Unlock Psychology Ltd

Therapist Directory Listing Category: Psychotherapists and Counsellors

About the Therapist

About the therapist:

I'm Dr Alastair Pipkin, I founded Unlock Psychology Ltd to provide specialist, accessible and compassionate mental health support for LGBTQ+ people. I worked in the NHS for over 10 years, where I supported many LGBTQ+ people, and saw the benefits that taking an affirming, supportive approach to understanding each person's needs and perspective can have. I worked in an NHS gender service for a number of years, where I developed interests in the intersection between gender and sexuality, and applying compassion-focused therapy to support LGBTQ+ mental health. I can provide individual and group-based therapies for a range of needs, and I also provide gender incongruence/dysphoria diagnostic assessments to support trans and non-binary people with accessing medical care (privately funded and via Bupa cover).

Sexual identity:

Gender identity: Male

Gender history: As assigned at birth

Non-monogamy: No

Intersex: No

Neurodivergent: No

Personal pronouns: he/him

Qualifications - Links to websites:

I am a Health & Care Professions Council Registered Clinical Psychologist [PYL38679] I am a fully accredited Cognitive Behavioural Therapist with the British Association of Cognitive & Behavioural Psychotherapies [1006789]

Qualifications - Additional:

Award	Awarding body	Year of award
Full accreditation	British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies	2021
Associate Fellowship	Advance Higher Education	2022
Specialist in the Field of Gender Dysphoria	Government Equalities Office	2021

Experience and approach:

I worked in the NHS for 10 years providing psychological therapy for young people and adults, spanning mild to severe and complex presentations. Latterly, after working in an NHS Gender Service, I set up and led a psychology service in an acute adult inpatient hospital, where I provided clinical supervision and line management for a team of qualified practitioner psychologists. I have been providing therapy for LGBTQ+ adults spanning a range of issues for a number of years, and developed and delivered training for various organisations within and outside of the NHS. I was proud in particular to train every single member of inpatient hospital staff in an NHS trust in trans and non-binary awareness.

I take a collaborative approach, initially exploring your background, goals and needs from therapy, from which we'll agree what we'll do to help. I draw on cognitive behavioural therapy (and adaptations for LGBTQ+ people, including trans-affirmative CBT), compassion-focused therapy and emotion-focused therapy, meaning I use a range of evidence-based techniques flexibly, all within an understanding of LGBTQ+ mental health.

Approaches: