FAQs

I have never been to a psychologist or talked to anyone about my problem before. How do I start?
Anxiety and embarrassment often results in people not discussing psychological problems. Dr Jon Boakes Associates works with individuals in a way which allows them to discuss their concerns comfortably and to work together on finding solutions. Ask yourself what you have to lose if you were to give it a try? Find a way to make the first contact.

Is the service confidential?
Dr Jon Boakes Associates maintains the highest standards of privacy and confidentiality at all times, adhering to the British Psychological Society code of conduct. In the rare circumstance where confidentiality needs to be broken, this would only happen following discussion with the client. Confidentiality may only be broken to protect a person, including the client, from danger or abuse.

Do I need to be referred to your service?
We do not require a GP referral. In some instances, you may want your GP informed about your treatment and occasionally we may contact the GP with your consent to ensure continuity and consistency of care.

Do you have other clinics in Dorset?
Currently we only see clients at our practice address in Poole, although we do offer online video conferencing on a variety of platforms.

What treatments do you provide?
We provide a range of evidenced based psychological interventions including Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, EMDR and Schema Focused Therapy. Where appropriate we will draw upon a range of other psychological theories to incorporate into treatment.

Do you have clinics outside of 9-5 office hours?
We run several weekday evening clinics.

How many treatments will it take?
The number of visits required is unique to each individual and the specific concerns brought to the consultation. We will develop a thorough understanding of the problem which brought you to treatment. Based on these findings, we will discuss with you a personalised treatment plan. In some cases an improvement can be achieved after the assessment itself, whilst in others, a longer period of contact is required before problems are resolved. We are flexible with regard to the frequency of treatment sessions which may occur on a weekly or fortnightly basis.

I had counselling which just focused on my childhood but didn’t change the way I was feeling in the present.
In contrast to counselling, the therapy we provide is more structured and the psychologist is more active in the session. We believe it is important for our clients to have a clear psychological understanding of their difficulty, an understanding of how these difficulties relate to the past, but more importantly how these difficulties are maintained in the present. By having this understanding can one really consider change. Early life experiences are important in the origin of many problems, and where appropriate we may focus on these experiences.

I am concerned about a partner / family member but they are unwilling to attend an appointment.
This is a common situation. We are happy to meet you and have a preliminary discussion about the psychological issues; provide information about available resources, the nature of the difficulty and discuss potential ways in which you could help.

How long is a treatment session?
The initial assessment session lasts 60 minutes, subsequent treatment sessions are of 50 minutes duration.