Dr Anthony  Wharton
Psychotherapist in Plymouth, Devon

I am a HCPC registered clinical psychologist specialising in adult mental health. I provide a range of evidence based psychotherapies to alleviate psychological distress in Devon, my main approach being Intensive Short Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP).

Intensive Short term Dynamic Psychotherapy has a robust evidence base and is highly effective form of individual psychotherapy that is designed to help you get to the heart of the matter quickly, and resolve issues fast. The approach is emotion focussed; a relational therapy that can address a wide range of ongoing problems or symptoms. ISTDP is particularly useful in attending to internal conflicts that can arise from, and within, interpersonal relationships.

ISTDP can address a range of mental and physical health problems including treatment resistant depression, post traumatic stress, complex trauma, and has a particular focus on helping clients to regulate anxiety. The version of ISTDP that I practice is attachment-based. This can be particularly useful in addressing painful experiences and unresolved emotional wounds in childhood that persist into adulthood. Such difficulties can be limiting, debilitating, destructive or harmful and perpetuate suffering. ISTDP is a hopeful model of psychotherapy that aligns with health to maximise well being to counter suffering.

If you are interested in pursuing ISTDP for a difficulty that you may have, please get in touch, I offer a free initial telephone consultation. Alternative psychological therapies and psychological services that I provide in Devon can also be found on my website www.istdpsouthwest.com

COVID-19 UPDATE
Please note that in response to UK government safety guidelines for COVID-19, it is with regret that face to face therapy cannot be provided at the present time. However, I am able to provide therapy safely and remotely online through web based Skype and Zoom platforms. I am currently taking on new referrals. EMAIL: info@istdpsouthwest.com

Background & Psychotherapy Qualifications

I have worked in the NHS for over 16 years. I began working in learning disabilities services providing positive behavioural support and systemic interventions to users of services whom were said to have 'challenging behaviour'. I then trained as a clinical psychologist, tailoring my training placement experiences towards adult mental health.

I have worked for six years as a clinical psychologist in a rural community mental health team in Devon. In this role, I specialised in providing assessment and psychotherapy to adults with adults with complex mental health difficulties. This ranged from people with anxiety-based disorders, depression and PTSD, to people who have experienced multiple (complex) traumas, including most forms of abuse. I also worked part time in a family therapy service in the NHS, providing systemic therapy to couples and families who have relational difficulties. I now work in private practice specialising in ISTDP providing sessions online nationwide and in Devon.

My Qualifications are as follows:

BSc Honours Psychology. University of Plymouth, (2004)
Msc Applied Psychology of Learning disabilities. University of Portsmouth, (2010) (Distinction)
AFT Foundation level: Family and Systemic therapy, University of Plymouth, (2012)
AFT Intermediate level: Family Therapy and Systemic Practitioner (Systemic Practitioner award). University of Plymouth, (2015)
Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (DclinPsy). University of Plymouth, (2015)
Intensive Short-Term Dynamic therapy. ISTDP-UK (in Core Training 2017-2020). (IEDTA)

My Specialisms

COMPLEXITY: Working with complex problems or people who may be stuck; especially in relation to unresolved developmental experiences of childhood abuse leading to significant difficulties in later life, or to be at the root of psychiatric symptoms or diagnoses.

TRAUMA: Specialism in trauma focussed work; attachment trauma, complex trauma and repressed trauma in the body.Working with the mind and the body; disassociation, disconnection, depersonalisation, unconscious anxiety.

EMOTIONS: Addressing internal blockages to emotions and facilitating healthy regulation of emotion. Regulating anxiety.

SOMATISING: Some psychosomatic and medically unexplained conditions e.g. chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, IBS, physical tension/pain, when connected to chronic anxiety and experiences of historical abuse, repressed trauma and repressed emotions.

RELATIONSHIP AND LIFE ISSUES. Difficulties with people in relation to self and others; fear, anger, sadness, loneliness, mistrust, isolation, abandonment, rejection, isolation of affect, rage, guilt, grief, low self esteem, self sabotage, self-criticism, self-accusation, self-persecution, self harm and self neglect.

Approach to Psychotherapy & How I Work

My approach to psychotherapy is ambitious in not only wanting to help you to reduce distressing symptoms, but to improve your functioning in relationships and quality of life.

I am passionate about providing psychotherapy, helping people to understand themselves better, and promoting healthy growth and development to alleviate distress. My aims are always to help people to get the best from therapy, to enable people to make lifelong changes for the better that can help them to feel better.

I work in a respectful and collaborative manner where the alliance between client and therapist is central to the treatment and establishing safety and trust. The therapeutic relationship is therefore used as a central, supporting, guiding feature of the change process.

When we meet for the first time, I will listen carefully to your needs, what difficulties you are experiencing, and what problems you are seeking help for. We can then decide together how psychotherapy can be of best use to address your difficulties. Once we have decided upon a suitable approach, we will identify some therapeutic goals to work towards, within a suggested timeframe that is suited to, and decided upon by you.

I work at a pace that is suitable, safe, and within a framework that can support you to step slightly outside of your comfort zone, in order to facilitate healthy development and growth. Whilst psychotherapy can sometimes be challenging, it can also be extremely rewarding, and set you on the path to freedom from perpetual suffering.

If you are interested in pursuing ISTDP for a difficulty that you may have, I offer a free initial telephone consultation. Alternative psychological therapies and psychological services that I provide in Devon can also be found on my website www.istdpsouthwest.com

Therapies & Rates

Please note the rates detailed below are there to give you an idea of the therapists standard rates, we strongly advise you contact the therapist for more detailed rates and any offers they may have.

Therapy	Appointment Type	Rate
Psychotherapy	In Person	Please Call
ISTDP	Online/Telephone	Please Call
ISTDP	Online/Telephone	Please Call

Additional Rate Information

I provide 90 minute psychotherapy sessions which is the recommended time required for processing within ISTDP. The fee is £90 per hour (£135 per session). This fee includes supervision fees and extra input provided outside of sessions by review of video recordings (with obtained consent). Psychotherapy sessions can be provided in the short or longer term. In cases of complex trauma a longer time frame is often indicated. Sessions are currently being provided online during the day and evenings from Tuesday to Friday. Please contact me for further information.