Clinical Psychology Muswell Hill
‘Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and how it dictates and influences our behaviour, from communication and memory to thought and emotion. It’s about understanding what makes people tick and how this understanding can help us address many of the problems and issues in society today’ (BPS website). Psychologists are likely to ask lots of questions initially to help them to think about and come up with hypotheses about what might be going on and why, and then will use this information combined with their own clinical experience and research to begin to explore and process some of the changes and difficult feelings, usually with an aim to improve mood and quality of life (but they will discuss aims and goals during the first few sessions).
We have three Clinical Psychologists at Muswell Health, Dr Lucy Nicholson, Dr Ronan McSorley and Dr Sophie Raymont
Lucy Nicholson: Becoming a parent is a time of tremendous change. There are many exciting new joys and opportunities for growth, but people often find this period brings new challenges too and may lead to the emergence of old wounds. Typically, sessions with a clinical psychologist during this period of transition will involve thinking about the main difficulties or “stuck” points; these may be anxiety-based, such as fears about giving birth or concerns about what kind of parent you will be, or perhaps causing feelings of sadness, grief or despair – sometimes related to previous traumas or losses in your life. Lucy is a registered member of The Health and Care Professions Council.
Ronan McSorley: In his private practice, Dr McSorley does not rely on diagnostic labels such as ‘depression’ or ‘schizophrenia’. Nor does he use psychiatric concepts such as ‘mental disorder’, ‘chemical imbalance’ or ‘hallucination’. Dr McSorley finds that when people drop the medical language and instead talk in terms of sadness, despair, disappointment, anger, grief and guilt they are able to get to the core of their experience. This is often a necessary first step towards the demystification of confusing psychological states. Dr McSorley believes that in order to bring about lasting change it is necessary for people to uncover the cause and personal meaning of their distress. This is not always immediately apparent and requires the consideration of multiple and intersecting influences such as trauma, class, ethnicity, gender, sexuality and disability. There is strong evidence to suggest that when therapy takes these factors into account it is more likely to be effective. Dr McSorley’s aim is to help people gain both ‘insight’ into their internal worlds and ‘outsight’ into the economic, social and environmental factors that shape their distress. He hopes people will leave therapy equipped with a more empowering way of talking about life’s problems, a new perspective on how to respond to distress and renewed courage in facing the world. Ronan is a member of Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and British Psychological Society (BPS)
Sophie Raymont: With over 10 years’ experience working in mental health settings in the UK and abroad. I have worked in numerous NHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health services, and currently work in a specialist NHS service in central London for adults with severe emotional and interpersonal difficulties. Having completed my doctorate at UCL, I am trained in several therapeutic approaches (CBT, third-wave CBT, psychodynamic). I draw on principles across these modalities to differing degrees based on your individual wants and needs. In my private practice, I offer CBT, psychodynamic and integrative therapy to children/young people (10 years +) and adults. My therapeutic style is warm, empathic and direct. I believe that therapy is most helpful when honest and authentic reflections are shared by both client and therapist, and I strive to create a meaningful therapeutic relationship in which this can organically occur. Sophie is a HCPC (Health Care Professions Council), accredited Clinical Psychologist,
If you are considering whether Clinical Psychology may be of help to you and would like to talk to Lucy or Ronan call 020 8883 4981, or email your name and number to reception@muswellhealth.uk
