Kirstie Stanworth
Kirstie Stanworth
Specialist Clinical Psychologist
My name is Kirstie and I work as a Specialist Clinical Psychologist. I have worked with neurodiverse and neurotypical young people and their families since 2012.
For the past two years I have worked in a National and Specialist CAMHS Service for Complex Neurodevelopmental Conditions based at the Maudsley Hospital. Here I have been working with autistic young people, their families and local services who are struggling to support young people’s complex needs. This work has given me experience working with very complex cases, meaning I feel confident to support young people really struggling with their mental health, as well as people who need slightly less support.
I am trained to conduct autism, ADHD and other neurodevelopmental/mental health assessments.
Often the aim of therapeutic work is to support someone with their goals, which usually involves working together to understand themselves better. Sometimes this involves specific work, where some people might want to focus on a particular area of difficulty for them, such as understanding and working on social anxiety or OCD. Sometimes people are not sure about a specific focus, but they feel stuck and that something is not quite “right” for them, therefore a broader focus may be needed.
People might also like to process what it is like to receive a neurodevelopmental diagnosis such as autism, or how to describe and advocate for their needs. These are just some examples, but we can collaboratively decide what you would like the focus to be.
I strive to take a neuroaffirmative trauma informed approach to my work, with anti-racist and anti-discriminatory values. I am committed to improving wellbeing for young people, adults and their loved ones and addressing the inequalities that people face in health, work, education and other settings.
I am experienced with using different psychological models, either on their own or integrated together. I believe that psychological therapy should always be unique and tailored to each person and consider difficulties or differences alongside strengths, interests, hopes and talents. Some of the models I draw from are: systemic approaches, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Compassion Focussed Therapy (CFT), Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT) principles, and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) strategies.
If you have questions about different approaches, I am happy to talk this through.
I am also neurodivergent myelf and have experiences of using mental health services when I was younger.
I completed my undergraduate studies in Psychology with Neuroscience at the University of Sussex. I also have a Masters degree in Foundations of Clinical Psychology and Mental Health from University of Sussex, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Advanced Practice in Psychological Wellbeing from the University of Surrey. I completed my Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the Salomons Institute for Applied Psychology, Canterbury Christ Church University.
