Dr Freya Westlake
Delivery of therapy: Online therapy.
Client groups: Adults, Children and Young People, Families, Parents and Infants.
What can I support with: I work with people experiencing low mood, anxiety, trauma, difficulties in relationships, challenges with managing emotions, or low self‑esteem. I also support parents and families, help with big life transitions, and offer guidance around neurodevelopmental needs.
Therapeutic approaches: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Narrative Therapy and attachment focussed interventions.
Currently accepting referrals
About Freya
I am a HCPC-registered Clinical Psychologist with ten years of experience supporting individuals, families, and professionals in both the NHS and private sectors. My therapeutic approach is relational and grounded in warmth, authenticity, and compassion. I aim to create a safe, non-judgmental space where you can feel comfortable expressing yourself.
I work with children, young people, adults and families supporting with difficulties related to mental health, complex trauma, attachment, neurodivergence (such as autism and ADHD), discrimination and identity. I believe safety and trust are essential to learning and growth within therapy. My approach encourages you to see your strengths and experiences more clearly. I want you to feel understood, not blamed. I want you to come away from our work together feeling you have practical tools to face life's challenges.
I am passionate about helping people rediscover their spark, see themselves more positively, and build confidence in their own voice. I believe therapy should feel empowering!
What I can support with:
Individual
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Low mood
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Anxiety, including social anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder and phobias
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Experiences of trauma (including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex and developmental trauma)
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Attachment / relational difficulties
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Emotion regulation / instability
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Self-esteem / self-criticism / identity
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Neurodevelopmental needs
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Adjusting to big life changes
Family
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Parent-child relationship
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Parenting
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Transition to becoming a new parent
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Changes in family set up
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Adjustment to child's disability
Current work and experience:
I work within a specialist NHS team that supports care-experienced young people as they transition out of the care system. I provide trauma-informed and attachment-focused therapy to young people, alongside offering consultation and training to professionals to help them better understand and support the people they work with.
In addition to clinical work, I am a Visiting Lecturer at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, where I deliver training and supervision to professionals on implementing Watch Me Play with parents and young children.
I also have experience supporting new parents and their babies through the transition to parenthood. This includes helping parents build confidence, strengthen parent-infant interactions, and promote healthy child development.
I have particular experience supporting parents of infants with developmental delays to understand and meet their child’s unique needs. I am trained in Video Interaction Guidance, Watch Me Play, Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy level one (DDP), and a variety of behavioural parenting interventions
My qualifications and research:
I completed my Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, a Masters in Clinical Mental Health Sciences, and an undergraduate degree in Psychology, all at University College London (UCL). Additionally, I hold a Postgraduate Diploma in Education Mental Health Practice from King’s College London. This training means my therapeutic work is grounded in theory and research, and I am able to integrate psychological models and theories to adapt interventions to individual needs.
My research has centred on understanding the needs of marginalised groups, including care-experienced individuals and people with neurodevelopmental differences. Through this work, I have developed a sensitivity to the impact of trauma and how it can shape a person’s trust in relationships and services. I am committed to understanding individuals whose experiences are often misunderstood or viewed through a deficit lens, and I work to ensure their strengths and resilience are recognised.
For my doctoral thesis, I explored how the parent-child relationship impacts child development and emotional wellbeing in children with neurodevelopmental needs. This included a review of the effectiveness of parent-child relationship interventions in families of children with a learning disability. I also explored the use of ‘Watch Me Play’ - a child-led play approach - examining its impact on communication, behaviour, social skills, parental stress, and caregiver confidence in families of children under seven with developmental delays. Through my research, I understand how families can support babies, children, and young people through their everyday interactions to nurture emotional wellbeing and development. I have learnt to I work from a compassionate, relational lens to help caregivers understand both their child’s needs and their own. My approach is strengths-based, aiming to build confidence, reduce stress, and increase moments of connection and enjoyment within family life.
Publications:
Westlake, F., Yiu, K., Calame, S., & Roby, A. (2024). Piloting services for children and young people on the cliff edge of care and services–an innovative model and way of supporting young people leaving care and systems who care. Child & Family Clinical Psychology Review, 1(9).
Westlake, F., Westlake, M., & Totsika, V. (2024). A systematic review and meta‐analysis of the effectiveness of interventions targeting the parent–child relationship in families of children with an intellectual disability. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 37(6), e13273.
Westlake, F., Hassiotis, A., Unwin, G., & Totsika, V. (2021). The role of behaviour problems in screening for mental ill-health in adults with intellectual disability. The European Journal of Psychiatry, 35(2), 122-125.