I am a Clinical Psychologist with a passion for supporting parents who have experience of neonatal care, past, present and future. I also support people who have been through birth/ perinatal trauma.

I am a parent who has been there, having my son at 31 weeks and spending time in neonatal care. I get it. I know from the inside out how hard it can be and I know what can help you to feel better after living it.

I am currently the only private Clinical Psychologist in the UK who specifically specialises in supporting NICU parents.

I offer online one to one therapy and work in a way that is tailored to your needs, I see people weekly, biweekly, monthly or even for one off consultation sessions.

I also run group therapy sessions for parents who have been through NICU.

If you are curious about working with me, please view my frequently asked questions at the bottom of this page.

Hi, I’m Frankie

Having a space to talk through some of what has happened to you, with someone who really gets it, who can validate your feelings and give you practical tools to help you process and cope can help with healing after NICU.

If you feel like you have been impacted by your neonatal or perinatal experience, I can support you to make sense of it.  I am a highly specialised and highly trained Clinical Psychologist with lived experience too. I am currently the only UK Clinical Psychologist working specifically with parents after neonatal care. 

After NICU or birth trauma, people commonly experience emotions such as guilt, grief, anxiety, anger, jealousy, issues with control, uncertainty, resentment and sadness. 

It might be that you have developed anxiety (panic, worry, OCD, health anxiety), depression or PTSD as a result of the trauma of NICU. I am able to help people understand these feelings and thoughts and be able to process the experience so it doesn’t feel as raw or all consuming. 

I can help you take the steps you need to feel more in control of your emotions and to be the parent, friend, partner that you want to be. I can help you find a version of “you” again that you are happy with. 

It may be that your NICU experience is impacting your life now, you may have been out of NICU for a while, but it still feels like it happened yesterday. It might be stopping you from doing things that you wish you could do, for example, feeling anxious about having another child, not going on playdates due to fear of germs, not feeling happy for others when they say they are pregnant, struggling with the idea of returning to work or starting childcare. Maybe you’re getting daily reminders, memories, anxiety, and feeling the emotional impact of the experience. 

It could be that you aren’t as impacted day to day by your neonatal stay, but that you just haven’t had the chance to talk about it and that other people in your life don't quite get it.

Or maybe you know you are going to have a NICU stay, or that you want another baby after a NICU experience and you would like to feel more prepared.

In any of these instances, I can help you. 

I work individually, or with couples, I see men and women in my practice and try to be flexible in my approach to accommodate your needs. I utilise models such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), Eye movement desensitisation reprocessing (EMDR), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and compassion focussed therapy (CFT) in an integrative and individually tailored way. I focus on developing the relationship and making sure that you feel comfortable to talk about your experience at your own pace, in your own way.

If you are interested in therapy, please read the frequently asked questions at the bottom of the page. Then please use the contact button and either myself or my virtual assistant, Iona will be in touch with you as soon as possible. 

If it would be helpful, I do offer free 15 minute phone calls ahead of sessions where we can discuss what you would like out of therapy and I can answer any questions you might have, let you know how I can support you, or how is best to access support if I am not the right fit for you. 

Individual therapy sessions are charged at £150 for a 50 minute session, this price may change.

  • Consultations for Individuals

    A consultation session is a one off hour long session where I will complete a short assessment, formulation of what is happening for you and provide a one page document with a summary and information about resources, self help and further support available.

    Consultation sessions are charged at £180, this price may change. Please click the get support button to contact me.

  • Consultations for Professionals

    If you are a professional, working antenatally or postnatally with parents, working in NICU or supporting employees who have experience of neonatal care, I can also offer consultation, supervision, workshops and training.

    Consultations may be a one off session in an advisory capacity, please contact me using the get support button, to see how I can support you and build a bespoke package to suit your needs.

 FAQs

  • The main difference is related to the level of training and educational qualification obtained. The term 'counselling/counsellor' and 'therapy/therapist' are not protected titles, therefore no qualifications are necessary to use them. However ‘Clinical psychologist’ is a protected professional titles that require a high level of training, registration with an accrediting body (HCPC) and qualification to doctorate level. Sessions with a clinical psychologist will involve a period of assessment, understanding of what is going on for you and what you would like to change and intervention in sessions to support you in an individual way to help you create the life you want, whether that be through different ways of thinking, processing memories and emotions or changing what you do that may not be serving you any more.

  • Individual sessions are currently charged at £150 for a 50 minute session, this is subject to change.

  • I charge for the first session in advance and then invoice the rest of the sessions at the end of the month for payment by the end of the month. If it is easier for you to pay on a session by session basis I am also happy to consider this. I accept payment via BACS and through square, which is a more automatic way of paying.

  • This varies depending on the individual, the aims of the therapy and the willingness for the clients engagement outside of the sessions. However I would usually plan in around 4-6 sessions, with the aim of adding more or finishing sessions if you had met your goals. The average number of sessions needed is 6-10, however I am happy to see people for longer if you would like to have longer term therapy and I also have seen people for 2-4 sessions because it is all they have felt they needed.

  • I utilise models such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), Eye movement desensitisation reprocessing (EMDR), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and compassion focussed therapy (CFT) in an integrative and individually tailored way. I focus on developing the relationship and making sure that you feel comfortable to talk about your experience at your own pace, in your own way.

  • EMDR stands for eye movement desensitisation reprocessing, it is a mouthful! But it is a therapy that is used to help people who have been through distressing events and as a result has caused problems in their life, like flashbacks, anxiety, upsetting thoughts or images or depression. You can find more out about EMDR here EMDR: The basics - EMDR Association UK - Overcoming trauma with expert help

    It is highly effective and evidence based and I utilise it in the work I do with clients if clinically needed.

  • I work individually, or with couples, I see men and women in my practice and try to be flexible in my approach to accommodate your needs.

  • Short answer, no. NICU Is my specialism and it is how people find me to talk to me. However, I cover support for anyone within the perinatal period. Quite often, we also find, that when people come to talk about NICU, there are so many other things that come up too… past, future, stuff going on in the present. So you may come to me to focus on NICU stuff, or perinatal stuff, or it may be that we talk about other things too… we go where you need to.

  • I have capacity to see some people face to face in Market Harborough, however, I mostly operate online and see people via Zoom. I can also provide telephone therapy if zoom is difficult.

  • If you do not wish to see me for ongoing therapy, I can provide one off consultation sessions. A consultation session is a one off hour long session where I will complete a short assessment, formulation of what is happening for you and provide a one page document with a summary and information about resources, self help and further support available.

    Consultation sessions are charged at £180, this price may change.

  • If for any reason you are unable to attend a planned appointment, I ask you to please contact me by email or text message and to let me know as soon as possible. I ask for at least 48 hours notice. Missed appointments are charged at the full fee, with the exception of scheduled annual leave which will have been agreed 2 weeks in advance. I will exercise discretion in relation to illness or other emergency cancellation. The terms and conditions provide more information.

  • I am a clinical psychologist and am trained in supporting people with a number of different mental health issues across the life span, however I currently specialise in supporting people throughout the perinatal period, in pregnancy, birth and parenthood. I have a specialist interest in supporting those who have been through neonatal care with their children and/ or those who have experienced birth trauma. I provide individual therapy for men and women, couples therapy, group therapy and online courses.

  • If you cannot leave your child or do not currently feel able to do so, then they can attend the sessions with you. I would rather you were able to attend and get the support you need.

    However, if we were going to complete EMDR, this is better to do this on your own without distractions and therefore I would ask that you find some childcare support for these sessions.

  • Yes, however I would advise this to be via email or text rather than Instagram.

    If it is about changing appointments or payment, then this is better to be asked via email.

    If you need additional support, I may suggest that we wait to discuss in session or arrange an appointment sooner.

    I work limited hours and therefore am not able to provide crisis support. If you need additional support please contact your GP, 111, 999 or the Samaritans 116 123.

  • I do not allow anyone to follow me on my private social media accounts, to respect both of our privacy and boundaries.

    However, I do encourage interaction via Miracle Moon platforms.

    That being said, if you have any session related enquiries these interactions should be done via email instead of social media to ensure security and data protection.

  • Unfortunately I cannot provide individual or group therapeutic support for those in the States at present due to legal issues. However, you can have access to our workshops and resources and please keep an eye out for further ways I can support people internationally in the future.

I like to bring humanity into the therapy room.

I like to help people know why they are feeling as they are, to validate those feelings and to offer support in a way that fits for you.

I draw upon my knowledge in an integrative way, using my training in acceptance and commitment therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy, compassion focused therapy and EMDR (eye movement desensitisation reprocessing). We will figure out together what your goals are and how we can meet your needs in the therapy space, to help you create the life you want.

I work with people with anxiety, depression, PTSD, grief and ultimately, those who have gone through a trauma and feel stuck. I have supported people individually, as a couple and I am flexible if you need to bring your baby into the session too. I mostly provide therapy online, via zoom.

Get in touch.

To have a no obligation chat with Frankie about therapy or any other services, get in touch.