Psychological Assessment Services
I accept psychological assessment referrals from dermatologists and other medical professionals, to ascertain the risk to individuals of prescribing medication with known mental health side-effects (e.g. Roaccutane / Accutane for the treatment of acne)
I accept psychological assessment referrals from medical professionals to ascertain the risk to individuals considering cosmetic surgery
Get in touch through my contact form to book a psychological assessment or to find out more.
Medical professionals may also want to reach out to me on LinkedIn to discuss your needs.
I look forward to working with you!
"Dr Francesca was very friendly and professional and my dermatologist was satisfied with the detailed psychological assessment she provided"
“Very welcoming. Made me feel comfortable instantly. Would definitely recommend...”
“Very helpful and professional!”
Guest post - MIMT Mirror therapy research Reflecting participant’s experiences of completing a new psychotherapy through a mirror – “It’s like the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party” 25 June 2025 Note from Dr. Francesca: “I’m honoured to invite Dr Ross Taylor to share the findings of his Doctorate in Clinical Psychology research into Mindful Interbeing Mirror Therapy (MIMT) at the University of Birmingham.” As a research group, we have completed our first research study into what the experience of taking part in Mindful Interbeing Mirror Therapy (MIMT) is like. Our participants outlined how MIMT’s weird and wonderful techniques helped them cultivate self-compassion and how their experience offered them lasting hope in their lives. We are hopeful our research can help promote interest among clinicians and researchers of the approach. What is MIMT and why research it? Mindful Interbeing Mirror Therapy (MIMT) is a recently developed, trauma-focused psychotherapy. Drawing in part from other contemporary trauma therapy models, MIMT is unique in its approach; for example, the patient and therapist interact through a large mirror (see Dr Francesca’s blog post regarding what MIMT entails). The focus of MIMT is to help patients build an experiential connection with avoided emotional states (thought to be linked to an individual experiencing adverse events) alongside the therapist, who acts as an emotional regulator. Despite MIMT being used in various locations across the UK (and beyond!), there is limited evidence regarding its processes, effectiveness, or experience. Consequently, in exploring perspectives on MIMT, we proposed this would provide an initial knowledge platform to develop a better understanding of how MIMT is viewed by those who take part in it. Read more
Reflecting participant’s experiences of completing a new psychotherapy through a mirror – “It’s like the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party”
25 June 2025
Note from Dr. Francesca: “I’m honoured to invite Dr Ross Taylor to share the findings of his Doctorate in Clinical Psychology research into Mindful Interbeing Mirror Therapy (MIMT) at the University of Birmingham.”
As a research group, we have completed our first research study into what the experience of taking part in Mindful Interbeing Mirror Therapy (MIMT) is like. Our participants outlined how MIMT’s weird and wonderful techniques helped them cultivate self-compassion and how their experience offered them lasting hope in their lives. We are hopeful our research can help promote interest among clinicians and researchers of the approach.
Mindful Interbeing Mirror Therapy (MIMT) is a recently developed, trauma-focused psychotherapy. Drawing in part from other contemporary trauma therapy models, MIMT is unique in its approach; for example, the patient and therapist interact through a large mirror (see Dr Francesca’s blog post regarding what MIMT entails). The focus of MIMT is to help patients build an experiential connection with avoided emotional states (thought to be linked to an individual experiencing adverse events) alongside the therapist, who acts as an emotional regulator. Despite MIMT being used in various locations across the UK (and beyond!), there is limited evidence regarding its processes, effectiveness, or experience. Consequently, in exploring perspectives on MIMT, we proposed this would provide an initial knowledge platform to develop a better understanding of how MIMT is viewed by those who take part in it.
“I will always be with you… and care for you” Image reproduced with the permission of the subject. All rights reserved. 08 March 2024 The word compassion comes from ‘com’ (with) and ‘passion’ (suffer). It means to suffer together. Nonetheless, compassion goes beyond just suffering as it involves accepting suffering and wanting to help. As described by Prof. Paul Gilbert (Gilbert et al., 2014), compassion involves two parts engagement (turning toward pain and suffering) and alleviation (taking action to relieve pain and suffering). Although our brains evolved to care for our own well-being and that of others, often we really struggle with self-care, especially when we experience traumatic events early in life. As we know, the interaction between caregiver and new-born is crucial in the development of compassion and self-compassion. We are born with certain genes (given by our parents) and they are ‘modified’ by the environment around us (as epigenetic research is teaching us). For instance, if someone has not been able to experience emotional attunement with their caregiver, they will find it difficult to experience and recognise these emotions in others. In therapy, the presence of a compassionate therapist, who is able to recognise the emotional states of the patient, will at first activate threat, fear and avoidance in the patient who is not used to this experience. Read more
Image reproduced with the permission of the subject. All rights reserved.
08 March 2024
The word compassion comes from ‘com’ (with) and ‘passion’ (suffer). It means to suffer together. Nonetheless, compassion goes beyond just suffering as it involves accepting suffering and wanting to help. As described by Prof. Paul Gilbert (Gilbert et al., 2014), compassion involves two parts engagement (turning toward pain and suffering) and alleviation (taking action to relieve pain and suffering).
Although our brains evolved to care for our own well-being and that of others, often we really struggle with self-care, especially when we experience traumatic events early in life. As we know, the interaction between caregiver and new-born is crucial in the development of compassion and self-compassion. We are born with certain genes (given by our parents) and they are ‘modified’ by the environment around us (as epigenetic research is teaching us). For instance, if someone has not been able to experience emotional attunement with their caregiver, they will find it difficult to experience and recognise these emotions in others. In therapy, the presence of a compassionate therapist, who is able to recognise the emotional states of the patient, will at first activate threat, fear and avoidance in the patient who is not used to this experience.
Snow and mindfulness Credit: Photo by Pixabay from Pexels 09 March 2023 I love the snow! It inevitably changes things around us (including transport issues!) and I like to notice them. You can try to do this practice (one, some or all of the six steps listed below) by going outside or by sitting/standing by your window: Observe/describe: Read more
Credit: Photo by Pixabay from Pexels
09 March 2023
I love the snow! It inevitably changes things around us (including transport issues!) and I like to notice them. You can try to do this practice (one, some or all of the six steps listed below) by going outside or by sitting/standing by your window:
Observe/describe: