British Psychological Society

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Therapy and legal services

I have experience of working with both individuals and couples of all ages, genders and sexual orientations. I’m very comfortable and experienced in working with individuals with less conventional life styles and believe that the focus of therapy should be on what you identify as problematic, not what others view as different.
Most people know that they aren’t doing well but don’t always know why or what that is caused by. If you are struggling but aren’t sure if your issues fit any of those mentioned above, get in touch and we can chat through if I can help or if I can direct you to someone else who has more specialist experience.

My general approach is to work out with the person a shared understanding of their problem and clear goals to work on. We can then use techniques from all of the above therapies to tackle the identified problems and work on achieving the goals, depending on what approaches are most effective in each situation.

I’m sorry but I don’t have experience in working with children under the age of 16 as this is a very specialist area, and it’s not possible for me to offer family therapy as I practice independently.

I work with most areas of mental health

I can help with general problems such as relationship issues, work stress, managing grief, adjusting to major life changes, developing a sense of identity, self harm and suicidal thoughts and understanding sexual issues.

I also work with people with diagnoses such as:

  • Anxiety issues, such as general anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, specific phobias and other non specified anxiety.
  • Depression, both short term and long term.
  • Post traumatic stress disorder and acute stress issues
  • Bipolar affective disorder
  • Schizophrenia
  • Personality Disorder, including Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) / Emotionally Unstable Disorder, Narcissistic Personality Disorder, etc.
  • Addictions, including alcoholism, gambling, substance misuse etc.

I specialise in DBT therapy

.. and working with adults with personality issues, including borderline personality disorder / emotionally unstable personality disorder and I’ve been a qualified DBT practitioner since 2005. DBT is a very practically based approach which focuses on helping an individual to understand what is difficult in their life, why they have got stuck and what they need to do to change it. It tends to focus on the here and now, helping the individual to become more balanced and in control. DBT is traditionally practiced as a multimodal approach in which an individual receives group therapy, individual therapy and telephone support. Unfortunately, I am not able to offer the full package of DBT but instead offer what is known as DBT informed therapy. This is conducted through individual sessions with between session support through phone and email. Using this approach I help the individual to identify what areas of their life they are struggling to manage and whether this is the result of any particular skill deficits. If so, I teach the individual the missing skills and help them to apply them to their life. Sometimes individuals have the skills but find it hard to apply them, in which case I help the individual to identify the barrier to their skill use and develop strategies for overcoming it. Once an individual feels that their life is more stable, there are options to explore and process past traumas if the individual feels that this is something they would like to do. This stage usually incorporates more conventional therapies including those outlined below.

Therapy Options

There are a number of therapies that I couple with my general approach of working with the person to come to a shared understanding of their problem and clear goals to work on. We can then use techniques from all of the below therapies to tackle the identified problems and work on achieving the goals, depending on what approaches are most effective in each situation.


an approach where the therapist and individual work together to look at the patterns of thinking and behaviour which underpin various issues, treatment usually involves a mixture of understanding and challenging thinking patterns alongside trying out new behaviours through a series of planned “experiments” a good review and descriptor of cbt can be found via the MIND CBT page


this approach was developed primarily to help individuals manage high levels of self harm but is now considered the treatment of choice for borderline personality disorder / emotionally unstable personality disorder. Dbt as it was originally developed involved a mixture of skills groups, individual therapy and telephone coaching. The aim was to teach people practical skills in managing their emotions and their relationships. I offer a dbt informed approach which means that I use the materials developed as part of the original therapeutic approach to help people learn and apply new skills on a one to one basis. A good overview of dbt can be found

at the MIND DBT page


this approach states that in early life we develop a number of “rules for living” which guide our behaviour and that these often remain unchanged through to adulthood. When people have difficult early experiences, these rules or belief systems were often aimed at surviving the difficult experience and become actively unhelpful once the person is in a different environment. This approach involves identifying the core belief systems or “schema” and how they are being acted out and reinforced in current life. Once these have been identified, practical ways to modify those schema which are now unhelpful address developed. For more info, visit the Schema Therapy WIKI.


this approach believes that we all develop an internal story, or narrative, of our life which shapes the way we view ourselves, the world around us and other people. It posits that through changing the story and thus changing the way we view this, we can deal with the world and any difficulties we have in a different way. This is a very creative approach and uses lots of visual imagery to help a person feel stronger and develop new ways of tackling issues. It is particularly good for people who struggle with the rigidity of traditional cognitive approaches and who find visual modes and creativity the most comfortable to operate within. For more info, visit the Narrative Therapy WIKI.


I have a wide range of experience of providing reports for court, both in the context of expert witness reports and in writing reports for mental health tribunals and child protection cases. I am also able to provide assessments for the criminal compensation board or as part of a process of application for additional resources within a workplace or educational institution. I am happy to conduct medico-legal assessments in the Durham, Sunderland and Newcastle area and can be flexible regarding travel to other areas of County Durham if appropriate clinic rooms can be identified.

Please contact me for fees, terms and conditions, a copy of my CV or if you would like to discuss a referral.


I can provide therapy in a number of flexible ways; through face to face contact, through video link and / or through telephone calls. I am also open to flexible methods of delivering therapy if an individual has specific difficulties such as working with translators or utilising chat options if an individual as communication difficulties. Please contact me if you have any specialist needs and we can look at ways of adapting therapy to you.


My sessions are £120 per hour for an individual and £180 for couples (couple sessions usually last for 90 minutes). I am registered with most insurers including BUPA, AXA, CYGNIA, etc. and am happy to register with additional insurance companies if needed. Payment is usually after the session via bank transfer but can be made via card payments or cash upon request.

“My experience so far has been extremely positive and hopefully life changing. There are very few DBT therapists and I feel fortunate to have found such an excellent one. Lindsay’s approach is professional yet person centred. Her expertise and knowledge are exceptional and I really feel as if she is making a difference. I was very nervous making my first appointment but Lindsay was more than willing to discuss my needs and expectations and I feel as if we are now working together on a way forward. I always come away from sessions with a clear understanding of what we have done and what I now need to do. I would have no hesitation in highly recommending Lindsay.”

Contact

07547152216
drlindsaywilkinson1@yahoo.co.uk
Lindsay Wilkinson
drlindsaywilkinson

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