About Me
Linda Skeats
I am a fully qualified and accredited Cognitive Behaviour Therapist (CBT) and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) practitioner. I also hold a specialist qualification in Trauma-Focused CBT. Both these approaches are recommended by NICE for treating PTSD.
Over twenty years’ therapeutic experience, working in the public, private and voluntary sectors. I worked in the fields of community development and education, before moving in to therapeutic work. Initially I trained in a humanistic psychotherapy, working in a group format, but increasingly I found I wanted a more focused approach, which would support clients to develop a better understanding of why they thought and acted the way they did, and which would enable them to take more control of their life. I retrained in cognitive behaviour therapy, a collaborative therapeutic approach, with a strong evidence base backing up its effectiveness.
I am a fully qualified and accredited member of the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP) and bound by the BABCP's ethical code of practice. These standards are available to view at www.BABCP.co.uk I attend monthly clinical supervision to ensure I provide clients with safe effective treatment.
Registered provider with the following Healthcare Organisations:
Qualifications
MSc Specialist Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (Trauma) (Queen’s University, Belfast) BABCP accredited course
Postgraduate Diploma in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (Queen’s University, Belfast) BABCP accredited course
Eye Movement Desensitisation & Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR) Part 1, 2 & 3
Postgraduate Diploma Gestalt Psychotherapy (London Metropolitan University)
Postgraduate Diploma in Psychological Management of Trauma (University of Ulster)
Certificate Solution Focused Brief Therapy (Brief, London)
British Infertility Counselling Association (BICA) Foundation Course for Counsellors
I regularly attend workshops, seminars and conferences to keep up to date with current research and best practice, for example:
Masterclass with Professor Paul Salkovskis: ‘Worried Sick? Extending the application of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) from Health Anxiety to Medically Unexplained Symptoms (MUS) and Long Term Medical Conditions(LTC)
’'Difficult-to-treat depression: an integrated approach' with Stephen Barton , Newcastle University
'Using Cognitive and Behavioural approaches to manage the impact of persistent pain: Practical skills and interventions' with Helen MacDonald
'Chronic Fatigue Syndrome workshop' with Katharine Rimes
'Targeting Mood' with Christine Padesky
'Clinical Skills: Working with Headaches' with Paul Martin
'CBT for PTSD' with Professor Anke Ehlers, University of Oxford
'CBT for Social Anxiety' with Professor David Clark, Oxford University
‘CBT Supervision: Integrating Practical Skills with A Conceptual Framework’ with Stephen Barton, Newcastle CBT Centre
Two-Day Masterclass in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), University of Oxford
Professional Memberships
Hold full professional accreditation with the British Association for Behavioural & Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP)
Membership of EMDR Ireland
Registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office
Cognitive Behaviour Therapist (CBT) with over twenty years’ experience working in the public, private and voluntary sectors.
Senior manager in the NHS
Fifteen years’ experience managing a national Employee Assistance Programme
Two years’ experience as CBT therapist in primary care
Experienced in working with clients from a variety of professional and social backgrounds, presenting with a broad range of issues
Provision of clinical supervision to students on the Queen’s University CBT programme.
Professional experience
