Dr Harriet Heal is an experienced clinical psychologist who has worked for 15 years in the NHS before making the transition to working exclusively in private practise. Harriet has a successful practice at Keats House, London Bridge, and has been working here at Springbank since autumn 2016.
Harriet works with adults with the full range of adult mental health difficulties and has many years of experience in assessing and treating a wide range of problems, including depression, bi-polar affective disorder, anxiety disorders, work stress, relationship difficulties, eating disorders, self-harm, problems with emotional regulation, anger and adjustment to change. She is also experienced in working with clients with personality difficulties and disorders.
Harriet uses a variety of therapeutic models and techniques including CBT, and she specialises in Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT). CAT is an effective, time-limited therapy combining the best practical techniques and strategies of cognitive approaches with a more dynamic understanding of how early experience of relationships is fundamental in shaping the ways we relate to others, ourselves and our problems.
CAT is recognised by NICE (National Institute for Health & Care Excellence) in the guidelines for treatment of eating disorders and borderline personality disorder. Clinically it is particularly useful when patients recognise that they have repetitive patterns of thoughts and behaviour and relating to others, themselves and their problems that are linked to their psychological distress, whatever the diagnosis. It has a very clear explicit structure and format and is well liked by patients.
Harriet has taught Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy groups in NHS settings for four years and continues her interest in using mindfulness in work with individual clients. She also continues to work as a supervisor to other clinical psychologists and is an examiner for the regional clinical psychology training course at Canterbury Christchurch University.
Harriet is chartered by the British Psychological Society and registered with the HPC and ACAT.
She is registered with all the major insurers: AXA PPP, BUPA, Cigna and Aviva.
Training and qualifications
- BA (Hons.) Experimental Psychology – Oxford University 1992
- MPhil. Psychopathology – Cambridge University 1994
- D.Clin. Psy. – University of East Anglia 1996
- Diploma in Cognitive Analytic Therapy – University of East Anglia 2002