lisa dale
Accredited Cognitive Behavioural Therapist (CBT) & EMDR Therapist.
Child & Adolescent Specialist
Pronouns - She/Her
I have over 16 years experience of working with children and young peoples emotional health within the NHS, Local Authority and Private Sector.
I am a BABCP accredited Cognitive Behaviour Therapist and I am also accredited with the EMDR association as an EMDR Therapist in both adult and children and young people.
I extensive experience working with children and young people who experience low mood, anxiety, self-harm, stress, social anxiety, panic disorder, vomit phobia, general phobias, obsessive compulsive disorder, separation anxiety, generalised anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.
I also have experience of supporting young people and their families either 1:1 or in groups.
There is a great deal of research that shows Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) can help improve the emotional health of children and young people.
Each session is collaborative and based on the needs of the young person. I usually meet with the young person and the parents initially, to discuss the current difficulties and to work out individual goals for the young person.
If the young person is comfortable, I would then start to formulate a shared understanding of what the difficulty is, before we make an agreement on what the therapy would look like, this session can be alongside parents also. Following a detailed assessment, we would then start the therapy sessions, monitoring symptoms and goals on a weekly basis to review progress.
As part of my role as a CBT supervisor I work alongside other NHS trusts and Universities supervising trainee CBT Therapist’s and Wellbeing Practitioners as they develop in their studies. I also offer consultation to other health professionals and services.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing) is a psychotherapy treatment that was originally developed to alleviate the distress associated with traumatic memories. There is now increasing evidence that EMDR can help people overcome anxiety and low mood.
More recently I have trained in Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) and Autism Diagnostic Interview ADI-R
In addition to working with children and young people I am also trained in Triple P offering support to parents in managing the changing behaviour of young people aged between 2-16 years. I am also trained on managing and supporting parents where the parent may experience low mood and anxiety or anger difficulties.
During the last 12 months I have had the exciting opportunity to be part of writing a book (due to be published in June 2021). The book is aimed at parents who are worried about their child's anxiety or are waiting for treatment. It is written by a team of mental health professionals offering some practical strategies to help young people and covers everything from spotting symptoms to managing things at home and how and when to seek further support.
Prior to my direct clinical work I was the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Commissioner. This included the strategic planning and commissioning of mental health services across the county. I was able to work at a local and regional level to lead on the development of services in our local area for children’s mental health, of which I am incredibly passionate about.
I am a governor at my local school and I am the lead governor for safeguarding and the well being of children and staff at the school.
Lisa specialises in the treatment of children & young people, with the below problems:
Anxiety
Depression / low mood
Emetophobia / Specific phobia of vomit
Generalised anxiety (GAD)
General phobias
Health Anxiety
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
Panic disorder
Parenting Issues
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Self-harm
Stress
Social anxiety
Separation anxiety
Trauma - Childhood Trauma
Trauma - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Trauma - Complex PTSD
Trauma - Road Traffic Accidents
Lisa is experienced in all evidence based practices for all the listed disorders, including exposure response prevention (ERP) for the treatment of OCD and other anxiety disorders.
Lisa is also experienced in the treatment of:
ADHD
Anger
Anxiety - Stress
Anxiety - Agoraphobia
Emotional Regulation
Family Issues - Adoption
Family Issues - Blended families
Family Issues - Conflict
Gender Identity Issues
Grief / Bereavement / Loss
Hoarding
LGBTQI+ Related Issues
Low Self-Esteem
Relationship - Attachment issues
Relationship - Communication difficulties
Skin/Hair picking (tricotillomania / dermatillomania)
Sleep - Problems
Therapeutic Models Lisa is trained & experienced in:
Cognitive-behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Eye Movement Desensitisation Regulation (EMDR)
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Professional Qualifications
Fully Accredited Therapist with the EMDR association - EMDR Therapist trained in adults and children and young people.
Post Graduate Certificate in Supervision Skills for Mental Health Professionals
Post Graduate Diploma in Evidence-Based Practice in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy
Trained in the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) and Autism Diagnostic Interview ADI-R
Post Graduate Diploma in Psychology
Post Graduate Certificate in Management Skills for Health and Social Care
Triple P (Positive Parenting Programme) trained in Primary, Teen and Pathways Programme
BA (HONS) Business Studies
I am also an EMDR Therapist, working with young people and adults.
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
Accredited Member of the British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP)
Feedback about therapy with Lisa
“Lisa was really brilliant. She was patient, helpful and non judgemental. She taught me a lot of techniques and tools that will be very useful to me in my recovery going forward” Emma
“It has completely turned things around for me. I was not in a good place at all before I started and couldn't see a way beyond my difficulties. I am now living a much more full life with hope for the future.”
“I suffer from emetophobia and generalized anxiety and had been really struggling with day-to-day life; the pandemic had exacerbated my symptoms and chipped away at my resilence. I had been considering therapy for a while, when one day I decided I needed help and found My Online Therapist. I'm so glad I did. After submitting a request, a therapist was recommended to me very quickly, she set up an initial call with me, and we started sessions on Zoom from there. I am so privileged to have worked with Lisa - and I would never have had the opportunity to do so if I hadn't had therapy online, because we live hundreds of miles apart. Our sessions have brought me security and stability at a hugely difficult time and challenged me to push past my comfort zone, but never without my complete agreement and Lisa's support. Thank you, My Online Therapist, for bringing her into my life, and thank you, Lisa, for changing it.” Victoria
“We are an expat family living in Thailand and could not find a local, English speaking therapist for our 13 year old daughter so we tried My Therapist Online. I had my reservations about online therapy and I was worried about clear communication and the session lacking the personal touch. However I was more than pleasantly surprised. Once therapy began it really made little or no difference that we were conducting the sessions online. It also enabled my daughters mother to join the session from a different location over 1000km away! Lisa Dale was an excellent therapist and made my daughter feel comfortable from the start. With the help of Lisa, my daughter made very rapid progress in addressing and challenging her issues. Lisa helped her a lot and has given her the skills and awareness to tackle future issues on her own if they arise. I would recommend Lisa highly to anyone in similar need.” Matthew (Daughter age 13)
“Lisa has been amazing with both EMDR and CBT therapies. She has helped me overcome my issues which has left me far happier than I have been for a while.” Annonymous
“I have recently had support from Lisa. She was very friendly and felt I could talk to her about anything without feeling silly. She gave me lots of advice about how to manage my feelings and told me why I feel like I do. Having been through trauma we did lots of activities to help with my feelings of worry and sadness. My support from Lisa has helped me make sense of why I feel the way I do. I feel much better now and that’s thanks to Lisa and her brilliant support. “ Ella aged 13.
“My 13-year-old daughter, Ella, recently had support from Lisa, I felt she was very approachable and formed a great therapeutic relationship with Ella, as such, Ella was able to open up and engage with the activities recommended by Lisa. Her support has helped Ella to process trauma and I feel she is much better emotionally than when she started the sessions. I really liked the way Lisa tailored Ella’s sessions as and when it was needed and it felt like a very personal and individual experience. Thank you Lisa.'“ Natalie (mum of Ella, 13.)
“ We found Lisa at a time when our daughter was experiencing a mental health crisis. This was the first time we had ever experienced this, and we were really worried. I had no idea how to help her and as a parent, I found this the hardest part. This was such an uncertain time in our lives we were completely out of our comfort zone.
I cannot speak highly enough of Lisa and how she helped the whole family come to terms with the situation. My daughter attended weekly sessions of CBT to treat OCD and anxiety. Lisa always went above and beyond to help her and always had the time to talk things through and give reassurance. My daughter has improved significantly following the work she had done with Lisa and has a really positive relationship with her. In particular, she is relatable and I know my daughter is hugely comforted by her whenever she requires further support.
Her treatment has not only allowed her to live a happy and healthy life again but has also inspired her to consider a career in psychology herself. Words can not express our gratitude for giving us back our little girl, teenage strops and all🤭”
"Lisa is a wonderful therapist. She has a gentle approach but, with her support, will push you to challenge your fears and help you to think differently about the way you perceive the world.
I accessed Lisa during the pandemic therefore face to face sessions were not possible however we were able to have therapy via zoom and this has worked well. I have seen five therapists over the last 7 years and I can honestly say Lisa is by far the best I have worked with (which considering her sessions have been via zoom speaks volumes). I built a rapport with Lisa in the first session and felt I had made the right decision to continue treatment privately.
I have already recommended Lisa to other people I know. I look forward to continuing my therapy journey with Lisa and would like to thank her for her kindness, expertise and patience during a very difficult period of my life.”
What is CBT?
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is an evidenced based & well researched talking therapy. It is recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for many mental health problems.
It is most commonly used to treat anxiety and depression, but can be useful for other many mental and physical health problems.
CBT focuses upon how your thoughts and behaviours impact upon your emotions and physical symptoms.
CBT is collaborative treatment and typically involves doing homework tasks between appointments.
It aims to teach you to become your own therapist, teaching you tools so you can keep using the strategies and techniques you have learned after you have finished therapy.
What is EMDR?
EMDR Stands for Eye Movement Desensitisation & Reprocessing.
When a person experiences psychological trauma or highly stressful events, they are not always able to process the relevant information (i.e. thoughts, emotions, bodily sensations). As a result, they can end up getting “stuck” inside of them and can resurface later on, as if the person was still reliving the traumatic or stressful event.
EMDR aims to ‘process’ negative experiences or events which can subsequently improve emotional well-being and help to significantly reduce, but more often eliminate distressing symptoms and bodily sensations associated with the trauma.
In 2013, the World Health Organization (WHO) has also acknowledged EMDR as being an effective treatment approach to psychological trauma and trauma-related disorders.