DR ANN MARIE HARRISON

Before becoming a therapist I worked in Adult Education teaching Psychology. At the same time I worked for the Home Office working with young offenders. Once I qualified as a Counselling Psychologist in 2007 I worked in Health Psychology specialising in Stroke Rehabilitation in NHS. Following on from this I worked in Primary Care Psychology and specialised in trauma therapy. More recently I have worked with Occupational Health companies helping people overcome the challenges faced within the workplace. I have always worked within private practice alongside my NHS posts and have had an opportunity to work with many organisations offering support to people who experience emotional difficulties. I also carry out medico legal assessments and reports in my private work.

I am trained in a number of therapies including Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR), Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) and Psychodynamic Therapy both brief and long term. I also Solution Focused therapy.

I do not believe that there is a one size fits all approach to therapy. I am person centered and Humanistic in my approach. Exploration is key in gaining an understanding of how my clients approach life, problems, difficulties and emotional issues and I adopt an integrative approach which means a blending and flexible use of therapeutic techniques and models to help clients to navigate their feelings and make sense of thoughts. I can offer thorough assessment and formulation to help map out and understand difficulties. I can offer diagnosis if required.

Making that first step into therapy can feel quite daunting and difficult. My role is to help you feel safe and held within a therapeutic space that can promote and restore well being and healing. The therapeutic relationship is one that can sometimes be challenging as well as extremely reparative. I believe that this can bring about positive change and shared understanding.

Each individual has their own unique story and I always feel privileged to be invited to share that story. I understand the need to be heard, acknowledged and understood and how important that is for our self esteem and well being.