Clinical Psychologist
Dr Istead is registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
Qualifications
Honours degree in Psychology (BSc) – Graduated from Lancaster University
Masters (MSc) in Research Methods in Psychiatric/Psychological Research – Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London. Awarded a scholarship by Centre of Mental Health to complete this.
Doctorate in Clinical Psychology – University of Leicester, (specialist placement in Cuba).
Clinical Practice
Dr Hannah Istead has over 11 years’ experience of treating a wide range of psychological issues. Dr Istead has studied at University of Leicester, Lancaster and Kings College London, and has also undertaken additional training in a range of therapeutic approaches, but specifically Mentalisation Based Therapy (MBT) at the Anna Freud Centre, National centre for Children and families.
In the NHS, Dr Istead has worked in Crisis, Rehab and Inpatient Services mostly in London, Gloucestershire and Christchurch, (New Zealand), providing immediate assessment/treatment to adults and adolescents who are often struggling with significant mental health challenges. Alongside this, Hannah also combined her therapeutic work with academic teaching posts, with University College London, Anna Freud Centre, University of Reading and more recently as a Clinical Fellow at the University of Edinburgh.
Hannah was involved in the innovative Children and Young People Improving Access to Psychological Therapy service transformation programme (CYP-IAPT) lead by NHS England of which a large part was training for managers, supervisors and clinicians who are implementing CYP IAPT. Hannah was directly responsible for training graduate entry practitioners to enter into the child and young people mental health workforce. It was a key part of the Future in Mind (2015) proposals to increase the workforce set out by the government. Hannah was directly involved in the curriculum development which has been a multi-disciplinary approach, and personally tutored weekly training/teaching, using a mixed methodology, drawing on experiential, didactic, community orientated approaches of teaching and assessed assignments, to train and educate the graduate mental health workers to complete and achieve a post-graduate certificate.
Alongside this, Hannah developed and worked therapeutically in Children and Adolescent services (CAMHS) (in London and then in Glasgow), delivering Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) based interventions and also complex assessments, often with young people who have been experiencing significant difficulties and may have come in contact with the Justice services.
Hannah has moved into working more specifically in Leadership roles, having worked for the charities Simon Scotland Community and Women’s Aid to help develop their Trauma informed practice, through training, teaching and service delivery.
Therapeutic Approach
Dr Istead has expertise in a wider range of evidenced therapeutic approaches. In particular, she uses Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to help children and young people with mental health challenges and making adjusts to significant life events. She has a specialist interest in drawing on Family/Systems therapeutic approach to also helping young people and families to think about the difficulties arising.
Her experience has also enabled her to develop a strong understanding of developmental/attachment difficulties across the life span and draws on an Attachment Framework often when working with families and young people. Her training in Mentalisation Based Therapy (MBT) can be also especially helpful when thinking with young people and families about challenges presenting through interpersonal functioning in relationships.
Dr Istead aims to support individuals with psychological skills that can help them live fulfilling lives and promote resilience to prevent relapse in the future. Having worked across the globe in multiple locations and with diverse communities, I am especially interested in cross-cultural understandings of mental health challenges and I value and respect individual differences, including personality, cognitive profiles, and psychological traits. Therapy is adapted to meet the unique needs of each client, ensuring a personalised and effective approach.