Perinatal Team

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 Camilla Cookson is a specialist Child and Adolescent Clinical Psychologist. She has 10 years of clinical experience working across various mental health settings within the NHS, with a current position as a Senior Clinical Psychologist in a London Community Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS). She is registered with the Health and Care Professionals Council (HCPC).

Camilla obtained a First-Class degree in Experimental Psychology at Oxford University and went on to complete her doctoral training in Clinical Psychology at Royal Holloway, University of London. It was during this time that Camilla developed her passion for working with children, young people and their families, where she has focussed her work since.

Camilla’s experience reflects the great variety that comes with working with children, and includes individual, family, parenting, school-based and consultative work across a range of presenting needs, covering the following:

• Attachment Difficulties
• Behaviours that Challenge  
• Depression 
• Generalised Anxiety Disorder
• Health Anxiety
• Low Self Esteem
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
• Panic Disorder
• Parenting
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Complex PTSD
• Separation Anxiety
• Social Anxiety Disorder

Camilla understands that building a trusting, supportive and open therapeutic relationship is of great importance, and enjoys working creatively and compassionately in order to engage the young person to work in collaboration towards achieving their personal goals. Camilla also recognises the value of working together with family and any other important people/systems in a child’s life where appropriate.

Camilla has experience undertaking complex assessments and understands the benefit of reaching a comprehensive shared understanding of the presenting concerns in order to achieve positive therapeutic outcomes. Within her therapeutic work, she draws on a variety of evidence based psychological therapies and models to best meet the needs of her clients, including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Mindfulness-Based approaches, Behavioural and Parenting work (including Personalised Individual Parent Training, PIPT), and Family and Narrative interventions. Camilla has additionally undertaken training in specialist trauma therapies, including Trauma-Focused CBT, Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Narrative Exposure Therapy for Children (KIDNET), developing her interest and experience in this area through working within a specialist NHS service supporting children, young people and their families who have been affected by trauma. She also has experience undertaking cognitive assessments and working with children with additional neurodevelopmental needs. 

“Dr Cookson worked with us with a great amount of interest and involvement which was showed by her preparedness, by thoroughly understanding our emotions and working in a structured way so we could see a change. She asked us our input in the very beginning in terms of our expectations and was open to take it onboard.” 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 Lycia Forde is a Clinical Psychologist, Cognitive Behavioural Therapist, Psychodynamic Psychotherapist and Behavioural Couples Therapist.  Lycia is a warm and compassionate clinician who places huge importance on the development of collaborative, safe and authentic therapeutic relationships.  She strongly believes in the ability of people to change and achieve their psychological goals and is committed to delivering the highest standard of psychological care at all times.

After graduating with the top first in psychology, Lycia went on to complete a Masters in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy and doctorate in Clinical Psychology.  She has also completed her high intensity Cognitive Behavioural Therapy training, Behavioural Couples Therapy Training level 1 training with the Association of Family Therapy and a mindfulness course at the Tavistock and Portman.  Besides her involvement in various research projects and publications and her work at the Fitzrovia Psychology Clinic, she also works as a Clinical Psychologist for West London NHS Trust.  She has over 15 years of clinical experience, knowledge and expertise across the private, public and charitable sectors.

Lycia’s clinical practice is based on theory and methodologies informed by the latest evidence-base and she works in adherence with the NICE guidelines.  She is trained in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Behavioural Couples Therapy, Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, Systemic Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Compassion-Focused Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Positive Behaviour Support, Mindfulness-Based Therapies and Mindfulness.  Her wide-ranging training means she is well-placed to deliver a highly adaptable and flexible therapeutic approach that can be tailored to the individual or couple to deliver effective results.  She offers short, medium and long-term therapy and is experienced in dealing with clients of all ages and diverse cultures who are experiencing:

• Adjustment Disorder
• Agoraphobia
• Complex Trauma
• Depression
• Generalised Anxiety Disorder
• Grief and Bereavement
• Health Anxiety
• Insomnia
• Low Self-Esteem
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
• Panic Disorder
• Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
• Relationship Difficulties
• Self-harm
• Social Anxiety Disorder
• Specific phobias

“Dr Lycia Forde helped me by being empathetic, understanding and showing me how to leave my own head and see things from a more considered perspective. My experience with her has allowed me to be more compassionate with both myself and other people. Her open but structured approach made me comfortable knowing I could talk about anything I needed to while also knowing that we were taking deliberate steps towards reaching my therapy goals.” Former Client

• Anxiety Disorders
• Behaviours that Challenge
• Depression
• Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
• Health Anxiety
• Life transitions (including school transitions)
• Low Self-Esteem
• Loss and Bereavement
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
• Panic Disorder
• Parental Illness
• Parenting difficulties
• Perfectionism
• Perinatal Trauma
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Relationship Difficulties
• Self-Harm
• Sexual Abuse and Trauma
• Specific Phobias
• Stress and burnout

Dr Nadia Khan is Clinical Psychologist and accredited Cognitive Behavior Therapist. She has worked across various mental health settings within the NHS and the charitable sector for over ten years.  

Nadia completed her undergraduate degree in Politics and International Relations at The University of Manchester, before steering towards a career in psychology. She achieved a Masters with distinction in Educational Psychology, followed by a Post Graduate Certificate in Mental Health Practice. She then completed her training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapies (PGDip) at the prestigious Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IOPPN; Kings College University) before undertaking her doctoral training in Clinical Psychology from Royal Holloway, University of London.  

At the core of Nadia’s therapeutic approach is to provide an empathic, safe and open space, thus enabling clients to develop awareness and understanding of complex psychological patterns and problems. Nadia uses this basic foundation to help clients (and the systems around them) work through these challenges by applying appropriate, evidenced-based intervention models in a gentle and collaborative way. She believes that while life can bring tragedy, traumas and other adversity, therapy can help people and families find compassion, strength and hope; supporting them to cultivate and grow from these experiences and offering a path to a happier and more settled existence. 

Nadia currently specialises in working with women, infants and their families during the perinatal period (pregnancy and the first two years post birth). Alongside her work at the Fitzrovia Psychology Clinic, she works as a Senior Clinical Psychologist in a Specialist Perinatal NHS service. She has experience working with post-natal depression, anxiety (including post-natal OCD, panic disorder etc), birth trauma, post-partum psychosis, personality disorder/complex trauma, implications of birth injury to mothers/infants and also issues related to maternal mental health (including infertility, miscarriage, infant loss/stillbirth).  

Prior to her work in perinatal mental health, Nadia worked in child and adolescent mental health providing evidenced based care to young people and their families, particularly adolescents engaging in self-harm and experiencing emotional dysregulation. She also has extensive experience working psychologically with adults, including working within a primary care setting (IAPT), providing both via individual and group support. 

Nadia has a strong interest in the implications of culture, race and ethnicity within mental health and upon the therapeutic process.  She has worked extensively with clients from diverse cultural backgrounds to ensure they are seen, held and nurtured; where previously they may have felt alienated or misunderstood. She is passionate about working towards intersectional and anti-racist therapeutic practice and has links with the South Asian Therapy networks in the UK. 

Nadia is an integrative psychologist and draws on a range of evidence-based psychological models and interventions including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT), Narrative Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT). She is currently undergoing training in Eye Movement De-Sensitisation and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR).  

She has experience and training in the treatment of:  

• Anxiety Disorders 
• Depression 
• Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) 
• Low Self-Esteem
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) 
• Panic Disorder 
• Perinatal Trauma
• Personality Disorders 
• Post-Partum Psychosis
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) 
• Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD)