I am Dr Poppy Jones. I have undertaken extensive training and am qualified as a Clinical Psychologist, CBT therapist and DBT therapist. Read more about me, my qualifications and experience here.

Deciding who you want to work with can be really tricky and can feel quite overwhelming. It can also feel uncomfortable or awkward to have to break it off with a therapist if you don’t feel they’re the right fit for you. To help with this, I offer a 15-minute video consultation to prospective clients, which is free-of-charge.  This offers us both the opportunity to decide if we are the right fit for each other. If, after the consultation, we decide we are not the right pairing, I can help to signpost you to someone who may be better suited if you would find that helpful.

The jargon can be quite confusing, so it’s understandable to not know the difference between a clinical psychologist, a psychiatrist, a psychotherapist, a therapist or a counsellor.

The title ‘Clinical Psychologist’ is a protected title and is regulated by the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC). This means that only people who have undergone rigorous and lengthy training are eligible to practice as Clinical Psychologists. Training typically takes upwards of 6 years. A Clinical Psychologist must have completed a psychology undergraduate degree (minimum 3 years) and a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (3 years). It is common to also have completed a number of years of postgraduate clinical experience before being accepted onto the doctorate course. Clinical Psychologists are trained by the NHS and the doctorate involves clinical, academic and research work.

A Psychiatrist is a medical doctor who specialises in mental health. They can prescribe medication as well as recommend other forms of treatment. A Clinical Psychologist cannot prescribe medication.

Neither counsellor, therapist nor psychotherapist are protected titles in the UK meaning that, in theory, anyone can call themselves one. People may practice as one of these roles following attendance of a training course, and while there are many highly trained and competent counsellors, therapists and psychotherapists, it can be much harder to discern their credentials.

The flexibility that comes with private therapy is one of the benefits of seeking private therapy compared to what is available on the NHS. We are not constrained to a particular number of sessions like we would be if you were seen in public services.

The number of therapy sessions needed depends on many different factors including the presenting problem, personal history and therapy experience, amongst others.

Many people I work with see significant improvements in 16-20 sessions. However, changes can be made in as little as 8-12 sessions, while other people can take longer to notice changes or may prefer open-ended therapy.

When we begin our work together, and if you are wanting a time-limited therapy, we will agree on an initial number of sessions (for example 6-8), after which we will review and discuss how things are going. We would then discuss a further set of sessions, after which there will be another review.

Therapy can be a significant financial undertaking, if there are financial constraints on the number of therapy sessions we can have, we can think together about how to ensure you can get the most out of our time together.

Therapy sessions are usually weekly to begin with. As progress is made the frequency can reduce to fortnightly or sometimes monthly. This is particularly true toward the end of therapy as it allows the opportunity for consolidation of learning and allows you to prepare for life without therapy.