Dr Sara Hirst is a clinical psychologist working in Christchurch, Bournemouth, Dorset and Hampshire. Sara has over 20 years of experience in the NHS providing support, therapy, management and consultancy in a range of mental health settings.
Dr Sara Hirst can effectively treat these difficulties:
- Panic and anxiety related difficulties
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Low mood and depression
- Difficulties related to traumatic experiences and post traumatic stress
- Problems related to challenging childhood experiences
- Relationship difficulties
Fully compliant with the British Psychological Society (BPS) code of conduct
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checked
Registered practitioner with the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC)
Dr Sara Hirst
Most of Sara’s clinical work has been with adults and adolescents who have experienced trauma and who struggle with high levels of psychological distress. She currently provides psychological therapy within her private practice. She has previously worked in a range of NHS settings over the years including adult community mental health teams, early intervention teams for psychosis services, psychiatric rehabilitation settings, adolescent inpatient services and community child and adolescent services assessing young people for Autism Spectrum Conditions.
As a clinical psychologist based in Christchurch and Southbourne, Sara’s approach is integrative and draws heavily from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) approaches. This includes traditional CBT, Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Compassion Focussed Therapy (CFT). She is also trained in and uses Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (TF-CBT) and Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing (EMDR) for people who struggle with difficulties associated with post-traumatic stress and anxiety. Sara is an accredited therapist trained in Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT), an effective model of psychological therapy which offers a balance between addressing here-and-now difficulties and revealing clear connections between current relationship patterns and early relational experiences. Sara has a depth of experience with mindfulness practice both as a practitioner and a therapist. She uses mindfulness alongside other creative and imagery approaches within therapy with clients who choose to explore these options to enhance their awareness and progress. You can read more about these models on the Therapy page.
Sara is also trained in organisational consultancy and has provided consultation to teams within NHS and other statutory services, including probation services. She is experienced in helping teams to think through complex issues linked to organisational change, periods of uncertainty and instability, in ways that help professionals to understand the main difficulties and find solutions to move them forward.
It is very important to Sara that people feel secure enough within therapy to be able to engage with the difficulties that have led them to seek help. She is committed to ensuring that the people she works with feel supported, respected, understood and in control of which direction the therapy is heading in.
Sara is chartered with the British Psychological Society (BPS) and registered as a practitioner with the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC). She has full indemnity insurance to provide therapy and consultation, and has full disclosure and barring service checks completed (DBS). Sara receives regular clinical supervision in relation to the assessment and therapy she provides, in line with the BPS code of conduct.
Choosing to work with a Clinical Psychologist
Clinical psychologists work by supporting and guiding people towards making change in their lives through the delivery of evidence-based psychological therapies. While other mental health professionals are trained to provide support or therapy of various kinds, or to diagnose and prescribe medication, the unique strengths of clinical psychologists include the fact that they are trained in multiple models of therapy at a doctoral level, alongside being required to conduct research into the effectiveness of different therapies during their doctoral training.
Clinical psychologists begin therapy with a detailed assessment of the presenting difficulties and contributing factors, in order to develop a clear and accessible psychological formulation. The formulation outlines the pathway that has led the person to reach their current situation, and the factors that maintain the person’s difficulties, preventing them from moving on and reaching their goals. The formulation informs the focus of therapy, alongside the person’s individual hopes and goals, so that the therapy journey unfolds in a completely unique and individualised way.