Specialist

Services.

Psychology Service.

Why see a Clinical Psychologist?

At the Harley Street Dermatology Clinic we know how big an impact skin disease can have on your life and consequently how important the right treatment can be. In addition to providing treatment for your physical symptoms, we also provide care to help with the other effects that these conditions can have on your health and wellbeing. Having a skin condition or another dermatological problem can have a big impact on your mood and confidence, and it can leave you feeling self-conscious or anxious when you meet other people. We have a clinical psychologist in the clinic, who can help with the social and emotional side of your care. Our experienced psychologist can help you to adjust to your diagnosis or provide tools to help you cope with your symptoms.

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How Clinical Psychology can help:

Our consultations are tailored to your individual needs. They aim to reduce stress, worry and low mood which may be impacting on your skin condition. As well as thinking about how your skin condition impacts on your life and relationships.

We can provide a space to talk about:

The interaction between your skin condition and stress
Worries about your appearance
Adjustment to a diagnosis of a skin condition
The impact of your skin condition on your body image, self-esteem, quality of life
The impact of your skin condition on your relationships
Learning to live with your skin condition
Difficulties with skin picking, hair pulling and itching
The impact and meaning of diagnosis of cancer to you and your family and friends
Other associated difficulties e.g. low mood, worry, anxiety and depression

What sorts of treatments are offered?

Psychoeducation
Practical problem solving and ways of coping
Noticing repeated patterns in your life and changing them
Relaxation techniques
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
Systemic Therapy
Narrative Therapy
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy
Habit reversal

What to expect?

We often suggest that you start with a longer appointment of one and a half to two hours. This enables us enough time for you to talk about the impact on your life of current skin condition and what you would like to be different without feeling hurried. We will have time to explore what you have already tried in relation to managing your skin condition. By the end of the initial consultation, there will be time for us to share some initial thoughts, and consider what might be useful first steps, in relation to the use of therapy in managing your skin condition. Depending on what you want to change and how you think about the world we will choose whether to work from a CBT, Narrative, Systemic or Behavioural framework.

At the initial consultation, I will ask you to fill out a questionnaire that relates to the kind of worries and difficulties that people have in managing skins disorders. The aim of this is to clarify what you might like to change as a result of us working together, and also enables us to be able to track progress in your sessions.

Future sessions can be either one hour or one and a half hours long depending on your preference. They are usually scheduled every 2 weeks (but can be weekly or monthly).

Length of treatment:

This varies according to the wishes and needs of each individual. Some people only require one or two consultations with me; others need a course of meetings. This is negotiated between us at the time. Typically a course of treatment is 12 sessions.

How do I get to see a Clinical Psychologist?

The Harley Street Dermatology Clinic is located in the centre of London. If you are uninsured (i.e. self- funding), you can book an appointment directly by Phone or by email.

If you have medical health insurance, you will need a referral from a General Practitioner and to obtain an authorisation code from your insurance company before you can be seen or treated. Without these, you may find that your insurer will not reimburse your costs.

Our psychologist is registered with all the major insurers in the UK and internationally.

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Did you know?

Most moles are not a cause for concern and present a purely cosmetic problem. However, moles can occasionally undergo changes that lead to them becoming cancerous.

Acne is a common condition characterised by blackheads, whiteheads and cysts. It affects the greasy and hair-bearing areas such as the face, chest and back.