Dr Giulia Schembri

Clinical Psychologist

Pronouns: She/Her

I am qualified as a Clinical Psychologist and Systemic and Family psychotherapist in the UK and in Italy.

I have also received additional training in CBT, DBT, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Critical Incident Stress Management, Solution Focused, Decider Life Skills training, EMDR (adults and children), Trauma-focused CBT, Family Group Conference Coordinator, Child attachment Interview and Family-Based treatment for anorexia nervosa. I am also fully trained in Child Protection tier 1,2&3.

Previous to my current employment, I used to work as a Clinical psychologist for the National Health System of Guernsey (UK) in the Child Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS).

I was offering one to one support to children using a variety of psychotherapy models including CBT, DBT and I was involved in the ADHD, Family Therapy, Eating Disorders clinics.

I used Cognitive Behavioural Therapy mainly to treat anxiety disorders, mood disorders, post-traumatic stress disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders, eating disorders, depression, panic disorders and self-harm. I used cognitive behaviour therapy for one to one support and family therapy for family support. I used to see more than half of my caseload individually using the CBT model: helping children and adolescents to identify negative thoughts, feelings and behaviours. I helped children to identify their goals for therapy and to self-evaluate their progress and wellbeing. Using the CBT model, I helped children to address maladaptive thoughts and unhelpful behaviours, replacing them with more realistic thinking patterns and more adaptive coping strategies.

I use the CBT framework in my current job as a School Counsellor every day, and when I work online with clients.

Giulia Specialises in the treatment of;

• ADHD

• Anger

• Anxiety

• Attachment problems

• Body Image Problems

• Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)

• Couples

• Childhood Trauma

• Depression

• Eating Disorders

• Family Issues

• Fears of abandonment

• Generalised Anxiety (GAD)

• Grief/bereavement

• Infidelity, affairs & betrayals

• Insomnia

• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

• Low Self-Esteem

• Panic

• Parenting Issues

• Perfectionism

• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

• Relationship problems

• Phobias

• Physical problems linked to MH

• Self Harm

• Separation & Divorce

• Social Anxiety

• Sleep problems

• Stress

• Trauma

• Work-related stress

Please note - Giulia is highly experienced in all evidence based practices for all the listed disorders, including exposure response prevention (ERP) for the treatment of OCD.

Giulia is highly experienced in the use of the following therapy models

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

• Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)

• Eye Movement Desensitisation Regulation (EMDR)

• Mindfulness

• Psychodynamic therapy

• Interpersonal therapy

• Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT)

• Solution Focused Therapy

• Structural family therapy

• Systemic Family therapy

• Systemic Couples Therapy

• Couples Therapy

• Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy

  Qualifications & accreditations

• HCPC Clinical Psychologist - PYL30465

• UKCP Family and Systemic Psychotherapist - 2011163587

• Albo degli psicologi - 15317

• DBT (Dialectic behavioural therapy)training, London UK

• Triple P (Positive parenting programme) 0-12 yo; 12-16 yo teen course, London UK

• EMDR (Adult and Children Training), Alexandra Richmond, London UK

• Child Attachment Interview Training, Anna Freud Center London, UK

• Child Protection Training, level 1/2/3

• Family Group Conference coordinator Training, London, UK

• Training course for trainers “Family Strengthening Programme” (American equivalent of the “Incredible Years”) at ITC-ILO (International Training Centre of the International Labor Organization – the United Nations Campus, Turin, Italy

Feedback from Giulia’s clients

Insightful Guidance from Dr. Giulia. A Beacon of Understanding for Autism and Anxiety Coping Strategies

“Having someone who understood my various issues and how they all worked together was extremely helpful. As someone who had never learned any coping strategies for my autism and anxiety before now it was good to have someone who could explain them properly to me as an adult.” Anonymous

A Safe, Respectful Space for Personal Growth and Anger Management

“Giulia is an incredible person and therapist. She's very easy to talk to and open up to, which was a problem for me, but I found myself telling her things I never talked about with anyone, that was very important for me. She's very soft spoken, and has a calming demeanour, which was perfect for me to feel comfortable to talk about what I needed to talk about. I chose to go to therapy, mostly for my anger issues, and Giulia knows how to address anger management in a way that is easy to understand. I've been burnt before, when it comes to therapy, but I am very happy with the service Giulia provided. I am also transgender, and though its not something I really discussed with her, she's very respectful, and that was very important for me to trust her. She made me feel heard and seen and respected, and I couldn't be happier with my choice to start therapy with her.” Natálie

Professional Insight and Empathetic Support for Effective Healing and Growth

“Giulia is a professional who worked with multiple clients and had a good understanding and insights of where I came from which helped immensely.

This experience that I wished was there benefited us by having really good sessions even when I was not in my best mood to talk. It provided the understanding and empathy that is crucial in a client-therapist environment.

Knowing that I had a good foundation behind me lifted me up to try her ideas, be more action taking , the EMDR was pretty useful for what we did and managed to resolve lots of recurring themes/triggers with it.

I'm, sure there is a lot more to grow but all in all, this was the perfect environment I wished to discuss my problems and come back to it in case I had a bad week/s. I won't be thinking twice to come back to her if there will be a need for it and would advise anybody to gladly use her services.” Anonymous

What is a clinical Psychologist?

A Clinical Psychologist is a mental health professional who specialises in diagnosing, treating, and preventing a wide range of psychological issues and mental illnesses.

They have advanced training, usually including a doctoral degree in clinical psychology, which equips them to use various evidenced based therapeutic techniques and psychological assessments.

Unlike psychiatrists, Clinical Psychologists typically do not prescribe medication; instead, they focus on using talk therapy and other non-medical interventions to help individuals understand and overcome their challenges, improve their mental well-being, and manage their mental health effectively.

What is CBT?

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is an evidenced based & well researched talking therapy. It is recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for many mental health problems.

It is most commonly used to treat anxiety and depression, but can be useful for many other mental and physical health problems.

CBT focuses upon how your thoughts and behaviours impact upon your emotions and physical symptoms.

CBT is collaborative treatment and typically involves doing homework tasks between appointments.

It aims to teach you to become your own therapist, teaching you tools so you can keep using the strategies and techniques you have learned after you have finished therapy.

What is EMDR?

EMDR Stands for Eye Movement Desensitisation & Reprocessing.

When a person experiences psychological trauma or highly stressful events, they are not always able to process the relevant information (i.e. thoughts, emotions, bodily sensations). As a result, they can end up getting “stuck” inside of them and can resurface later on, as if the person was still reliving the traumatic or stressful event.

EMDR aims to ‘process’ negative experiences or events which can subsequently improve emotional well-being and help to significantly reduce, but more often eliminate distressing symptoms and bodily sensations associated with the trauma.

In 2013, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has also acknowledged EMDR as being an effective treatment approach to psychological trauma and trauma-related disorders.