Louise Deacon

As well as her professional qualification as a Clinical Psychologist, Louise has a Diploma in Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT), has trained in using Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing therapy (EMDR) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). She is qualified in Interpersonal Psychotherapy (to trainer level) and accredited with Interpersonal Psychotherapy UK (IPTUK).

In her 30 years of practice, she has provided psychological therapy services in a range of NHS settings as well as privately. She has worked in primary care and specialist services including a recurrent depression clinic, sexual health clinics and physical health services.

For many years she combined her clinical work with significant roles in teaching, training, and supervising others. For sixteen years she oversaw the development of clinical psychology trainees as a Senior Teaching Fellow and latterly as Academic Director on the University of Surrey Doctoral Programme in Clinical Psychology. She was also the Director of the University of Surrey Interpersonal Psychotherapy centre.

She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and is on the Register of Applied Psychology Practice Supervisors.

Louise is the author of Brilliant Psychology: How to understand yourself and other people, published by Pearson Education, which has been translated into several languages.

She now works solely in private practice, providing psychological therapy and clinical supervision to other professionals.

Her approach is warm, ‘down to earth’, and non-judgmental. Louise draws from a number of therapy models which are supported by national guidelines and/or research. She has particular expertise in helping people with depression and offers Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) for this, both of which are National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommended therapies for this condition. She has extensive experience of dealing with anxiety and trauma, using techniques from Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Compassion-Focussed Therapy (CFT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR).

When you get in touch if Louise feels she may be of help she will arrange an initial free phone call with you. If she feels that it is appropriate, she will offer an assessment session. This assessment session will be conducted in a collaborative and supportive manner and will include a discussion of the treatment options.

She will discuss with you which of the options may be useful for you, what these therapies involve and get your opinion about the approach which makes most sense for you.

If after assessment she feels your needs will be better served by a different type of practitioner, she will offer advice on who may be of better help.

Whatever the therapy model she is using, in the early sessions she will work with you on developing a shared understanding and explanation of the difficulties you are having, this is called a psychological formulation. She will also work with you on identifying the goals you want to achieve, and then use the therapy techniques to help you work towards them. She will regularly check with you whether the work feels as if it is going in the right direction.

Appointments missed without 48 hours’ notice given will incur the full session fee.