Victoria Lumley

Consultant Psychological Therapist specialising in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)                                                     

Victoria is a Consultant Psychological Therapist specialising in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) which is an evidenced based treatment for most psychological difficulties.

Over the last decade Victoria has worked in the NHS in Early Intervention in Psychosis service and recovery and rehabilitation services as a Nurse Consultant offering specialist assessment, consultation, CBT therapy, and facilitating peer support groups for young people and adults.  Victoria has contributed to National research, developed clinical care pathways and publications with leading international experts in the field of Trauma, Psychosis and CBT.

Victoria is a compassionate therapist and will work collaboratively at your pace to help build your self-resilience and skills to reduce any life limiting effects of your difficulties and support your recovery goals and  future aspirations.

Victoria has developed specialist evidenced based expertise to help distressed children, young people, and adults with the following:

  • Addictions - Substance

  • Anxiety - Stress

  • Anxiety - Agoraphobia

  • Anxiety - Generalised (GAD)

  • Anxiety - Health

  • Panic / Panic Attacks

  • Anxiety - Performance

  • Anxiety - Separation

  • Anxiety - Fears of abandonment

  • Anxiety - Social

  • Anxiety - Phobias

  • Emetophobia (Specific Fear of Vomit)

  • Bi-Polar Disorder

  • Body Image Problems   

  • Depression - Low Mood

  • Depression - Major

  • Perinatal Anxiety

  • Perinatal Depression

  • Depression - Seasonal Affective Disorder

  • Self Harm

  • Eating Disorders - Anorexia & Bulimia

  • Eating Disorders - Over Eating & Weight Loss

  • Emotional Regulation

  • Low Self-Esteem

  • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

  • Perfectionism

  • Personality Disorders

  • Trauma - Childhood Trauma

  • Trauma - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

  • Trauma - Complex PTSD

  • Trauma - Road Traffic Accidents

  • Work - Stress

  • Psychosis (hearing voices, seeing visions and paranoia)

If you are struggling with your mental health or know someone that is feeling emotionally overwhelmed, anxious, depressed, paranoid, suicidal or experiencing upsetting self-critical thoughts, or voices or noticing urges to avoid people or shut down from life then please contact me so that we can begin to work together to help you overcome your difficulties.

Evening and weekend sessions available and after school for children and young people.

Models of treatment Victoria is experienced in:

  • Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)

  • Compassion Focussed Therapy (CFT)

  • Eye Movement Desensitisation (EMDR)

  • Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for Psychosis

Professional Accreditation/Qualifications

  • Accredited with British Association of Psychotherapists (BABCP)

  • Masters Level Postgraduate Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (2010)

  • Masters Level Postgraduate Diploma in Psychosocial Interventions for Serious Mental Health (2007)

  • Clinical Supervision Module (2014)

  • Diploma in HE Nursing Studies (RMN, 2014)

  • Registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (2004)

Feedback about therapy with Victoria

“Before, I was afraid. I was scared. I was anxious. I felt isolated. I felt confined. I was not me. It wasn’t normal. My OCD was severe, and the OCD Monster took over my life. I felt controlled. I couldn’t do what I wanted to do. It was like a war between me and the monster. I felt like I had no help at all. Doing everything 3 times, constantly washing my hands, completing everything perfectly until it was PERFECT. But no one is perfect. So my compulsions had no logical outcome. It was a trap. I thought I had lost all hope… until Victoria and CBT!

When I first met Victoria via video call, I felt nervous, but also determined to defeat this monster who completely controlled who I was. On the first session we had together, we completed a check-up… to see how severe my OCD was. And it was much worse than I thought. But the only way to defeat a monster, is to trick the monster. Victoria’s ways of overtaking the OCD monster were genius. We began portraying the monster on paper, imagining what it looked like and what it was feeling and why it was forcing my brain to do things I didn’t want to do. We started testing compulsions, making the monster think that I was going to give in… but that was the trick. At first, I did give in, and that was completely fine, because it was a learning process. As the sessions went on, I progressed each time, and eventually, I won the battle.

Gradually, I became VICTORIous more and more. The OCD monster was shrinking day by day. I finally felt in control of my life again; even if it was just a small part of my life, it was still a small part of my life I had control of. And that was another battle won.

 Over time, I became more triumphant. It was like a war. I was conquering the OCD monster until it became a piece of NOTHING! I remember the few days where I felt completely in control of my life again. It was just so… freeing. I was excited! I was elated! I was over the moon! I felt FREE! I WAS FREE!

 All of mine and Victoria’s hard work had paid off!

 Don’t get me wrong, I sometimes have little slips, little bumps in the road where the monster comes back for a split second, and then disappears again. Those times will always occur. But that is just who we are.

 Victoria has not only helped me with my OCD, but also with any problems I have in my life. She is such an AMAZING person who I will always remember. I cannot thank you enough, Victoria, for all of the help you have given me. I cannot thank you enough, for saving me. You have helped me, my family, my friends. Before, they were in it with me, and they still are, but because I am in a much better place, so are they. So thank you, Victoria. Thank you so much!

 One last thing… before, I was petrified. What was happening to me, I thought wasn’t normal. But Victoria helped me to realise that it was normal. Everybody feels anxious, afraid and have immense worries in their life. Now, I realise that (with Victoria’s guidance), what was happening to me was normal. I am free. And one day, you will be too.” James Birch, Age 13  

“Victoria reframed my emotions so I understood them, and I learned to move forward with her help. I found her very easy to talk to and really valued her specialist professional skills. I now face the future with more confidence. I have strategies and techniques to help to overcome any future fears and pain and I’m working in a CBT sleep plan. I know I can return for more support or a review if that’s needed.” Jane

“Victoria is so warm, friendly, and calm which put my daughter at ease. My 15 year old daughter has been motivated to engage in her CBT sessions. She has shared the hard work they have completed with a sense of pride. Both school and myself have noticed a real change for my daughter who is much more confident and less anxious. She has found a voice to express herself”. 

“I have always found Victoria responsive, and she provides feedback on work completed and progress including working with school to develop a plan”. 

“I can’t thank Victoria enough and would highly recommend her. If you are at all unsure about online therapy I can say from experience it works. I wonder whether for some young people this actually works better. Victoria you have made a huge positive difference for my daughter and I am very grateful”. Audrey (mum)

 

“I’m Amelia, age 14.  I suffered with social anxiety harbouring that fixed mindset thinking that having help from people wouldn’t do anything. When I got the opportunity to have sessions the first person I got was ill-mannered as well as intimidating, I was tempted to not try find another person but then I got introduced to Victoria. Nervous, shy, scared those were a few of my emotions before seeing her. Still thinking these session wouldn’t change anything. I decided to have my sessions online rather then in person giving me the comfort of my own room, a safe space almost. During my first session I was reserving my speech only humming to answer her questions, it took two sessions for me to gradually lengthen my responses into actual words. This was because Victoria made such a welcoming presence, always smiling, kind, listening and taking in my feelings never pushing or rushing me to answer she made me fell comfortable, offering to stop the session short if needed showing me I wasn’t trapped, having that option to leave made me feel safe allowing me to open up. She helped me understand myself, bringing out that confident, talkative person that was concealed inside. I’ve achieved the things I thought were never possible changing my fixed mindset to and open one. I’m so thankful for her work and help and would recommend her if your struggling with anything”.

 

“Victoria is an excellent Therapist. Being very patient during my treatment taking our time to answer the question “what has happened to you?“ before I met her I was scared, unable to work and unable to leave home. With her help we were working collaboratively to fully understand my trauma/PTSD and the effects it had on me, by using both methods of EMDR and CBT. She is very good at listening and understanding your experiences while being very supportive when times got tough due to my trauma triggers. I am very thankful for working with Victoria, truly has changed my life, before I was at the point of giving up and now after receiving treatment, I am now strong. She has inspired me to keep my head up high and to achieve my goals, truly thank you”. Matthew

 

“I was lucky enough to see Victoria for therapy after suffering a breakdown due to the effects of Psychosis. I engaged in CBT and EMDR to help make sense of the trauma caused. Victoria was very professional, knowledgeable, and understanding. Thanks to her I was able to get through the toughest time of my life and regain some quality of life. I cannot thank her enough and would certainly recommend her to others”.  Andy 

 

“Victoria helped me through a hard time by giving me a person I felt safe to talk to talk to and finding strategies to help. I also found her easy to talk to and she helped me overcome lots of scary things in my life” anonymous age 14.  

 

“Thank you again Victoria for all the help and support you gave me earlier this year. It has been so vital in helping me make the best decisions for myself and while I can still be too self critical, I can see some situations with a bit more emotional sobriety. I also am living with less guilt and the American mindset here is far more focused on all that is possible rather then all that has been missed” Sophie.

 

“If ur struggling with ur mental health…stuck within ur mind! Vic Lumley is one of the most if not the most AMZIN THERAPISTS u will EVER cum across on ur journey!!! She puts her soul into her work, it’s powerful stuff! She won’t judge, and will help u fight any demons! Gotta put sim hard work yourself, meet her half way! She’s easy to talk to, very friendly, compassionate, loyal, encouraging, realistic, and has empathy for ANY situation/crisis”!

“The work a dun personally wiv Vic, worked wonders, the voice a hear, has reduced to sum extent! Am happier, and much more confident, she helped me succeed, fight, SURVIVE!!! Thank you Vic”.

Sarah

“I had several sessions with Victoria over Zoom through a period in my life where I was feeling very overwhelmed due to the ongoing impact of a cycling accident my husband was involved in several years ago. She was a great listener and helped me to break down how I was feeling from a complex and tangled picture into small manageable chunks. She was very good at explaining theory behind why I was reacting in a certain way or struggling to cope with my emotions and helped me to develop strategies to break the cycle. Instead of suppressing my feelings to the point I reacted poorly or felt I wasn’t able to cope, I now have the tools to address my feelings as they appear and to discuss issues and concerns more openly with my husband. The support Victoria provided reached way beyond the bounds of this initial issue and I am much calmer and self-aware thanks to her support”. Anonymous

"Psychosis and depression really turned my life upside down and left me feeling very vulnerable and weak. I was left with lots of unanswered questions and was really confused. CBT with Victoria slowly helped me to make sense of the mess Psychosis left behind. I was not sure what to expect but found working with Victoria very relaxed and easy going. She is very knowledgeable and professional and makes you feel comfortable. The work she does can really help to restore self esteem and confidence to move forwards and regain control of your life. I will always be grateful to her for helping me in my hour of need”. Anonymous

“I have become more confident and able to deal with my worries.  I now feel more relaxed and happier at School.  The lessons initially scared me and felt daunting, but they helped me in the long run to become more happy and confident”  anonymous age 13

From dad’s perspective – “it has been really good to do the lessons together with Sarah and its helped me as a parent to give Sarah better support and guidance going forwards because I can now talk to Sarah about the Worry monster and care free Sarah and remind her of all the skills in her toolbox.  Sarah is now more relaxed in the morning, calm, happy and goes for things”!

 

“Victoria is an excellent Therapist. Being very patient during my treatment taking our time to answer the question “what has happened to you?“ before I met her I was scared, unable to work and unable to leave home. With her help we were working collaboratively to fully understand my trauma/PTSD and the effects it had on me, by using both methods of EMDR and CBT. She is very good at listening and understanding your experiences while being very supportive when times got tough due to my trauma triggers. I am very thankful for working with Victoria, truly has changed my life, before I was at the point of giving up and now after receiving treatment, I am now strong. She has inspired me to keep my head up high and to achieve my goals, truly thank you”. Anonymous

 

“I was lucky enough to see Victoria for therapy after suffering a breakdown due to the effects of Psychosis. I engaged in CBT and EMDR to help make sense of the trauma caused. Victoria was very professional, knowledgeable, and understanding. Thanks to her I was able to get through the toughest time of my life and regain some quality of life. I cannot thank her enough and would certainly recommend her to others.”  Andy 

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.

 

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