Dr Kat Sephton
Clinical Psychologist specialising in Neuropsychology
Registered Practitioner Psychologist
Who am I?
Hi, I am Dr Kat Sephton and this page hopefully answers some of the questions you might have about my experience, qualifications and skills. I am a Clinical Psychologist and have a specialist interest and additional training in Neuropsychology. This means that I mostly work with people who have had an injury to their brain or have a condition that impacts on their brain. I spend my days visiting clients, training other professionals and trainee clinical psychologists, and writing reports and emails (lots of emails!). I am also a parent, a dog mum (more about Monty below) and I love being outdoors.
What is a Clinical Psychologist?
A Clinical Psychologist is someone who has undertaken Doctoral level training in Clinical Psychology. This includes training in assessing and treating mental health difficulties, and other conditions that impact on someone’s thinking or behaviour. Treatment involves developing a detailed understanding of your experiences and difficulties (called a formulation) and using psychological therapy and skills training to help you overcome difficulties that you are experiencing.
What is Neuropsychology?
Neuropsychology is a specialist area of Clinical Psychology which focuses on the relationship between the anatomy of the brain, and how it impacts on thinking, emotions and behaviour. I have undertaken and continue to undertake specialist training in Neuropsychology that provides me with specialist skills in assessing and treating people who have conditions affecting their brain. You can find some examples of these conditions here.
How can I check your qualifications?
Great question. It is so important when you are seeking support to make sure that the person supporting you has the right training and qualifications. All Clinical Psychologists must be registered with the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC). It is easy to check my registration by clicking here and typing in my name or registration number (PYL31319). Certificates are always available on request.
What experience do I have?
For more than 10 years I have been working within the NHS and independent sector suporting adults and older adults who are experiencing changes as a result of an illness or injury affecting their brain. I started my career working in Brain Injury services, before working for many years with older adults providing psychological therapy and dementia assessment and support. Later I joined University Hospital Coventry, working in the neuropsychology service. I worked in the outpatient service providing assessments and rehabilitation and also on the stroke, neurology, neurosurgery and major trauma wards. A very interesting and varied job and one I still return to from time to time as a locum Clinical Psychologist.
What do I currently do?
I now run Renew Psychology which provides neuropsychology assessments and rehabilitation in the Midlands. I am passionate about making sure that my patients are in full control of their care, with their concerns and goals at the center of everything we do. Sometimes this might mean a one off assessment to help you understand your difficulties better. Other times we might develop a full rehabilitation plan to help you get back to feeling better and doing more of the things you love. I also spend a lot of time working with those supporting my clients, including their family, other professionals or employers, helping them to understand and better support my client and cope with challenges they may experience in their caring or support role.
Do you offer psychological therapy?
Absolutley. Part of the treatment that I am able to offer is psychological therapy using an approach tailored to your needs and goals. Mostly I draw on Cognitive Behavioural Thearpy, Compassion Focused Therapy and Acceptance and Comittment Therapy in the work that I do. I am experienced in adapting therapy to account for changes in thinking that result from brain injury.
So… who is Monty?
Monty is my golden retriever. He is a boisterous loveable teenager who keeps me busy in training (though I am not sure who is training who). One day I hope that he will be a fully fledged member of Renew Psychology, providing therapeutic support to my clients.
Professional Registrations:
HCPC Registered Practitioner: PYL31319
BPS Chartered Psychologist: 465290
BPS Division of Clinical Psychology
BPS Division of Neuropsychology
GDPR compliant, ICO registered: A8478694
Qualifications:
DClinPsy (Doctorate in Clinical Psychology), University of Nottingham and Lincoln, 2014
BSc (Hons), University of Warwick, 2008
MSc Clinical Neuropsychology, University of Glasgow (ongoing)