Professional Information

The practice phone number is 01543 820092

The practice here has been in existence since 1990. Clients include those referred by General Practitioners and other medical professionals, those referring themselves, often as a result of recommendations from other clients, and clients referred for counselling by the Employee Assistance Programmes provided for their staff by a number of large national companies and organisations.

David Carpenter is registered with the UK Council for Psychotherapy. The UK Council for Psychotherapy, the major psychotherapy organisation is the United Kingdom, sets standards of training, ethics and practice for registered therapists. Organisational members of the UKCP include the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, the British Psychological Society, the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and the Association of University Teachers of Psychiatry.

The primary approach to psychotherapy used is NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming). NLP was developed as a result of research carried out at California University in the 1970's and 1980's into the work of a number of eminent and exceptionally effective therapists, using apparently very different methods. NLP has been called by one authority 'the study of the structure of subjective experience'. Since all human experience is ultimately subjective, this method examines the structures of thinking which are the ultimate cause of all behaviour and affect, including the behavioural and affective dysfunctions which are the presenting symptoms. NLP then uses a number of powerfully effective change techniques to enable the changes in thought and perception which will in turn enable the resulting change desired by the patient or client.

NLP is used here usually in the context of clinical hypnotherapy, drawing heavily on the methods resulting from the internationally famous development work of Dr Milton Erickson MD, a medical practitioner and psychiatrist practising in Phoenix, Arizona, until shortly before his death in 1980. The emphasis throughout is on the client progressively developing his/her own ability to change and control his/her own thinking, and perceptions.

In addition, use is made of the body of techniques and methods developed by DeShazer, and now called Brief Solution-Focussed Therapy. This methodology has become the mainstay of most counselling provided by Employee Assistance Programmes, because of the comparative brevity with which useful results can often be achieved.

Fees paid by organisations referring clients, and requiring to be invoiced at intervals during therapy – or at its conclusion in the case of short term work – are negociable, depending on the expected volume of referrals

Individuals funding their own therapy (although they may have been advised by another professional to attend) are invariably invited to a free initial consultation. It is emphasised that this first meeting is with no commitment on either side. If - and only if - after an initial meeting of around an hour, client and therapist are both in agreement that they are choosing to work together to address the issues discussed, the client is invited to book and to pay in advance for a first treatment appointment. The current fee for such clients is £60 for weekday appointments, and £66 for evening and weekend appointments. After the first appointment, when a client is attending an appointment booked and paid for at the previous meeting, and which has been kept without being rearranged for any reason, a discount of £5 is deducted from the fee for the next appointment, booked and paid for at that time. Normally, net fees are thus £55 for weekday, and £61 for evening and weekend appointments. Appointments are nominally for an hour, but clients are asked always to put aside an hour and a half, since sometimes the nature of the work requires a session to be extended. When this is required, no additional charge is made. At the end of each treatment appointment, the next appointment is usually booked and paid for.

Clinicians will be aware that the treatment of stress and emotional dysfunction using prescribed medication alone can often be entirely effective. On other occasions, effective symptomatic relief is achieved, but symptoms may reoccur after the cessation of treatment. In cases where medication alone has proved ineffective or is expected to be ineffective, or symptoms have subsequently reoccurred, medical practitioners are particularly invited to refer, or to advise patients to self-refer. Where this is known to be the case, regular written feedback can be provided as to the progress of therapy, subject to client permission to do so.

Conditions routinely treated successfully here, in conjunction, where appropriate, with medication prescribed by a medical practitioner, include the following:

Depression
Anxiety states
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Panic Disorder
Phobia
Performance anxiety including exam and interview nerves
Work stress

In addition, substantial or total symptomatic relief is often achieved with a range of stress-related diseases including:

Excema
Asthma
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Angina Pectoris
Headaches
Hypertension

When individuals referring themselves complaining of somatic symptoms such as the above, they are invariably advised to consult their General Practitioner, to ensure that organic causes are also appropriately addressed.

In addition, counselling is available to address a wide variety of emotional and life problems.

Professionals requiring further general information or specific case discussion with a view to referral are very welcome to make contact by letter, telephone, fax or email, to arrange a discussion by telephone, or a face to face meeting. The phone number above is staffed 24 hours a day, and I will usually be able to call back in response to a message within 60 to 90 minutes.

Questions about Therapy Practice

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