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Register of Psychologists Specialising in Psychotherapy

Find a Chartered Psychologist Specialising in Psychotherapy

Register of Psychologists Specialising in Psychotherapy.doc

• Important Information about Statutory Regulation

What is Psychotherapy?

Psychotherapy is the practice of alleviating psychological distress through talking rather than drugs; indeed, it is often referred to as 'talking therapy'.

Psychologists specialising in psychotherapy work with a wide range of distress usually at the point when it is severe enough to affect a person's well being, work, relationships and other aspects of their daily lives. It can be so severe as to be defined in terms of mild to serious mental ill-health and many psychotherapy specialists work in health service settings.

About the Register

All psychologists specialising in psychotherapy have degrees and postgraduate professional training in psychology and the practice of psychotherapy. Psychotherapists often describe their work in terms of the specific approaches in which they have trained.

The following are brief descriptions of these common approaches.

• Cognitive and cognitive-behavioural approaches: These approaches focus on how we learn to think and behave. Psychological distress can be related to patterns of thinking and behaviour that cause difficulties and therapists often work with clients to identify these patterns and change them.
• Humanistic and person-centred approaches: These approaches focus on the conditions that affect our sense of self and the ways we feel about and value ourselves. Much distress can be linked to a lack of self-worth and therapists often work with clients to understand how they have learnt to see themselves and to build self-esteem.
• Psychoanalytic and psychodynamic approaches: These approaches focus on the ways early experiences in family relationships can affect our development and well being throughout life. Such experiences can have profound effects that are largely unconscious and therapists often work with clients to understand and ameliorate distress rooted in early experience.
• Systemic approaches: These approaches focus on systems of relationships in families and groups and the ways that individuals are shaped by group expectations and the roles they play. Therapists often work with individuals, families or groups to understand and change patterns of relationship that cause difficulties.

Many will, however, describe their work as 'integrative' because they draw on more than one approach.

Other psychologists offering psychotherapy services

Many Clinical and Counselling psychologists not listed in the Register of Psychologists Specialising in Psychotherapy offer psychotherapy services.

Information on clinical and counselling psychologists within your geographical area can be found in the Directory of Chartered Psychologists.