Dr Maria Thompson
EMDR counselling psychologistAbout Me
Desideratum Psychological & Counselling Services Ltd
Dr Maria Thompson, BSc (Hons) MSc, Post-MSc, DCounsPsych., CSAccred.(Adv.) CPsychol., AFBPsS.
Consultant Counselling Psychologist| HCPC Registered & BPS Chartered| EMDR Europe Accredited Practitioner| RAPPS Registered & Accredited Clinical Supervisor L3 (Advanced)| QCoP Approved Supervisor| Certified CBT-E Practitioner| Foundation of Infant Loss Accredited Practitioner
I have worked in statutory and non-statutory organisations in the voluntary, public and private sectors. Her positions have included a University Senior Lecturer, A Consultant / Crisis Services Manager and Head of Psychology within the Female Prison Estate (Medium Secure). I was a psychologist in an Employee Assisted Programme for Council employees and developed an Older Adult domiciliary service whilst practicing in the NHS in Primary and Secondary care (GP surgeries and Older Adult In/Outpatients). I gained 5.5 years experience as a Consultant Counselling Psychologist within the prison service and within a Low Secure Private Hospital supporting those with complex co-morbid forensic and mental health issues, brain injury and neurodegenerative conditions. I am also experienced in providing staff support, service development, management, supervision and risk assessment.
Issues often worked with
Types of therapy
Therapy offered
Client groups
Fees
- In Person Individual Therapy £110.00 for 50 minutes
- In Person Individual Therapy £70.00 for 30 minutes*
- Online or Telephone Individual Therapy £100.00 for 50 minutes
- Online or Telephone Individual Therapy £60.00 for 30 minutes*
- Supervision (Online or Telephone) £100 00 per hour
- Supervision (In Person) £110.00 per hour
* If for any reason you are unable to engage in the 50 minute meeting.
Register with the practice and book on the online diary at: https://mariathompson.clinicoffice.online/
I am a recognised psychologist practitioner with the following health insurance providers through Desideratum P&C Services Ltd. I am happy to join others if yours is not listed: AXA PPP Healthcare, AVIVA, Vitality, CIGNA.
Training and qualifications
Counselling Certificates & Counselling Psychology Degrees:
June 1998: Introduction to Counselling Skills & Theory Certificate
June 1999: BTec Professional Development Certificate in Counselling
June 2002: BSc (Hons) Psychology & Social Policy Degree
September 2004: Masters in Counselling Psychology
June 2005: Post-Masters Diploma in Counselling Psychology
December 2010: Doctorate in Counselling Psychology
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) Certificates for various issues:
November 2009: CBT for Improving Supervision Skills: Problems and Complexities in Practice
November 2009: An Introduction to Supervision of CBT: Essential Skills
May 2011: CBT for Simplifying Personality Disorder Treatment: New Paradigms in CBT
June 2015: CBT for Physical Illness, Injury, Pain and Trauma
July 2015: Food for Thought: CBT for Eating Disorders
June 2015: CBT for Working with Military Veterans
April 2015: Single Session Integrated CBT
May 2015: Cognitive Therapy for Paranoia
May 2016: CBT for Working with Substance Misuse
September 2017: Trauma: Psychopathology and Treatment
October 2017: CBT Case Formulation
October 2017: CBT for Working with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
November 2017: CBT for New Approaches to Traumatic Grief and Loss
December 2017: Resilience: Prevention and Recovery from Traumatic Damage
November 2018: Supercharging Your CBT Practice: Integrating The Best of DBT, ACT and CFT for Maximum Effect
January 2019: CBT for Couples
May 2019: CBT and Counselling with Autism Spectrum Disorder Clients: a Masterclass with Prof Tony Attwood
May 2020: Problem-Solving Techniques and CBT
May 2020: CBT for Working with Generalised Anxiety Disorder
May 2020: Problem Solving Techniques In CBT
June 2020: Introduction to CBT
June 2020: Integrated CBT For Difficult to Work with Clients (Personality Disorders)
July 2020: CBT for Working with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
July 2020: CBT for Working with Depression
July 2020: CBT for Working with Anger
November 2021: CBT-E for Eating Disorders
Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) Certificates
July 2011: An Introduction to Dialectical Behavioural Therapy
April 2016: Dialectical Behaviour Therapy
May 2019: Guiding the Client on a Mindfulness Journey
May 2019: Using DBT Mindfulness Skills to Increase Your Therapeutic Effectiveness
May 2019: DBT Skills Training Group on Emotional Regulation
May 2019: DBT Skills Training Group on Distress Tolerance
October 2019: DBT Skills Training Group on Interpersonal Effectiveness
EMDR Certificates
November 2008: Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing (EMDR) - Stage I
January 2009: Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing (EMDR) - Stage II
March 2009: Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprogramming (EMDR) – Stage III
March 2009: EMDR and Ego State Therapy: Healing Complex Trauma and Dissociation
October 2015: EMDR Refresher/Supervision Day
October 2017: EMDR and Anxiety Disorders
October 2017: EMDR and Complex Trauma
January 2020: EMDR Interventions for Adults with Childhood Insecure Attachment and Detachment Trauma
March 2020: How I Deliver EMDR Therapy Online Using Zoom
March 2020: EMDR Europe Accreditation
April 2020: Using EMDR Online – Answering Your Questions
April 2020: Memory Reconsolidation, The Flash Technique and EMDR
June 2020: EMDR UK Virtual Conference:
- EMDR In the Treatment of Depression – The DeprEnd Protocol
- EMDR Therapy in the Treatment of Complex PTSD
- EMDR 2.0 An Enhanced Version of EMDR?
Additional Psychotherapy Models of Therapy Certificates
April 2016: Motivational Interviewing and Beyond
April 2016: Solution Focused Therapy
April 2018: The Foundation of Infant Loss Accredited Provider Training Course
May 2019: Integrating Schema and CBT Practice: How to Use Powerful Schema Techniques in CBT
November 2019: Compassion Focused Therapy
Psychotherapy Issue Certificates
September 1997: Supporting Bereaved People Culturally
April 1998: Cruse – Understanding Bereavement
April 1999: Emotional Excellence
September 2002: Breaking the Cycle of Depression without Drugs
March 2003: The Impact of Rape and Sexual Abuse
June 2003: Forensic Psychology – The Research Practitioner
September 2003: Relaxation and Visualisation Workshop
2004: Couples Counselling
May 2004: Effective Brief Therapy for Depression
May 2004: Psychology of Perception and the Paranormal
February 2005: The Fast Trauma (PTSD) and Phobia Cure
January 2005: Counsellors and Psychotherapists in Primary Care Training Day in Supervision
May 2005 Psychopharmacology & Therapy: An Uneasy Relationship
May 2005: the 7 Eyed Model – An Introduction to Supervision
August 2005: Attachment Theory
April 2006: Elder Abuse: A Hidden Problem
January 2007: Masterclass on Existential Counselling in Practice by Ernesto Spinelli
April 2008: Cultural Identities and Psychological Therapies
July 2008: Self Harm Awareness Training – Module 1
September 2008: Working Therapeutically with Adult Survivors of Sexual Abuse: Issues, Dilemmas and Complexities
August 2008: Sex Workers Support Needs
April 2009: Self Harm Awareness Training – Module 2
May 2009: Working in Emergency Care with People Who Self-Harm
March 2010: Clinical Supervision
July 2011: Building Awareness of Adult Autism
September 2013: Essential Supervision Skills. BPS Approved Certificate in Clinical Supervision
April 2014: Working Successfully in Private Practice
May 2015: Drugs and Behaviour Course
June 2015: Tackling Addiction: Understanding and Treating All Types of Addictive Behaviour
October 2017: Working with Dissociative Disorders in Clinical Practice
December 2017: Resilience: Prevention and Recovery from Dramatic Damage
December 2017: Christine Sanderson: Managing Power
June 2018: Brene Brown’s Shame Shields: the armour we used to protect ourselves and why it doesn’t serve us
June 2018: The New Rules of Love: How Couples Are Reinventing Marriage
January 2019: Esther Perel’s transformative approach to couples therapy and action
April 2020: An Integrative Approach to Treating Complex PTSD and Associative Disorders
BPS Accredited MSc Neuropsychology Certificates
March 2012: Stroke And Disorders of Language, Praxis, Perception and Calculation
November 2012: Acquired Brain Injury - Disorders of Attention, Memory and Executive Functioning
November 2012: Neurodegenerative Conditions
February 2018: Neurosciences for Clinical Neuropsychology
February 2018: Epilepsy, Seizures & Sleep Disorders
Additional *Psychometric Testing and Neuropsychology Certificates
February 2005: Psychometric Testing for Counselling Psychologists
May 2005: Psychological Testing and Counselling Psychology
May 2007: Clinical Neuropsychology with Older People
April 2008: Assistant Test User: Occupational
April 2008: Test User: Occupational, Ability (Formerly Level A)
August 2011: Test User: Occupational, Personality (Formerly Level B Intermediate)
July 2010: CPD Day for Old Age Psychiatry
July 2010: Stroke Care in the 21st Century
June 2012: Learning to Use the Historical / Clinical / Risk Management–20 (HCR–20) version 2
March 2011: MSc Postgraduate Study in Clinical Neuropsychiatry – Brain Injury
August 2012: Personality Assessment Screener Workshop
August 2012: Personality Assessment Inventory Assessment Workshop
August 2012: Bender Visual Motor Gestalt Test Assessment workshop
August 2012: Middlesex Elderly Assessment of Mental State Assessment Workshop
November 2016: Reducing the Burden of Neurobehavioural Disability after Acquired Brain Injury: past, Present and Future
April 2012: An Overview of Huntington’s Disease
September 2012: WAIS-IV Administration and Interpretation Workshop
September 2012: WMS-IV Administration and Interpretation Workshop
November 2012: Encephalitis - An Introduction
January 2020: Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory–IV
Expert Witness Certificates:
May 2005: Writing Court Reports
2008: Master Class Expert Witness Presenting Evidence in Court
April 2014: BPS Becoming An Expert Witness
June 2014: BPS Expert Witness Level 1 Essential Knowledge of being an Expert Witness
June 2014: BPS Expert Witness Level 2 Report Writing
June 2014: EWI certified Medico-Legal Report Writing in Civil Claims (Core Skills)
July 2014: BPS Expert Witness Level 3 Presenting Court Room Evidence
July 2014: BPS Expert Witness Level 4 Use of Psychometric Assessments for Court
Clinical Supervision Training & Accreditation
1) Counsellors and Psychotherapists in Primary Care, West Bromwich 2005. NHS Primary Care Supervision.
2) University of Wolverhampton, 2005. The Seven-Eyed Model – 1 day An introduction to supervision by Robin Shohet
3) Universities of Birmingham, Coventry and Warwick 2005. 1 day Dealing with Difficulties on Placement.
4) Oxford Cognitive Therapy Centre, Oxford 2009. 2 days CBT Supervision
5) University of Wolverhampton, 2010. 2 days CBT/Psychodynamic/Transtheoretical Clinical Supervision.
6) BPS/DCoP Qualification in Counselling Psychology Approved Supervisor Training, 2012
7) Essential Supervision Skills, Birmingham, September 2013. 2 days Clinical Supervision
8) Essential Supervision Skills, Online, 2021. 2 days Clinical Supervision (Refresher) leading to RAPPS Registration
9) Essential Supervision Skills Exam 2021 leading to Accreditation in Clinical Supervision Level 2
10) Advanced Supervision Training 2021. 1 day, leading to Accreditation in Clinical Supervision Level 3 - Advanced
11) BPS/DCoP Qualification in Counselling Psychology (updated Modules 1 & 2) Refresher Supervisor Training, 2021
*the complete psychometric testing portfolio and full list of training providers is available on request.
Continuing Professional Development - various are attended each year.