Background & Qualifications
Dr Sarah Bruno
BSc (Hons) ClinPsyD
Clinical Psychologist
I obtained a BSc Honours degree in Psychology in 2002 and a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology in 2007, both at the University of Hull. I am a trained practitioner in Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy (with both children and adults) and also in Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP).
Qualifications:
- Doctorate in Clinical Psychology
- BSc (Hons) Psychology
I have worked in the NHS as a Clinical Psychologist for fourteen years supporting children, young people and their family networks. I have extensive experience of working with children and young people with a wide range of issues, including those who have experienced complex trauma and severe attachment difficulties. As well as providing individual assessments and therapeutic interventions (both individual and dyadic), my work within the NHS has involved consultation, liaison and training with a wide range of professionals and external agencies (e.g. foster carers, kinship carers, adopters, schools, social workers, CAMHS, etc). I have had a specialist interest and considerable experience working with children within the care of local authorities and also with adopted children and their parents.
Since 2013 I have also worked privately with adults presenting with a range of issues such as depression, anxiety, post-trauma and relationship issues.
Advanced training post-qualification
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR): I have completed EMDR training (both adult and child training), which is an approach that assists people to deal with traumatic memories and physical symptoms that continue to trouble them and affect the way in which they live their life. It is also a time-efficient, comprehensive approach for treating the disturbing experiences that underlie many psychological conditions. I am a member of the the UK & Ireland EMDR Association.
Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP): I have completed DDP training. This is a therapy and parenting approach that uses what we know about attachment and trauma to help children and families with their relationships.
Professional Registration
I am registered with:
- The Health and Care Professionals Council (Registration details: PYL04931)
- The British Psychological Society (Membership No: 257854)
You can find my registration details by pressing on the links above. Both the HCPC and BPS require that each member has and maintains high standards in terms of supervision, training, professional skills and behaviour
It is important to note that I also hold an Enhanced Criminal Records Bureau check with The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).
My Approach
I am really passionate about what I do and I believe at the heart of what I offer is a safe, nurturing and trusting relationship within an environment that feels homely and comfortable.
Over the time I have been practising, the children, adults and professionals I have had the privilege of working with have taught me about the importance of truly not judging; genuinely wanting to understand and providing support in realising that together we can make things different.
I always believe that together, my client/s and I are the shared experts in the room: I bring the theory and clinical skills and my client/s bring the richness of their experience/s and their hopes for the future.
During the 14 years that I have worked within the NHS as a Clinical Psychologist I have learnt a great deal and valued this professional experience, but I have also become frustrated by the lack of control I have over the environment I work in in terms of where I can see my clients. My clinical experience tells me that the therapeutic setting is a very powerful factor in terms of enabling someone, child or adult, to feel at ease, safe and fundamentally able to explore what is really going on for them. With this in mind, I finally decided to take the plunge and to begin working for myself from a therapy base that is my own. I sincerely hope that my clients experience my setting as the comfortable, safe and calm environment that I have aimed to achieve.
I aim to work in an integrative way with the goal of best meeting the needs of my clients, which means that I draw on a range of therapeutic orientations, particularly attachment-based therapies, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and EMDR. I have a real interest in learning more about mindfulness and looking at ways to incorporate it into my practice.
Get in touch today; to see if therapy is right for you.