Insight London Psychology Services

The psychosocial implications of living with HIV in the UK

2011-03-28T13:38:00.000+01:00

The landscape of HIV has changed radically over the last decade or so. In the UK at least, the availability of effective anti-retroviral treatments has transformed HIV from a terminal to a chronic condition. We are now beginning to see children who were born with HIV who are starting families of their own as well as adults who are surviving into older age. We now know more about transmission. With appropriate interventions it is possible to reduce the rate of mother to child transmission down to around 1% or less. Many young people in the UK who have grown up with HIV are now in transition from coping with a childhood health condition to being young people trying to manage the extra responsibilities and burden of having a sexually transmissible infection (Judd et al 2007).

Despite medical advances, the psychological and social ramifications of living with HIV continue to have a significant impact on the lives of those living with the condition. This is particularly so because of the stigma associated with HIV and the powerful injunctions which mitigate against people talking about their condition to others. When our ability to share our experiences with others is compromised, it isolates us from others and prevents us from digesting and processing our lived experiences. This isolation has a powerful circle of influence, affecting relationships within and beyond the family. The future for people living with HIV in the UK is increasingly optimistic, though uncertain. However, the need for us all to help break down the stigma associated with HIV has never been more pressing.

Psychosexual development and chronic illness

2010-06-18T15:37:00.000+01:00

Advances in the medical care and treatment of paediatric conditions have lead to an increasing number of children with previously fatal illnesses surviving into adolescence and through to adulthood. With this comes an increasing awareness of the impact on psychological and family adjustment of living with a chronic illness (Eiser, 1993; Wallander and Varni, 1998). Brigid Hekster, Clinical Psychologist in London, discusses some of the psychosexual issues faced by adolescents and their families living with HIV. Her chapter, written together with Diane Melvin, is called “Psychosexual development in adolescents growing up with HIV infection in London” and can be found in the book “Sex Mind and Emotion: Innovation in psychological theory and practice” edited by Hiller, Wood and Bolton (2006). Psychological help and support for children, young people and their families affected by a chronic illness can be found at Insight London Psychology Services.

Shootings in Cumbria and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

2010-06-07T15:33:00.000+01:00

The tragic shootings in west Cumbria have naturally raised questions about the gunman, Derrick Bird, and why he carried out these terrible murders. However, there is also concern about how those affected by such a shocking event will cope. Marc Hekster, Clinical Psychologist, from Insight London was interviewed by the BBC and also Sky News last week where he offered his thoughts on this important question. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is one of his areas of specialty and he gave advice in the interviews on what people may need at this time of crisis. Insight London is a psychology, psychotherapy and counselling service offering short and long term therapies. Psychotherapy in London is available for a wide range of problems and details can be found on the website http://www.insightlondon.co.uk/.

Help and support for parents and children

2010-05-28T15:21:00.000+01:00

Children rely heavily on their relationship with their parents or primary cargivers as a point of reference; as a means of locating themselves in the world. Young children especially, look to their parents for help understanding their emotional experiences and for guidence concerning the social expectations of the culture they are growing up in.

Approaches to discipline and boundary setting are just one aspect of the parenting relationship. In order to parent successfully we need to look beyond parenting approaches that focus on simply moderating or controlling our child’s behaviour. Whatever approach or philosophy we adopt in our attempts to be a “good enough” parent, arguably, one of the most significant challenges we face is how to manage, understand and respond to the emotional experiences our children evoke. Being able to look around us to others, such as partners, family and friends for support in this process is crucial. Seeking help from a professional, such as a clinical psychologist may be important at times when such support is unavailable or when our emotional experiences threeaten to overwhelm our ability to respond to our child in the way we would like to. Similarly when a child is experiencing specific emotional, behavioural or developmental difficulties or other life challenges (such as a medical condition, a traumatic life event, problems at school etc.) the involvement of a clinical psychologist may be especially imortant.

Insight London is a clinical psychology service offering psychological assessment, counselling and short and long term psychological therapies for adults and children. Therapeutic approaches which can be accessed include child and family therapy in London, adult psychotherapy in London and currently in development, an Everyday Parenting Group in London.

Parenting Group: Clinical Psychologist London

2010-05-17T16:38:00.000+01:00

All parents will struggle from time to time with aspects of their child’s behaviour. In recent years there has been a strong emphasis on behavioural approaches to dealing with difficult behaviours and the more relational aspects of the parenting process have been relatively neglected. Everyday Parenting Groups at Insight London are an attempt to redress this balance. Run by a clinical psychologist in London, these groups provide an opportunity for parents to meet and share everyday parenting problems and dilemmas. The aim of the group is to help parents to identify their own and their child’s particular resources and strengths, focusing on their child as an individual and the parent-child relationship as unique. More information is available on http://www.insightlondon.co.uk./

Psychotherapy in London

2010-05-04T15:05:00.000+01:00

Accessing help to resolve personal, family or relationship problems can be a difficult decision. Meeting with a therapist for the first time can feel daunting but an assessment can often be helpful in its own right. An initial meeting with a Clinical Psychologist at Insight London will help you to clarify what is going on for you and think about what form of psychotherapy in London may be right for you. The assessment is an opportunity to think through your difficulties and provides you with the chance to meet with a potential therapist. Finding a psychotherapist in London that you feel you can work with is a crucial step in making the decision to embark on any form of psychotherapy.

Parenting Groups in London

2010-03-31T12:19:00.000+01:00

Looking for support, advice and a place to think more reflectively about parenting? We are currently in the process of developing a series of Everyday Parenting Groups in London, High Barnet. These groups, lead by a clinical psychologist, will provide an opportunity for parents to meet, reflect and develop strategies for coping with some of the everyday issues raised by parenting preschool and primary school aged children. Examples of some of the topics we will be covering include tantrums, feeding issues, starting school, sibling rivalry, bullying and coping with the emotional demands of parenting.

Services to ease the psychological transition to motherhood

2010-03-26T15:47:00.000Z

The emotional and psychological impact of parenthood is profound, yet most perinatal care services give scant attention to this aspect of becoming a new parent. Clinical Psychologists in London may be a helpful resource to parents negotiating this transition. The Psychologist (March 2010) is a special issue dedicated to pregnancy. In this issue an article by Slade and Cree considers psychological ways of facilitating the transition to motherhood and the health and well being of women and their babies. Facilitating the psychological transition to motherhood and focusing on emotional care for women from early on in the pregnancy are among some of the issues considered. Seeking psychotherapy in London or family therapy in London may be appropriate as the birth of a child can have a significant impact on couple relationships and on other family members too. Relationship counselling may be worth considering if the arrival of a new baby is the cause of serious conflict or concern in a couple relationship.

Finding psychotherapy in London

2010-03-19T14:07:00.000Z

Finding psychotherapy in London can be a daunting prospect. There are many practitioners to choose from and many factors to consider in making a decision about who to see. More and more people are using the internet to find a psychotherapist in London and this can be a helpful way to narrow down any factors which may influence your choice of therapist such as the location of their practice, the client group they see and so on. One of the most important initial criteria in selecting a psychotherapist should be that the practitioner is registered with a relevant regulatory body. A Clinical Psychologist can offer a range of psychotherapies and should always be registered with the Health Professions Council (HPC). The HPC are a regulator of the health professions and are set up to protect the public by keeping a register of health professionals who meet their standards of training and professional skills. To check if a Clinical Psychologist in London is registered with the HPC you should look for their name and title as a Clinical Psychologist under the title “Practitioner Psychologist”.

Therapists In London

2010-02-10T16:54:00.004Z

Marc Hekster
B.Soc.Sci; B.Soc.Sci (Hons); M.Psych; BPS CPsychol

Marc Hekster is a Chartered Clinical Psychologist, accredited by the British Psychological Society. During the course of a 12 year career as a clinical psychologist in the NHS, Marc Hekster has worked extensively in the specialist area of post traumatic stress disorder, and has co-ordinated an NHS day hospital service, specializing in the treatment of severe personality disorder. He has a long standing interest in long-term psychoanalytic psychotherapy and specializes in the Jungian Analytic approach.

Brigid Hekster
BSc Psych (Hons); MSc. Clin Psych; PG Cert. (IFT); BPS CPsychol

Brigid Hekster is a Chartered Clinical Psychologist, accredited by the British Psychological Society who specializes in Child and Family Therapy. Having trained at University College London she has been practicing in the NHS for 13years, the last 10 of which she has worked at the South London and Maudlsey NHS Trust.

During this time she has worked extensively with life-limiting paediatric conditions and sexual health. Brigid Hekster has a background in working systemically with individuals, couples, families and teams and has published in a range of areas relating to couples and families.