Epsom Psychology

Who We Are

There are many reasons why you may have landed on our website. We all have times when life feels difficult and we experience strong and uncomfortable emotions. Perhaps you are feeling “stuck” or you are experiencing life changes that are difficult to cope with. Perhaps you are noticing a pattern or cycle playing out in your life and you have decided that you want it to stop. Epsom Psychology can help.

Dr Catherine Huckle is a Chartered Clinical Psychologist, providing psychological assessment, consultation and therapy in the Epsom, Ashtead, Oxshott and Leatherhead areas. Catherine uses evidence-based therapies recognised and recommended by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE).

What can I help with?

I work with adults aged 18 years and over. I am trained to work with the full spectrum of mental health disorders, including:

· Depression

· Generalised Anxiety Disorder

· Panic Disorder

· Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

· Social Anxiety

· Phobias

· Eating disorders.

I am also able to help when a formal diagnosis is not required or appropriate. For example, I can help with issues related to abuse, anger, bereavement, inter-personal relationships, self-esteem, self-confidence and becoming a parent.

I also offer single-session therapy, a one off session involving a brief assessment and development of an action plan to help with specific issues or to help instigate change when you are feeling stuck.

My Approach

As a Clinical Psychologist I am trained in a range of therapeutic models. My approach is integrative and person-centered; that means that I might use elements from a range of models according to the difficulties that an individual is experiencing at any given time.

I offer talking therapy based on a formulation, which we develop together over our first meetings. A formulation is a way of understanding how everything fits together, and often helps to identify how or why difficulties have come about. Once we have developed a formulation I draw on my experience, knowledge of a range of models and the evidence base to plan a therapeutic intervention.

Models of Therapy

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)

CBT is an evidence-based therapy. It suggests that it is our thoughts that drive much of what we do (our behaviour), and these two together contribute to how we feel. Because of this, our thoughts can sometimes make us feel worse and can maintain distressing feelings and unhelpful behaviours. This is because it is not necessarily the situation itself that cause us to feel stressed, anxious and depressed, but rather the way we think about it or the meaning that we attach to it. Through CBT we aim to work with unhelpful thinking patterns and behaviour in order to build lasting change. You can read more about CBT here: http://www.beckinstitute.org/cognitive-behavioral-therapy

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

ACT is another evidence-based approach but it differs slightly from CBT in that there is an emphasis on the relationship with our thoughts rather than their content. The therapy aims to build psychological flexibility to enable movement towards a satisfying and values-driven life rather than reacting and responding to familiar uncomfortable thought patterns.

You can read more about ACT here: http://www.thehappinesstrap.com/about_act

Solution Focused Therapy

Solution focused therapy is a practical, goal-driven model based on accessing knowledge and skills that you already possess in order to make your life better. The therapy aims to help clients access this information in order to work on tangible and realistic life changes.

You can read more about solution-focused therapy here: http://www.solutionfocused.net/what-is-solution-focused-therapy/

Single Session Intervention

Meeting for a single session can be helpful if you are feeling stuck around a particular issue or if your time or funding is limited. The session is longer than traditional therapy sessions (90 minutes) and focuses on a brief assessment to build an understanding of the difficulties before developing a plan to move forward. It may be particularly suitable for people who have had therapeutic input before or who have a distinct challenge that they would like to work on. Sometimes single session work can evolve into further sessions.

Green Therapy

Most of us can recognise that we feel better after being outside, but there is extensive evidence to suggest that being in nature can reduce anxiety, improve mood, improve sleep, support cognitive functioning and enhance immune system functioning. The therapy aims to support clients to increase their time outside and encourage engagement with nature.

Recommended Therapists

There are times when I am working at capacity and am unable to offer an appointment immediately. In this situation I would like to recommend alternative psychological therapists in the area who have a high standard of training and qualification, and have the necessary accreditation, insurance and security checks.