processes at the first meeting. 

Insurance

We are insured with Howden insurance group for public liability and professional indemnity. 

Environmentally friendly

We strongly value, animal and planet friendly ways of working, as do many of our customers. 

We strive to reduce waste and to choose sustainable materials and practices, where possible.

As part of giving back to our valuable World, we give to earth friendly charities.

Our customers are given the opportunity to provide anonymous feedback at the end of therapy.  

Below are some of the ad verbatim comments from customers, who have kindly consented to share their views -

"Therapist is trustworthy and friendly, understanding and can relate to problems that have arisen. The service is wonderful and thank you. I'm a new man!“

"Kaye is very easy to talk to. She was never judgemental and gave excellent life advice, as well as clinical and coping strategies.

Suggestions for improvement - good coffee."

Comment - Thanks for your feedback. With regard to the coffee, we used to have real coffee, but no one drank it very often, and those that did got a bit coffee high! so its Nescafe Gold blend now (other coffee acceptable).

“I thought that Kaye was a fantastic listener. Her therapy sessions have taught me to be more confident in myself and to adapt my breathing and thoughts to deal with life when it gets me down and to talk things through, which I would normally run away from. Thanks Kaye for helping me find myself again.”

"I was very sceptical about how therapy could help me after my accident, but Dr Blackburn guided me through the process. I am totally amazed how she was able to help me. I feel like I have my life back. I would highly recommend her to others.“

"Very personal. Kaye is utterly fantastic. The sessions have really changed my life. I have both practical and theoretical strategies which will enable me to continue growing... I have felt comfortable with Kaye, You're amazing!"

"Kaye is so easy to open up to, in such a non- judgemental way. She provided me with strategies to cope and I feel as if she almost gave me permission to accept how I feel without guilt. I now have seen huge improvement in most aspects of my life."

"My therapy really helped me to unpick some of the problems I was facing and allowed me to begin to make useful changes. I have felt a sense of release as I have got unstuck from things that were making me feel powerless. Thank you so much for your help with this process. I really appreciate it!! "

"I learned so much about myself and was able to escape from my toxic relationship and rebuild my life on better terms. I no longer let anyone abuse me and I am on my way to building a better life."

Comment - Thank you to All our clients and colleagues. Your trust in me and this service is much valued & appreciated.

In its simplest form cognitive behavioural therapy  or CBT is a skills based therapy, which helps people learn ways to overcome or adjust to their life problems and symptoms.  Sessions are typically one hour in length (per week or fortnight).

Initially, it teaches the person to explore the meanings they hold in their mind about their specific difficulties and to understand the ways this effects their feelings, body and actions.

Later in treatment, the person, with the support of their Therapist, learns to make systematic changes to their coping.

There are many types of CBT and it is a particularly useful therapy for clients who are willing to learn about their problems and who want to take action to help themselves.  

As part of CBT treatments, the client and Therapist develop between session tasks, which aim to help the client to practise a new skill or explore a new way of functioning.

DBT stands for dialectical behaviour therapy. This approach was originally shown to be effective by Dr Marsha Linehan in 1997, who employed it to help women with borderline personality disorder.

As efficiency in the NHS has become the current focus, specialist DBT approaches have become more difficult to access. Linehan’s original group ran for two or more years, alongside one to one therapy support and Therapist supervision.

Research to adapt DBT to individual settings is growing and several authors suggest DBT needs to be made available more flexibly to suit client individual needs, as part of their wider therapy.

We provide DBT skills building, within our service, as part of one to one therapy.

DBT has been used to help people who have chronic self harm, difficulties in relationships and problems regulating their emotions.

References –

Marsha M. Linehan. Dialectical behaviour therapy for borderline personality disorder. 1987. Guilford press.

Marsha M. Linehan. Dialectical behaviour Therapy - skills training manual. Second Edition. 2015. Guilford press.

Lane Pederson, Cortney Pederson. The Expanded Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Training Manual, 2nd Edition: DBT for Self-Help and Individual & Group Settings. 2017. PESI publishing media.

CBASP stands for - cognitive behavioural analysis system of psychotherapy. This was invented by James P. McCullough Jnr., who is now retired, but has worked to develop this approach for 40 years.

CBASP is validated to help people who have chronic depression. Chronic depression can take several forms, but it is generally defined as depression which persists for over 2 years, with less than 2 months of no symptoms in that time.

Some people suffer a lifetime of depression and standard treatments such as behavioural activation and traditional CBT often do not help them.

CBASP looks at how early development messages have prevented the person from knowing how to interact, to help themselves in life.

It goes on to teach clients a method of addressing current problems that effect their mood, with the aim over time of changing stuck coping patterns.

CBASP is currently seeking recognition in the future NICE guidelines as a therapy for people with chronic depression. 

Treatment is 16 to 20 sessions minimum and the Therapist takes an active role in helping the client to overcome any interpersonal barriers preventing them from using the therapy.

If you are interested in receiving CBASP as a treatment, please get in contact for more information.

Our services provide weekly clinics using EMDR therapy to help people in distress.

EMDR stands for eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy.

It was originally created by Francine Shapiro, a Clinician and Researcher, to treat traumatic memories.  It has since expanded, to be used with a wider range of symptoms and difficulties such as: panic, phobia, complex grief, personality change, OCD, early trauma and coping.

EMDR is a therapy with less research base than CBT, but it is recognised for use with adults, by the World Health Organisation.

To discuss, if EMDR is a suitable therapy for you, please get in contact.