Dr Claire Martin

As well as offering private psychological therapy to adults of all ages, I continue to work part-time for the NHS as a Consultant Psychologist, leading a psychology team in older people’s mental health services. I have a lot of specialist experience working therapeutically with people experiencing cognitive difficulties as a result of dementia, stroke and other neurodegenerative conditions, as well as challenges related to ageing in general.

Psychological assessment, personal formulation and therapy are the bread and butter of my work in private practice and the NHS. I am a qualified Cognitive Analytic Therapist and supervisor. CAT is a therapy that can help with a range of difficulties (for example, interpersonal, self-care and relationship difficulties, mood problems, anxiety and stress). CAT is based on the theory that our life’s experiences influence the way we relate to others and how we treat ourselves. Interpersonal patterns can develop that are distressing yet hard to change. CAT offers a way of better understanding our relationship patterns and uses the therapeutic relationship as part of our work. The CAT Association website explains in more detail What is CAT?

I am also trained in EMDR and work with issues such as trauma, grief and the psychological impact of abuse. EMDR is a therapy originally developed to work with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and is now used for a variety of difficulties. It is based on the theory that, most of the time, we ‘process’ our difficult or traumatic experiences, meaning that they do not have a lasting or detrimental impact. However, at times, such ‘processing’ can get stuck, resulting in here-and-now distress that belongs to events and experiences in the past. In my experience, EMDR is a powerful therapy that can help to do the ‘processing’ that is needed to put traumatic experiences in the past, where they belong. CAT and EMDR can sometimes be effectively integrated, and this is something we could consider together

At times in our lives, we can all find ourselves having difficulties in our relationships, at work and with our physical and mental health. Psychological approaches, such as therapy, can help us to make sense of difficulties, experience our feelings in a safe environment and find ways to respond to and manage them, ultimately making changes for the better.

CAT and EMDR are therapies that I have experienced myself. I understand that starting therapy can feel unsettling and uncertain. As well as helpful and potentially life-changing, therapy can be difficult and challenging at times and is a commitment. Finding the right therapy (and therapist) at the right time for you is important and is often not easy. My approach is focused on developing a strong (safe, open and non-judgmental) therapeutic relationship, to build trust to work well together.

If you decide to start therapy and continue to work with me, we will ensure that we have a shared understanding of you as a person, your life experiences, what is happening for you now and what you would like to achieve in therapy. We would then agree a plan between us to work towards those goals.