Adult Services

Practice Philosophy

We all have difficulties from time to time and sometimes these difficulties can seem insurmountable. Talking to people can help, but sometimes it is difficult to talk to the people closest to you.
If the difficulties begin to affect everyday life and it seems difficult to find a way forward, it may help to talk things through with a Clinical Psychologist or psychotherapist.
At High View we offer “talking therapy” because we believe that the best way to deal with psychological problems is to talk about them with someone else in order to begin to understand how, and why, the problems have arisen and what can be done about them. 
Talking therapies involve having a conversation with a therapist who is trained to listen attentively and to help you find your own answers, without judging you.
This can involve a range of things including helping you to find the root causes of your problems and ways to deal with these, to change your behaviour or negative thoughts or simply to support you.  Talking therapies do not offer “magic solutions”.  They can be hard work and progress can be slow or painful. It may not be the right time for you to talk, or talking about things may make you feel worse to begin with before things improve.

Who can be helped?
The practice offers assessment and treatment of adults aged 18+ who are experiencing psychological problems.
The service at High View may be helpful to those who experience:

• Problems in their relationships with other people
• Depression, anxiety or other psychological difficulties
• Difficulties associate with low self-esteem and self-confidence
• Work related stress
• Problems following bereavement, loss or other traumatic events in their lives
• Feel overwhelmed with life and unable to cope.
• Have difficulty in dealing with feelings of guilt, shame, frustration and anger,
  or experience a loss of meaning in their lives.
• Want to change unfulfilling aspects of their lives.
• Are interested in personal development and in developing their own creativity.

People experiencing severe or complex mental health difficulties that require the intervention of a number of mental health professionals working together will not usually be seen within the Practice.  

What will happen when I come to High View?

At High View we believe it is important to carry out a thorough assessment of an individual’s difficulties in order to properly understand what is going on so that we can make informed decisions about treatment if this is required.  In most cases this will be done in the following way:  

1. Assessment:
Assessment of presenting difficulties will depend upon the needs of the person concerned.  Individuals who are seen for an initial assessment are under no obligation to undertake treatment with the High View Practice.  If a recommendation is made for therapy clients will be made aware of all the options including those available through the NHS.

Initial Assessment Session:
The aim of an initial assessment will be to gather information about the presenting difficulties, the way they have developed over time, and the individual’s personal history and development. This session will last between an hour and an hour and a half. It will be carried out mainly through face to face discussion but may also involve the use of some psychological tests. It may be necessary to have a further assessment session to complete this process.

At the end of the assessment it should be possible to reach a preliminary understanding of why the presenting problems have arisen, how they might be understood in the context of the individual’s history and, if indicated, what treatment options might be considered.

2. Treatment:
If some form of treatment is indicated by the assessment we will discuss with you if this can be offered within the Practice. You will always be involved in the decision about what form of therapy is likely to be most helpful. Any recommendations made will be informed by professional good practice guidelines and outcome research including those made by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). If you decide to pursue treatment at High View you will be given an idea of how long this is likely to take and the cost involved. 

Any form of treatment is likely to integrate a range of different psychological models and may include:

• Individual Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
• Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)

Mr David Carter

Email: david@high-view.org.uk