FAQ’s

Psychiatrists are medical doctors who specialise in offering medical treatments, usually medication, to help emotional problems. A small number of Psychiatrists are also trained in offering psychological treatments as well.

Psychotherapy is a term most often used to mean psychological therapy. Many professionals are trained to offer psychotherapy because they have taken accredited training courses after qualifying in their ‘core’ profession, for example, some nurses, occupational therapists, psychiatrists (and others). Clinical Psychologists develop their skills and knowledge in psychotherapy throughout training in their ‘core’ profession. In order to find the right therapist for you, it is probably much more important to ask about the therapist’s experience and qualifications and areas of specialty rather than relying on terms such as ‘clinical psychology’ or ‘psychotherapy’ to guide you. Our team consists of both Clinical Psychologists, Psychotherapists and a Psychiatrist. Every team member has many years experience and areas of specialist knowledge. Please don’t hesitate to ask us for more information.

Just talking can help but if your problems are greater than those most of us encounter most weeks, then it may not be enough. Psychological therapy involves developing an in-depth understanding of the problem and then devising tailor made strategies to help to solve the problem or enable you to live with it more comfortably.

£90 – £100 per session for individuals who refer and pay for themselves or who are referred by another health care professional. £100 – £110 per session for individuals who would like us to invoice their Health Insurance Company. For those referred by a rehabilitation organisation or insurance company requiring regular feedback, please contact us for details.

We have compiled a list of things that other parents have noticed in their children which have triggered them to ask for an assessment.  We have divided them by age group, some characteristics can, of course, remain over time.  Please remember, children with Social Communication Difficulties or an ASD can present very differently to one another and no one person will have all of these characteristics. Pre-School You may have some of these concerns for your preschooler:

• My child is not talking or takes no notice when called
• I have often wondered whether my child is deaf
• Settling my child into nursery was very difficult, staff say he often plays by him/herself
• My child is a very fussy eater
• It has been very difficult to toilet train my child, he/she will only open his/her bowels in a nappy
• My child does not respond to family members when they visit
• My child can become very upset and tantrum and I don’t understand the triggers
• My child is very sensitive to loud noises, such as hoovering or loud cars
• My child insists on having a certain object with him/her at all times (like a stick, pebble etc)
• My child lines toys up and becomes distraught if I move them
• My child tends to do their own thing and not follow instruction or suggestion
• I have stopped taking my child to the shops
• My child loves water and could turn taps on and off for as long as I allow it
• I feel I connect best with my child during ‘rough and tumble’ play

 

• School Age – You may have some of these concerns for your school aged child:

 

• My child seems bright but has no friends
• My child is not invited to parties or friends houses, or has been and it has gone wrong in some way
• My child seems to talk ‘at’ me and can go on and on
• My child doesn’t seem to know when I or his teachers have had enough and so can get into trouble
• My child is likely to make embarrassingly personal remarks to people
• Teachers say that he/she does not follow class instructions
• My child talks to teachers and peers in the same way, without realising that he is being rude to teachers
• My child wants to have friends but seems not to know how to go about it
• My child becomes intensely interested in things, to the point of it feeling like an obsession
• My child can play happily on his/her own and seem to be in a dream world
• Homework is a real struggle – my child either does not seem to understand or remember what he/she needs to do or will be very resistant to doing it
• My child is easily frustrated and sometimes I just don’t know what started it

 

• Older Adolescents – You may have some of these concerns about your adolescent child:

 

• I can’t seem to have a conversation or being able to reason with him/her
• Work experience went very badly
• My child seems out of step with their peers
• I am worried about how my child would cope in a job interview or at university
• My child will talk to anyone including total strangers
• My child seems intensely shy
• My child only wants to play on the computer

 

• Doesn’t everyone have some of these characteristics?

 

• Absolutely!  Most (if not all) people have some traits linked to the Autism Spectrum, whether it be a preference for routine or finding noisy, busy environments difficult to manage.  Our assessments look closely at whether your child’s traits are pervasive enough AND significant enough to cause difficulties in their life and wellbeing.  Only then would we consider making a diagnosis.
• I do not want to label my child, perhaps we should see how things develop?
• Facing the possibility that your child has developmental issues can be tough.  People with Autistic Spectrum Difficulties have real strengths as well as areas of difficulty, such as a good attention to detail, the ability to maintain focus and attention on their special interest, a good memory for facts and information, strong visual processing and an ability to look at the world in new and interesting ways.  When a person’s profile of strengths and difficulties are understood this can make a big difference to how they are taught and supported over the course of their lives.
• Some children with an undiagnosed ASD can be mislabelled as being rude, manipulative, naughty and anti-social.  A correct diagnosis can help to understand the root and cause of the behaviours and provide strategies to support the person and those around them in addressing the areas of concern.
• There is some research suggesting that older people who have received a diagnosis later in life feel very relieved to finally gain an understanding of why they are ‘different’ to their peers and wish that they had known it sooner.  As such, a diagnosis could help a child or young person understand themselves and also introduce them to a community of ‘similar’ others.
• Having said this, it is important to say that we do not believe in labelling for the sake of labelling.  When we complete an assessment we look, with you, at whether a diagnosis would be helpful to them and those that care for them.