Specialist psychological therapy in close collaboration with psychiatry.
Important: I only work with clients with schizoaffective disorder and schizophrenia who are under the active care of a psychiatrist and who are taking prescribed medication.
Psychological therapy for psychotic-spectrum conditions must not replace psychiatric treatment. With consent, I collaborate with your treating psychiatrist to ensure the work is safe, stabilising, and clinically appropriate.
When life feels unsteady, therapy must be steady
Living with schizoaffective disorder or schizophrenia can be profoundly disorienting.
These conditions can affect mood, perception, thought, and a person’s sense of safety and continuity.
Many people describe feeling cut off from themselves, from others, or from the world around them — often alongside long histories of trauma, misdiagnosis, or not being fully understood.
I offer specialist, psychologically informed therapy for adults living with schizoaffective disorder or schizophrenia, with an emphasis on
stability, containment, and collaboration with psychiatric care.
This work proceeds at a pace that protects mental health and supports long-term functioning.
An integrated, collaborative model of care
To be clear:
- All clients must be under the care of a psychiatrist.
- Clients must be medically stable and taking prescribed medication.
- With your written consent, I work in collaboration with the treating psychiatrist.
- I do not offer therapy as a standalone alternative to medical treatment.
This integrated approach allows psychological work to be both safe and meaningful, rather than destabilising or overwhelming.
How psychological therapy can help
When appropriately supported by psychiatric care, therapy can help you to:
Make sense of experiences
Explore meaning without reinforcing delusional beliefs, while supporting reality-testing and grounding.
Reduce shame and isolation
Work with the emotional aftermath of diagnosis, stigma, and social withdrawal.
Support mood stability
Strengthen emotional regulation, pacing, and practical strategies for stress vulnerability.
Strengthen identity
Build self-coherence and continuity, especially where experiences have felt fragmenting.
Process trauma carefully
Address trauma that may pre-date or intensify symptoms, with containment and clear boundaries.
Improve relationships
Support communication, trust, and connection with partners, family, colleagues, and friends.
My approach is trauma-informed, psychodynamic, and attachment-based — with careful attention to pacing, stability, and containment.
EMDR and trauma-focused work
Many people living with schizoaffective disorder or schizophrenia have significant histories of developmental trauma, neglect, abuse, or acute traumatic events.
In some cases, trauma predates the onset of psychosis; in others, psychotic episodes themselves can be deeply traumatic.
I offer EMDR selectively and cautiously, only when the following conditions are met:
- The client is psychiatrically stable.
- Medication is well established and being monitored.
- There is clear agreement (with consent) with the treating psychiatrist.
- The work focuses on non-psychotic trauma material and is appropriately contained.
- Preparation and stabilisation work is well established.
EMDR is never rushed in this population. The emphasis is on containment, grounding, and nervous-system regulation.
In some cases, EMDR may not be clinically appropriate — and part of ethical care is knowing when not to use a particular intervention.
A thoughtful, boundaried therapeutic space
This is not crisis care and it is not suitable for individuals experiencing acute psychosis, mania, or severe instability.
It is a space for people who are stable enough to engage in psychological work and want support that is calm, reflective, and structured.
Typically a good fit if you:
- Are stable but want deeper psychological support
- Have some insight into your condition
- Are committed to ongoing psychiatric care
- Want a therapist who understands both trauma and psychosis-spectrum presentations
- Value a contained and well-paced therapeutic relationship
My role is to offer psychological depth without destabilisation, and compassion without collusion.
Referrals and next steps
I accept referrals from psychiatrists, GPs, and other clinicians, as well as self-referrals where psychiatric care is already in place.
Before beginning therapy, I will always ensure that psychiatric care is established, consent is in place for professional communication, and the work is clinically appropriate and safe.
Enquiry
If you are unsure whether this type of therapy is right for you, you are welcome to get in touch — or, with your written consent, I can liaise directly with your psychiatrist to clarify suitability.
Common questions
Do you work with people who are not taking medication?
No. For schizoaffective disorder and schizophrenia, I only work alongside a psychiatrist and with prescribed medication in place.
Will you speak with my psychiatrist?
Yes — with your written consent. Collaborative care is central to safe and effective therapy in this area.
Is EMDR always part of the work?
No. EMDR is used selectively, based on stability, preparation, and suitability, and only in collaboration with psychiatry.
