Gemma Krier-Mead

Welcome to my Therapy page. I'm a qualified Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist, Mindfulness Practitioner (Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy) and a registered Mental Health Nurse. I am a registered with the BACP, a member of BABCP and licenced for practice with the NMC. I have over 20 years of qualified clinical experience behind me and I have supported many people, young and older to overcome a wide range of mental health conditions and emotional problems, within the NHS, private practice, education, forensics and the voluntary sector. I believe that everyone, with the right kind of support, has the potential to master their life struggles or mental health problems, despite what a person is facing or how they may be feeling. For me this is important, having this belief for a person to live a happier and meaningful life, especially so when a person feels like they have lost their hope and confidence. I am the founder of therapywithpromise.com and I offer therapy with face to face appointments, skype or facetime, phone or with secure instant messaging. I practice in a Private Therapy Practice in central Kingston Upon Thames and central London.

My professional journey began in 2003, in acute in-patient hospitals supporting people with mental health and drug/alcohol problems, then moving to the NHS working in the community as a senior clinician in mental health teams, providing individual psychological interventions, group therapy and workshops. I spent many years as a Professional Lead and Senior Clinician, working in managerial and advisory roles alongside private therapy practice. I went on to practice as a CBT Therapist and Forensic Practitioner for the London Courts providing therapy for people, producing mental health assessments for Judges and writing pre-sentence reports. I have worked as a Senior Practitioner Trainer and Therapist, designing and teaching CBT to support people and their loved ones to overcome a range of mental health conditions. Alongside my private practice in Kingston & central London, I also work in a London University supporting students with their mental health problems and people on the Autistic Spectrum and those with Asperger's. Coupled with this I consult to a Psychology practice in the City of London. Post Graduate Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy with Merit London Metropolitan University Oct 2006 - May 2007 Certificate in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy London Meditation Centre April- July 2012 BSc (Hons) Degree Mental Health Nursing (RMN) with 1st Class Honours London South Bank University Sep 2000 - June 2003 Diploma in Teaching, Supervision, Mentorship & Assessment in Clinical Practice with Distinction Sep 2003 - July 2004 BA (Hons) Degree Fine Art, Photography & History of Art with 2:1 Honours De Mont Fort University Additional Professional Development Training CBT for Worry & Clinical Perfectionism, Undercover Strengths and Build Resilience with CBT, Clinical Reflection & Supervision, Overcoming Depression, Mastering Psychosis - living with and beyond voices and unusual experiences, Teaching clients Mindfulness Skills, Motivational Interviewing, Deaf Awareness & Sign Language Training, Recovery Training for Trainers, CBT for Anger & Irritability, Emergency Life Support, Mental Health Act Capacity Training, Safe Guarding Children & Adults, Beating Worry & Procrastination, Care Programme Approach (CPA), Solution focused Therapy, Emotional Regulation and understanding Self-Harm, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

I have extensive experience of supporting people, adults, older adults & adolescents (from 13 years of age - with no upper age limit), to overcome and master a range of mental health difficulties and emotional problems including, depression, anxiety, phobias, social anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, worry and perfectionism, anger and aggression, psychosis, personality disorders, self-harm, relationship problems, low self-esteem, drug and alcohol and work or life stress.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Helps you change the way that you feel, through making changes with how you think and your behaviour. Let's give an example, if a person feels really down or anxious, it's not that their thinking is wrong or bad, but it's likely that the person experiences very critical, worrying or negative thoughts. This in turn affects the way that they feel and what they feel able to do. I would help you find ways of thinking about yourself differently, supporting you to develop more balanced thinking. We all see the world through our own eyes, based partly on our past experiences. If our beliefs about ourselves as a person are not so good, then this can darken our view of the world, like putting on a pair of dark glasses. But it doesn't have to be this way, as you can learn to develop more positive beliefs. Often our problems get stronger because of the things we do, or don't do perhaps. Making sense of this and trying out new things gives you the chance to make real changes in your life and feel happier. CBT isn't a complicated kind of therapy and many people have found it so helpful for their recovery. Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy Has its roots in the far East, from ancient Buddhist practice; but you don't have to be a Buddhist or even have any beliefs to practice being Mindful. Mindfulness helps you to stay in the present moment and to accept yourself for who you are without criticism or judgment. Our minds can be filled with so much worry or anxious thinking or perhaps we feel stuck in the past, beating ourselves up with what could have been or what we should have done. You may find that you are really battling with your thoughts, or trying to push them away. In the end, this can make us feel much worse. It's as if our mind really does have a mind of its own. Before we know it, we can be left feeling so down, upset or angry, without truly understanding how we got to feel this way. Using a Cognitive Mindfulness approach you can learn ways to become mindful in your own life, from practicing different meditations and breath techniques, to learning more about the way that you think and feel. You will discover that you can slow your mind down and give yourself the chance to step aside from these loops of thinking. In doing so you give yourself the space to think about things differently and feel different. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Is based on the idea that trying to avoid negative feelings only makes things worse. If we can learn to accept these feelings, we can free ourselves from emotional pain. Accepting doesn't mean giving up, it means living life in the direction of who we want to be, what & who is important to us. It's about commitment to action & not getting stuck!