DBT Team

Dr Sabrina Appadoo is a Counselling Psychologist who has accumulated years of clinical experience, knowledge, and expertise in the NHS since 2012 alongside maintaining a successful private practice. She is currently working on secondment as a commissioner for therapy for clients with complex care needs in the NHS. Her usual NHS role typically involves her working as a Lead of a Personality Disorder Service.

Sabrina believes that through therapy a client can develop the necessary skills and understanding needed to enable them to make positive changes in their lives and, through her private and NHS experience, has had the privilege of journeying with her clients to help them to achieve their specific goals and motivations. Sabrina’s extensive experience and training allow her to tailor therapy to her client’s needs, preferences and personality.  She is skilled in delivering both short- and long-term psychological interventions for individuals and groups with a range of presentations.

Sabrina completed an Undergraduate Psychology Degree in 2005 from the University of Royal Holloway, going on to be awarded a postgraduate diploma in Counselling Psychology in 2007 and her Doctorate in Counselling Psychology in 2011 from the University of Surrey. Sabrina has also completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) in June 2023 and was awarded with a distinction. Across her work in the NHS, she has primarily specialised in working on Acute Inpatient Wards and in Personality Disorder Services. She provides training and support to NHS staff and supervises both qualified and trainee Clinical and Counselling Psychologists and Psychotherapists.

Sabrina is a compassionate, warm and approachable Counselling Psychologist who works with clients to establish a safe therapeutic space where the client can feel free to express themselves and where Sabrina can actively listen to, reflect upon and understand their experience. She has experience of delivering high-quality, evidence-based therapy for clients typically between 18-65 years of age, presenting with a variety of emotional and psychological difficulties. She is experienced in the treatment of:

• Adjustment disorder
• Borderline Personality Disorder
• Depression
• Dissociation
• Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
• Grief and Bereavement
• HIV
• Low Self-Esteem
• Personality Disorders
• Psychosis
• Self-harm
• Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD)
• Suicidality

Sabrina is trained in Person-Centred Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT).  She is a fully accredited DBT practitioner. She is hoping to work towards becoming an accredited DBT supervisor.

Sabrina’s clinical work is continuously informed by theory, evidence-based practice and is adherent to NICE guidelines. She is passionate about delivering the highest quality of care to her clients. Sabrina is registered with the Health Care and Professionals Council (HCPC) and is a Chartered member of the British Psychological Society (BPS).

“Sabrina has been incredible. She will always be with me now and is a huge part of who I am. She is patient, empathetic, funny, kind and fierce and isn’t afraid to hold you accountable. She encouraged me to open up, trust again and love myself, teaching me skills I will now use always. You are not another ‘patient.’ I have learnt patience, discipline and how to structure my life so that I can achieve the goals that I want to achieve.” Former Client

Dr Allison Hayes is the Founder and Clinical Director of The Fitzrovia Psychology Clinic. Dr Hayes is a highly respected Consultant Clinical Psychologist who has acquired a wealth of clinical experience and a track record of delivering high-quality services, having worked with an international client group in the private sector for 20-years.

Dr Hayes completed an undergraduate degree in Psychology with first class honours and later went on to be awarded her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology. She worked in the NHS and founded her private practice in 2003. The Fitzrovia Psychology Clinic has grown out of her pursuit of establishing a centre of clinical excellence, which provides outpatient care for individuals and families with mental health challenges and emotional needs.

Dr Hayes is an optimistic, compassionate and kind psychologist who is committed to working with patients to facilitate and achieve change. She has expertise working with adolescents and adults with emotional difficulties and those with a diagnosis of personality disorder, and is further experienced in supporting individuals who present with:

• Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• Adjustment Disorder
• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
• Addiction
• Adult Survivors of Childhood Trauma
• Bereavement
• Bipolar Disorder
• Depression
• Eating Disorders
• Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
• Health Anxiety
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
• Personality Disorders
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Psychosis

Dr Hayes has trained in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness-Based Therapies, Compassion-Focused Therapy, The MANTRA model for Eating Disorders, Narrative Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing therapy (EMDR), Radically-Open Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (RO-DBT) and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT).

Dr Hayes has been highly influential in the development of services for Eating Disorders and group programmes for a range of disorders. She is an experienced clinical supervisor of psychology colleagues, and delivers regular multi-disciplinary training on all aspects of mental health and psychology. Dr Hayes has facilitated a range of corporate training programmes on Stress and Emotional First Aid in the workplace.

Dr Hayes oversees recruitment of all professionals to the Fitzrovia Psychology Clinic to ensure the highest clinical standards in treatment. She promotes that all work undertaken at the Fitzrovia Psychology Clinic is grounded in evidence-based practice, is adherent to the NICE guidelines, establishes treatment efficacy, and reflects the principles of The Fitzrovia Psychology Clinic.

“I am extremely grateful for the care Allison showed me during our sessions. She always adapted sessions to match my needs and demonstrated a real understanding of the difficulties I was facing. Her openness and kindness meant that trust was developed very quickly, and I would have no hesitation in seeing her again should I ever need to.” Former Client

Dr Hannah Stringer is a highly specialist Clinical and Community Psychologist. She has 9 years of clinical experience across public, private and charitable sectors.

Hannah completed an undergraduate Psychology degree with first class honours, going on to be awarded a postgraduate diploma in CBT interventions and a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology. During her doctorate she specialised in severe and enduring mental health presentations.

Hannah is an experienced Clinical Psychologist with a background in innovating voluntary and statutory sectors in the UK. Alongside her work at the Fitzrovia Psychology Clinic, Hannah also works in North London leading an emotional wellbeing service for young people. Hannah’s current expertise is in working with marginalised young people to improve access to and transform mental health services.

Hannah has significant experience working with individuals experiencing a range of emotional difficulties including anxiety, low mood, attachment difficulties and traumatic reactions, including psychosis. This includes undertaking complex assessments and developing a shared understanding of a person’s difficulties within the context of their past experiences and current situation. She has specialist experience working with adolescents and young adults with physical, emotional, learning and social communication difficulties. Hannah also works with the families and systems around an individual to help develop a way forward.

She has experience supporting individuals who present with:

• Anxiety Disorders
• Chronic Pain and other Physical Health Conditions
• Depression
• Low Self-Esteem
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Personality Disorders
• Psychosis
• Self-Harm
• Suicidality

Hannah believes in the importance of building a good therapeutic relationship, valuing a collaborative approach guided by an individual’s goals. With this in mind, therapy is tailored to the individual, working creatively based on the person’s interests and values. Hannah is trained to use a range of evidence-based approaches, namely Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) and Narrative Therapy. However, she also draws on attachment theory and systemic approaches to help understand the wider context around a person’s difficulties. She therefore offers an adaptable and integrative therapeutic framework to best meet individual needs. She is currently completing additional training to acquire a diploma in Narrative Therapy and is registered with the Health and Care Professionals Council (HCPC).

“Hannah was a fantastic support. She was able to remain 1 step in front of me, whilst never giving me the impression she was leading me down a path. She nudged me in the right directions, letting me find answers to my own questions, whilst remaining fluid and responsive to my immediate needs.” Former Client

Dr Frankie Washington is a Clinical Psychologist, registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and has over 8 years of experience working in private inpatient services, charitable organisations, community outpatient clinics, hospitals, and forensic secure units. Within her experience Frankie has worked with patients of different ages across the lifespan but has specialist experience working with adolescents, young adults and their families.  

Frankie takes a relational approach to therapy and believes a strong therapeutic relationship is pivotal to reducing psychological distress and bringing about change. She recognises the bravery in choosing to attend therapy and adopts a gentle and compassionate approach to understanding each individual experience. She specialises in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for a range of disorders but also has experience in third-wave treatments which include Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT). Frankie is always working with a young person through a systemic lens and likes to involve family members in treatment where possible with the intention of providing a more holistic package of care. Frankie can integrate psychological theory from different therapeutic models within her clinical practice.  

Frankie also has considerable experience working with those with neurodevelopmental difficulties, such as autism and can tailor treatment where necessary in relation to their social communication needs. In her final year of training Frankie specialised in working with those who present with severe and enduring mental health difficulties which included patients with high levels of suicide risk and forensic backgrounds. Through this experience she has developed skills in carrying out complex psychological assessments and adapting different treatment approaches for comorbid difficulties. 

 She has experience and training in the treatment of: 

•  Anxiety disorders (including generalised anxiety, health anxiety, social anxiety, panic and phobias) 
• Adjustment disorder 
• Bipolar disorder 
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) 
• Low mood/depression 
• Emotion dysregulation 
• Interpersonal/relationship difficulties 
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) 
• Psychosis 

“I would like to thank Frankie for the time she gave me and for facilitating my therapy sessions. Despite being online, the sessions were extremely personal, and I felt that I gained an enormous amount by engaging with the 12-week programme. From being able to explore relationships and family issues, I’ve grown significantly and feel much more comfortable when tackling personal challenges.” Former Client

Dr Emily Alteirac (nee Smyth) is a Co-Founder of The Fitzrovia Psychology Clinic and Team Lead of our specialist Trauma Team. As a highly experienced Clinical Psychologist, Dialectical Behaviour Therapist, Cognitive Behaviour Therapist, and Integrative Psychotherapist, she brings over a decade of clinical expertise spanning private, public, and charitable sectors.

Dr Alteirac holds a Master’s degree in Psychology, a Master’s degree in Integrative Psychotherapy, a Postgraduate Diploma in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, and a Postdoctoral Certificate in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT). She was also awarded her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Royal Holloway, University of London, where she specialised in treating Complex PTSD (C-PTSD) with refugees and survivors of torture. Her doctoral research was innovative in examining the relationship between trauma and psychosis in refugees.

Building on her clinical and research expertise, Dr Alteirac went on to work as a Trial Psychologist on the Study of Trauma and Recovery (STAR): an NIHR-funded multi-site Randomised Controlled Trial led by internationally-renowned experts at The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Kings College London and University of Oxford. This pioneering trial was the first of its kind to deliver trauma-focused therapy to individuals with psychosis, challenging long-held clinical assumptions and paving the way for integrated trauma treatment in this population.

Dr Alteirac’s commitment to advancing the field of psychology is further reflected in her research contributions. They include published work in neuropsychology examining multisensory detection tasks for screening cognitive impairment, a systematic review on the prevalence of psychosis in refugees, and an empirical study exploring the relationship between complex victimisation trauma and psychosis in refugees compared to non-refugees.

Alongside her trauma specialism, Dr Alteirac has extensive experience in the treatment of complex and enduring mental health difficulties stemming from her work across Personality Disorder services. Since 2012, she has delivered specialist DBT, supporting populations who present with severe emotion dysregulation and high risk presentations. At The Fitzrovia Psychology Clinic, Dr Alteirac thus also sits within our specialist DBT team, providing individual DBT therapy, running DBT Skills Groups, and facilitating DBT Consultation meetings.

Central to Dr Alteirac’s approach is the creation of a safe, trustworthy, and authentic therapeutic relationship. Her testimonials speak to her genuine care, commitment, warmth, approachability and non-judgmental nature – qualities that form the foundation of her work. She believes deeply in the power of kindness, empathy, and validation, and maintains an unwavering belief in people’s capacity for change and growth, regardless of complexity. Dr Alteirac focuses on recognising each person’s unique strengths and in creating a collaborative process at all times that is approached as a partnership. She advocates that while therapy often involves tackling emotionally heavy and challenging subjects, it can coexist alongside the use of humour, positive experiences, and celebrations of therapeutic progress.

Dr Alteirac is highly experienced in delivering integrative, formulation-driven and evidence-based treatment that is tailored to each person’s individual needs. She also provides specialist clinical supervision and consultation to multidisciplinary professionals, career and educational consultation services, and has training resources showcased by the European Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies. She works with a broad range of difficulties, including:

• Adjustment Disorder
• Agoraphobia
• Behaviours that Challenge (BtC)
• Borderline Personality Disorder
• Depression
• Dissociation
• Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
• Grief and Bereavement
• Health Anxiety
• Hoarding
• Low Self-Esteem
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
• Panic Disorder
• Personality Disorders
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD & C-PTSD)
• Psychosis
• Self-Harm
• Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD)
• Specific Phobias
• Suicidality

Dr Alteirac draws on a range of therapeutic models including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Mindfulness-Based therapies, Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) and numerous trauma-specific interventions including Imagery Rescripting (ImRes). She is also trained in delivering relational, person-centered psychotherapy, offering a reflective and exploratory approach where more suitable. This breadth enables her to create highly personalised treatment plans.

Dr Alteirac offers both short- and long-term interventions and is experienced in working across cultures and languages with interpreters. Her practice is grounded in theory, informed by the latest research, and delivered in line with NICE guidelines to ensure the highest standards of psychological care.

“The early stages showed me that Emily truly cares about helping other people. I was hesitant to start sessions, but Emily remained consistent with reaching out and always remained patient and understanding. The depth and structure of the sessions was incredible, I’ve never worked with a therapist who has left me feeling like I understand and appreciate who I am to such a level.” Former Client

Dr Kate Watchorn is a highly skilled Clinical Psychologist, registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).  Kate completed an undergraduate Psychology degree with first class honours, before undertaking her doctoral training and qualifying as a Clinical Psychologist from University College London. 

Kate has substantial experience working across a wide range of NHS settings including child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS), inpatient and community adult mental health, perinatal, psychosis and specialist trauma services for refugees. Alongside her private clinic, Kate currently works in the NHS as part of a London CAMHS team, specialising in supporting families and children spanning the full age range from early years to adolescents. Kate is especially passionate about supporting parents with the transition to parenthood, to enable them to develop positive relationships with their babies.  

Kate values a systemic approach and likes to involve partners or family members in treatment where appropriate. Understanding the wider context of her client’s experience is fundamental to her practice. Kate has substantial experience working with clients from diverse backgrounds and is sensitive to the role of cultural identity, gender, race, sexual orientation and all forms of difference. Kate has a warm, compassionate, and non-judgemental style. She believes the therapeutic relationship is fundamental and strives to create a space in which clients feel empowered to create positive changes in therapy.  

Kate’s clinical work is grounded in theory and informed by the latest evidence-base, in adherence with the NICE guidelines. She takes a formulation driven approach, coming to a shared understanding of difficulties with her clients before collaboratively developing a bespoke treatment plan. Kate has training in a range of therapies including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT), Systemic and Family Therapies, Trauma Focused Therapy, brief psychodynamic approaches and evidence-based parenting programmes. Kate is also skilled in conducting formal neurodevelopmental assessments for children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). 

She is experienced in working with a range of difficulties including (but not limited to): 

• Anxiety Disorders
• Behaviours that Challenge 
• Depression 
• Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
• Health Anxiety
• Low Self-Esteem 
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) 
• Panic Disorder
• Parenting difficulties 
• Perfectionism 
• Perinatal Trauma
• Personality Disorders 
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) 
• Psychosis 
• Relationship Difficulties  
• Self-Harm 
• Specific Phobias
• Sleep Disorders
• Stress and burnout  
• Suicidality

“This therapy did nothing short of changing my life. Kate went above and beyond to support me in understanding why I felt how I felt after having my baby. I have been able to work through some of my unresolved childhood trauma which has helped me massively. Not only did Kate help me understand that I was not alone in this process but also how to cope. My relationship with my daughter has greatly improved as I am starting to understand her better without being so harsh on myself. I will always be thankful to Kate for getting me back on track.” Former Client

Dr Sam Russ is a highly trained and skilled clinician with over 15 years of experience in the therapy field. This has included within the NHS, voluntary and private sector. He has completed intensive trainings, as a Clinical Psychologist, Psychodynamic Psychotherapist and as a Humanistic-Integrative Counsellor. He is adept in working both short and long-term with anxiety, depression and stress, and also has considerable expertise with more complex mental health problems, including psychosis, personality disorder and trauma. Sam currently practices within forensic psychology services and supervises other professionals as a Clinical Psychologist within the NHS. He previously was a Co-Director of a large emotional support and suicide charity in London. He also delivers lectures to psychologists in training at University College London (UCL).

Sam has trained extensively in a range of therapies. Taking a modern and flexible approach, he integrates these to meet the unique needs of his clients. He recognises that a key predictor of successful therapy is the fit between the client and therapist. Sam’s diverse trainings as a Psychodynamic Psychotherapist and Counsellor have allowed him to develop skills in building strong therapeutic relationships, to help clients see links between their past and present and have a more in-depth understanding of themselves.

Moreover, as a Clinical Psychologist, he draws upon a range of modern, evidence-based therapies including Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT),  Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which focus more heavily on strategies for positively changing the present and future. He believes that helping people clarify their goals, and taking action to reach these, can often be the most effective approach.

Sam is particularly passionate about and experienced in the use of online therapy, understanding the need to offer new ways of connecting with clients who have hectic work and home schedules.

More recently, Sam has specialised in the use of Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing therapy (EMDR) for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and is skilled at applying this to anxiety-based issues.

Sam is experienced in the treatment of:

• Adjustment Disorder
• Addiction
• Anxiety Disorders
• Depression
• Generalised Anxiety Disorder
• Grief & Bereavement
• Health Anxiety
• Low Self-Esteem
• Panic Disorder
• Perfectionism
• Personality Disorders
• Phobias
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Psychosis
• Relationship Difficulties
• Self-harm
• Social Anxiety Disorder
• Stress and burnout
• Suicidality