Joan Crawford

I am a HCPC registered Chartered Counselling Psychologist, experienced psychotherapist (including compassion (CFT) and emotion focused therapist (EFT) with acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT and CBT) along with Humanistic/Experiential Psychotherapist.

My clinical areas of expertise include assessing and working therapeutically with people, for example, experiencing trauma, loss & bereavement, chronic illness and pain, neurodiversity including ASD and ADHD and eating disorders.

I work with adults and young people (11+) specialising in general mental health care including management of and adjustment to life changing circumstances, trauma, chronic illness and pain.

I complete medico-legal psychological and neuropsychological evaluation reports for civil, divorce, and family courts and assessments to inform, for example, rehabilitation, recovery from trauma, adjustment to changed circumstances, and employment.

I have extensive experience building and developing therapy services, consultancy, supervision and delivering training within and outside of the NHS.

I have nine years’ experience working therapeutically with people with a range of neurological disorders at The Brain Charity in Liverpool and in the community too using cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), compassion and emotion focused therapy (CFT/EFT) and person centred/experiential therapy. I previously was the clinical lead of a community, lottery funded general mental health counselling service in Flintshire, Wales.

My research focuses on assessing objectively neuropsychological difficulties faced by patients with a range of neurological disorders, such as ME/CFS and MS, and qualitative study of clients’ experiences of therapy. I have published critiques of low quality psychological clinical trials and theoretical misalignment with patient and objective evidence base particularly where these can result in patient harm.

I currently work half time as a Senior Psychologist for an NHS Chronic Pain Management Service in Merseyside.

I previously provided psychology and supervision services via remote technology through Teladoc Health for major insurers in UK and internationally (AXA, Aviva, and other service partners) including adults and young people. I currently work part time for Spectrum.Life in a similar role through insurers and EAPs.

I was a member of the advisory group for a research project with respect to ME/CFS for NICE with Oxford Brookes University in 2019.

I provide clinical supervision to colleagues and other healthcare professionals along with advising on the research process.

Through competitive process I was invited to join the Steering Committee of the Priority Setting Partnership (PSP) for ME with the James Lind Alliance in Aug 2020 as a clinician. Outcome form this was published in peer-review journal and is informing policy at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and more widely.

I was the British Psychological Society (BPS) representative for the DHSC Attitudes and Education working group for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS) government 10-year plan. I am current co-leading the development of a cross-divisional BPS good practice guideline for working well and effectively with people with ME/CFS.

I provide psychological support and education to several national patient charities and support groups.

I am also a Chartered Chemical Engineer and scientist with 15 years+ management and consultancy experience. I have worked alongside companies to reduce risk, improve human reliability, operations performance, quality systems and assessment. I am a specialist in human factors in management with special interest in cognitive and behavioural aspects of safety. I have worked in the public, private and third sectors.

I have lived experience of chronic illness across neurology, gastroenterology and infectious diseases. This has understandably resulted in profound changes to my life and many challenges. I bring my background, knowledge, experience and awareness to therapy and my professional life.

I use my clinical and professional knowledge to challenge wider structural and organisational issues in relation to poor patient care and argue for good clinical practice. I have, for example, challenged multiple peer review publications, engaged in critical debates, published criticisms of low-quality research and assumptions in relation to health and pushed for change in the way patients with ME/CFS, chronic pain and other poorly understood conditions have been stigmatised and psychologised.

I work predominately online via video or telephone.
Sessions are usually 50 minutes and can be shorter if needed.
Frequency of sessions can be variable too, dependent on need and debility.