Welcome,
I’m Dr Sarah Ensoll
BSc (Hons), DClinPsy, PGDip
I can help you make sense of your experiences and help you make changes to feel better
We all have mental health in the same way we all have physical health. People don’t think twice about seeking help for physical difficulties and I believe mental health deserves parity.
Sometimes we feel like we’re coping, at other times we struggle.
Not feeling yourself? Feeling anxious, stressed, panicked, overwhelmed? Experiencing difficulties with eating? Struggling in relationships or lifecycle transitions? Experiencing OCD? Whether your difficulties are new or have been around a long time, I can help you to feel better!
I am a Clinical Psychologist based in Bristol with 14 years qualified experience working across the lifespan.
What I can help with…
A range of difficulties…
I am able to support people experiencing a range of psychological difficulties, specialising particularly in work with people affected by eating disorders/difficulties, anxiety problems and OCD, and managing distress or perfectionism and high self-criticism. I am also skilled in working with parents and people experiencing relationship difficulties. I will meet with you to think about the problems you are experiencing and develop a plan for our work together informed by the best research evidence along with your individual experiences, needs and goals.
In a collaborative way…
It is essential for therapy to be successful that we have a connection and strong therapeutic relationship. I provide a person-centred, warm, non-judgemental, and compassionate approach. Working together to make sense of your experiences is a collaborative process where we use my expertise alongside your own unique perspectives to agree a way forward and work through treatment together.
With regular reviews…
We want to be clear that your therapy is making a difference to you in meaningful ways, so we will be regularly checking in with each other and reviewing progress. Depending on the nature of your difficulties this might involve completing some forms so we can rate change over time (often at the start, middle, and end of therapy).
And no pressure to continue…
I strongly believe that we can ALL benefit from talking therapies (as we all have mental health to look after!) but sometimes, for whatever reason, it isn’t the right time to continue with therapy. Providing there is enough notice to cancel any booked sessions, you are able to finish therapy at any time. Ideally we would discuss your thoughts about ending together.
Feel better with Dr Sarah Ensoll
Feel better with Dr Sarah Ensoll
My extensive expertise and training allow me to work with a range of complex difficulties by integrating multiple therapeutic models. In addition to the therapies taught in my doctorate (CBT, attachment, narrative) I have further specific training in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for Eating disorders (CBT-E), Systemic therapy/Family Treatment for AN/BN (FBT-AN/BN), and Radically Open Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (RO-DBT). I am also informed by Compassionate Focussed Therapy principles.
My Qualifications and experience
I qualified with a doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Cardiff in 2010. Prior to training I was an Assistant Psychologist. I have therefore been working therapeutically for 18 years. I also have an AFT accredited Postgraduate Diploma in Evidence Based Psychological Approaches for Children and Families (CYP-IAPT) - Systemic Family Practice (SFP) from Exeter University, completed in 2016.
Most recently, I was a Highly Specialist Clinical Psychologist in the NHS and worked as Clinical Lead for a Child & Adolescent Mental Health (CAMHS) Community Eating Disorders Service (CEDS) in Somerset. I am incredibly proud of this service, which I set up in 2016, working with young people and their families to recover from eating disorders, primarily Anorexia Nervosa. This also involved therapeutic groups, supervision of therapists, teaching, and ongoing service development.
Please note - given that the best evidence for the recovery of children and young people from eating disorders is Family Treatment for AN/BN, I suggest anyone under 16 with a suspected eating disorder is referred to and assessed by a multi-disciplinary team via their local CAMHS.
Whatever storm you are facing, I will walk forward alongside you
Why Clinical Psychology?
Anyone can call themselves a Psychologist, whereas ‘Clinical Psychologist’ is a protected title - this means you know the clinician has adequate training.
Clinical psychologists undergo a doctorate level training which takes 3 years. This is in addition to various types of therapeutic or research experience required prior to the training.
They are highly skilled in carrying out psychological assessments, delivering psychological therapy, and also providing training, consultancy and supervision to others.
Their vigorous and intensive training equips them to draw on established psychological theory, models, and research in their work. They offer psychological therapy which has a research evidence base.
Their level of training allows them to comfortably work with complexity and manage risk.
In order to maintain their registration they are required to undertake regular supervision with an appropriately qualified clinician and also complete regular continuing professional development (CPD) and training. This is subject to random audit by the Health Care Professional Council (HCPC) to ensure compliance.
What does all this mean for you? - you know you are in safe hands with someone who is appropriately qualified, who knows what they are doing.
Starting therapy can be daunting
but we can just take it step by step
with regular reviews to make sure we’re on track
Professional Registration
I am a member of the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), the regulatory body for practitioner clinical psychologists in the UK. I abide by the code of ethics and conduct of the British Psychological Society (BPS) to provide you with safe and effective support.
I comply with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) and UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) guidance for your data privacy and protection. Please see my privacy policy for more information.
I have an enhanced DBS check (Disclosure and Barring Service, formerly CRB). I am fully insured for practice in the UK.
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Registered Clinical Psychologist With Health Care Professions Council
HCPC Registration number PYL26291
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14 Years Qualified Experience
working with people of all ages including individual therapy, group therapy, family work, and supervision and consultation
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A safe space
Dedicated to maintaining a place of safety, openness, and trust. Inclusive practice, welcoming everyone
What to expect:
Assessment
Following our initial phone call we will arrange an in person assessment. This will be an in depth conversation about your current difficulties, what you have tried before, what has led you to where you are now, and what your hopes are for change.
Assessment continues through therapy, as we add to our understanding of your difficulties as we get to know each other in therapy.
Formulation
‘Formulation’ is the word psychologists use to describe an understanding. This is an ongoing process where we map out together what is going on for you - how you got to this place, what is maintaining your difficulties, and strengths you might have. Often people find great comfort in making sense of why they are feeling the way they are.
This understanding then guides our treatment. Our working formulation may evolve over time as we get to know one another and add new information.
Intervention and ending
This will depend on the type of intervention appropriate to your difficulties. I provide talking therapies but some of the work will happen outside of the session: you may be expected to undertake homework (e.g. recordings) and try things out (experiments) in between sessions.
Ending a relationship of any kind is important and we will think about this from the very beginning. Our aim is to get you to a point of no longer needing therapeutic support as soon as possible! We will think together about how to embed strategies so that they generalise and you can become your own therapist going forwards.
Get in Touch!
Schedule a free 1:1 introductory phone call (20 mins) with me to discuss your therapy needs and goals
You don’t need to know what exact therapy you need - we can think together about what will be helpful for you.
Feeling safe and a good therapeutic fit is essential to making positive and lasting change. Get in touch to see if I’m the right therapist to support you.
FAQ
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First things first, don't be nervous. We'll start with a free 20 minute phone consultation to determine what is going on for you and if I'm the right person to help. If you think that we might be a good fit, we can arrange an in person assessment. If I do not think I have the right expertise for your specific situation I will let you know and ideally signpost you to another clinician.
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A typical therapy session lasts 50 minutes and costs £115 in person and £100 online.
These fees reflect the typical range of fees charged by chartered Clinical Psychologists, in line with our Doctoral level of training, experience, and the extensive Continuing Professional Development and supervision that we regularly undertake.
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Timelines depend on the type of difficulty that you have and the treatment indicated. I offer both short, medium, and long term work. We will build in regular reviews to ensure that we are making progress and to keep us on track. You are able to finish therapy at any time with no pressure to continue.
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This again depends on your difficulties. Fortnightly is usually a good timeframe to allow time to test things out between sessions, however I can see people weekly if necessary. Towards the end of therapy we tend to reduce session frequency as we work towards ending. I am able to be flexible according to need and we can discuss what works together.
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I offer face to face sessions across a few of different therapy rooms in Bristol (The Practice Rooms). We can work out the most convenient space for you in our first phone contact (Clifton Village, Westbury-on-Trym, Stokes Croft). I offer some online sessions which are held over Zoom. If you have agoraphobia and find it hard to leave the house we can meet online. I have a very limited number of evening online sessions.
