Dr Abi Watkinson, Clinical Psychologist

Dr Abi Watkinson

Abi has worked as a Clinical Psychologist across adult mental health services, specialist child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) and forensic settings. That range means she has sat with people at very different points in their lives, often when things have felt complicated or hard to put into words.

Her route into psychology began with English and Classical Literature, and an interest in the stories people tell about themselves still shapes the way she works: carefully, with curiosity, and at a pace that feels manageable.

HCPC-registered Clinical Psychologist

How Abi works

Abi’s approach is warm, thoughtful and collaborative. She tends to start by building a shared understanding of what is going on and how it developed, before agreeing together what might help.

She draws on several evidence-based approaches rather than one fixed model, adapting the work to the person in front of her and what they would like to be different.

Clinical experience

Adult mental health services
Specialist child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS)
Forensic settings

Areas of particular experience

Trauma
Anxiety
Low mood
OCD
Emotional dysregulation
Low self-esteem
Neurodiversity
More complex psychological needs

Therapeutic approaches and training

CBT ACT CFT DBT CAT Systemic Therapy

Qualifications and registration

Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (DClinPsy), University of Surrey
MSc Psychology, University of Westminster
MSc study in war and trauma, King’s College London
BA English and Classical Literature, University of Leeds
HCPC-registered Clinical Psychologist