I passionately believe that evidence-based psychological therapy can bring about meaningful and lasting change to people’s lives. Being a Clinical Psychologist means that I am trained to Doctoral Degree level in a range of psychological therapies, all of which aim to support people to overcome the difficulties they are experiencing and empower them to make the changes needed for them to lead a happier and more fulfilled life. Being trained in more than one model of therapy means I can draw upon and integrate the theory and techniques from each, meaning there is a rich knowledge base underpinning my approach and an ability to tailor interventions to meet the needs of everyone I work with.

All kinds of problems and dilemmas may lead someone to consider psychological therapy. Feeling anxious or low; struggling with low confidence and/or self-criticism; frustration that the same problematic patterns in relationships keep being repeated; difficulty coping following a traumatic life event – these are just a few of the many reasons people may seek help from a psychologist.

I strongly believe that whatever the problems are, it is possible to make sense of them; to understand why they came to exist, and what has kept them in place or perhaps ‘stuck’ so far. Psychologists are trained to the highest level in ‘formulation’; essentially, a process of understanding someone’s experiences, and specifically the problems they would like to overcome. This sense-making process can have a huge impact in and of itself, not only because it can create space for a more compassionate view of oneself; but also because it provides clarity about what the key priorities for psychological therapy are and how best to tackle them.

My ongoing accreditation as a Clinical Psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) requires that I provide evidence-based, outcome driven interventions, which are supported by ongoing engagement in self-reflective, self-evaluative and supervision practices. All of which enhance the therapeutic support I provide.

I understand that simply acknowledging any problems we are experiencing can be hard enough. Asking for ‘help’ with these struggles can feel even more difficult. Although the conversation around mental health has improved a great deal, and increasing numbers of people are now accessing therapy, unfortunately, mental health stigma still exists. I see how our society often places value on independence, stoicism and ‘getting on with things’ when times are tough.

However, I understand people to be fundamentally social creatures who thrive on meaningful connection – both with loved ones and with ourselves. Being truly in touch with our own internal psychological, emotional and physiological worlds, is an extremely important aspect of our mental health and overall wellbeing. I see our ability to truly feel a sense of security, trust and connection within our relationships as just as important.

I believe that the journey towards resolving specific problems, finding greater connection with ourselves and others, and overall growth; can all benefit hugely from being able to take some the time out from our busy lives, and engage in reflective, in-depth self-focused conversations with a trusted person. Sometimes this trusted person can be a friend, partner or relative. Sometimes the nature of what we want support with means it's helpful to speak to someone separate from our day-to-day lives, who can offer more than just a supportive listening ear and rather, can apply therapeutic techniques proven to bring about improvements to people’s mental health. There is no shame in this. In fact, I believe that deciding we want or deserve better for ourselves and seeking professional support to help bring about the desired changes, should come with a great sense of pride.

Therapy provides a talking space which is completely dedicated to you and your needs. It can help people clarify what they want and need to change in their lives in order to feel happier and more fulfilled. It can help people to develop greater confidence in better advocating for themselves in order to ensure these needs are met, for example at work or with a partner. It can help people to develop greater confidence in simply ‘being with’ their feelings, and to respond to them differently. Conversations in therapy sessions certainly have the power to bring about seismic change in everyday life.

My therapeutic approach is fundamentally derived from the following key psychological theories and therapies:

• Attachment theory

• Systemic theory and therapeutic approaches

• Narrative therapy

• ‘Third wave’ CBT approaches (Dialectical Behavioural Therapy, Compassion Focused Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Mindfulness based CBT (MbCBT))

Drawing on these theories and approaches, means that the creation of a safe, consistent and collaborative therapist-client relationship is of fundamental importance to me. I pay great attention to this as I believe that the formation of a therapeutic relationship built on mutual trust and genuine connection is essential for self-exploration, discovery and the emergence of new ideas. I work with warmth, empathy and sensitivity, but do take a proactive rather than passive approach; I will share my understandings of what is or has contributed to a person’s emotional and psychological experiences, and of any barriers that may be preventing change, even if these ideas have the potential to feel somewhat jarring at first. I am tentative and curious, and of utmost importance to me is the extent to which any new ideas discussed in therapy, 'fit' for someone.

I don’t typically use psychiatric diagnoses within the language I use to describe people's difficulties. I believe that diagnoses can (but not always) be reductionist, pathologizing of the individual, and serve as a potential barrier to truly exploring the extent to which contextual factors and traumatic events have impacted a person. That said, I understand that for many people, psychiatric diagnoses can feel very helpful; I am always respectful of this and will always seek to understand what it is about any particular diagnoses that feels useful to someone when it comes to making sense of their experiences.

My overall approach is also heavily influenced by the ‘power threat meaning’ framework, which seeks to provide an alternative to the psychiatric ‘illness’ classification system in explaining the origins, experience and expression of emotional distress. Understanding a person’s relationships, social and community contexts, are seen as crucial to making sense of their distress.

I am trained to Doctoral Degree level in a range of psychological therapies. My Doctoral training also covered leadership and service development, which has been invaluable to me throughout the process of founding and running Rock Therapy Rooms during the past three years.

Qualifications

• First Class BSc Hons Psychology, The University of Manchester, 2004-2007

• Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, The University of East London, 2011-2014 

Further Training

• Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) Essentials (Level 1), The Association for Psychological Therapies, 2016

• Mindfulness based Cognitive Therapy Skills, The University of Exeter, 2017

• Managing Learners in Practice (Supervisor training), The University of Plymouth, 2017

• Attachment Narrative Therapy (ANT), Association for Family Therapy and Systemic Practice (AFT), 2024 

My training and 14 years of experience working in the field of mental health within a variety of settings, has equipped me to offer support to people experiencing a wide range of problems. That said, since 2013 I have worked a great deal within young people’s services and as such I have developed specialisms in working with young people (age 8-18), young adults (age 18-25), and their parents.

My role within a neurodevelopmental assessment team hugely developed my understanding of Autistic Spectrum Conditions (ASC) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and the challenges that many people face with i) understanding which, if any of their experiences may relate to neurodiversity, and which may relate to other factors such as mental health, and ii) how best to tackle some of the common issues people with these diagnoses experience.

I also founded and co-directed a national therapist matching service for four years between 2016-2020. This role developed my understanding of the importance of the 'fit' between i) clients and therapists, and ii) the nature of the clients' problems and the type of therapy they engage with, to the success of therapy. 

If you think you might like to meet with me for therapy sessions, the first step is or you to book in an initial, free introductory phone call with me. This will be a quick call, simply for me to introduce myself and tell you a bit more about how I work. You can then decide if you would like to book a full 90-minute assessment session.

This 90 minute assessment session will allow me the opportunity to understand the main issues you would like help with, and to establish whether I am the right person to help. If I think I will be able to help, I will share some of my ideas about what therapy would look like with me. If feel I’m not the right person to help, I will guide you to other more suitable avenues of support. At the end of the assessment session you can decide whether you would like to proceed with on-going sessions or not. If you need to take some time to decide this, that's also okay.

My fee for both in-person and online sessions is £80 per 60 minutes (the 90 minute initial assessment session fee is £120).

Please contact me via email in order to arrange an initial consultation, or alternatively, you can complete a contact form on this website.

Email: hayley.rock@rocktherapyrooms.co.uk

Phone: 07816398282