Psychology (Adult Clinical Health)
What we do
We are a group of registered practitioner psychologists (Clinical and Counselling Psychologists) working in an integrated way across a number of adult medical and dental specialities at King’s College Hospital. We also work closely with psychotherapy colleagues in the adult haemato-oncology (blood cancer) service. We provide specialist psychological assessment, treatment and talking therapies to adult patients under the care of a range of medical and dental services in the hospital.
Physical health conditions, illnesses and injury can affect many areas of life and it is widely recognised that they can have a significant emotional and psychological impact on patients, carers and families. We aim to help reduce distress and improve the psychological wellbeing of patients by enabling an improved understanding of the factors that cause, maintain and worsen psychological issues linked to physical health problems. This includes the careful consideration of how a health condition or injury – and its treatment – may impact on emotional and psychological wellbeing.
We work closely with health, mental health and social care colleagues both within and across different hospital and community settings. This includes involvement in multi-disciplinary teams (MDTs) and supporting the Trust to develop policies, strategies or interventions that enhance the quality of psychological and physical care provided to patients, carers and their families. Many of the team are involved in the supervision and training of other staff and have active research interests.
Specialist clinical health psychology provision is currently funded for adult patients receiving care from the following medical and dental services:
- Cancer Care
- Cardiac Rehabilitation
- Critical Care
- Cystic Fibrosis
- Dental Institute
- Diabetes
- Haemato-oncology
- Heart Failure
- Integrated Respiratory Team
- Liaison Psychology
- Sickle Cell Disease and Thalassaemia
We also provide psychological support to staff across the hospital and have psychologists who work specifically in this area alongside occupational health, workforce, organisational development and equality, diversity and inclusion colleagues.
Psychologists are integrated into the medical and dental services listed above. Please click on one of the required links above for further information on service location and contact details.
Location
First floor, Cheyne Wing, King’s College Hospital, Denmark Hill, London, SE5 9RS
Conditions we treat
We accept referrals from adult medical and dental teams that have funding in place to provide specialist psychological support.
Access to mental health and counselling services may be available in other medical specialities that do not sit within the adult clinical health psychology structure. Please speak to your care team about any specialist support that might be available.
If the medical team does not have specialist psychological support in place, they may recommend that you speak to your GP, make a referral or recommend making a self-referral to your local NHS talking therapies service for anxiety and depression.
Specialist clinical health psychology provision is currently funded for adult patients receiving care from the following medical and dental services:
- Cardiac Rehabilitation
- Critical Care
- Cystic Fibrosis
- Dental Institute
- Diabetes
- Haemato-oncology
- Heart Failure
- Integrated Respiratory Team
- Liaison Psychology
- Cancer Care
- Sickle Cell Disease and Thalassaemia
Booking a patient at King’s
Routine Referrals
Please speak to your care team about the psychological impact of your physical health condition. If the consultant, doctor, nurse or team caring for you thinks that you would benefit from psychological support, they can make a referral to us.
Key Clinical Staff
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Mr Philip Alexander | Highly Specialist Psychotherapist and Service Lead, Renal Psychosocial Team |
| Dr Jennifer Black | Clinical Psychologist, Critical Care |
| Ms Surabhi Chaturvedi | Psychotherapist: Haemato-Oncology |
| Dr Mark Groves | Principal Clinical Psychologist - Service Lead for Macmillan Cancer Psychology Service |
| Dr Kati Hallikainen | Principal Counselling Psychologist - Dental Psychology Service |
| Dr Tom Ingman | Clinical Psychologist, Macmillan Cancer Psychology Service |
| Dr Umesh Joshi | Highly Specialist Counselling Psychologist |
| Dr Rachel Massey-Chase | Principal Clinical Psychologist, Adult Cystic Fibrosis |
| Dr Daniel O'Toole | Consultant Clinical Psychologist - Head of Adult Clinical Health Psychology |
| Dr Laurence Palfreyman | Highly Specialist Clinical Psychologist - Diabetes, Cardiology and Respiratory Disease |
| Dr Martin Parsons | Principal Clinical Psychologist, Co-Lead Staff Psychology Service |
| Dr Christian Williams | Highly Specialist Clinical Psychologist |