ABOUT CAROLINE LUCAS | Caroline Lucas

ABOUT ME

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CAROLINE LUCAS

Hello and welcome. I am a private BABCP accredited Cognitive Behavioural Therapist (CBT) and Registered Mental Health Nurse with 17 years of experience within NHS mental health services and 30 years of mental health practice.

I have lived in Hertfordshire for 13 years after relocating from Yorkshire where I lived, trained and worked in NHS mental health. I live with my husband, our teenage son and our dog. Long dog walks and spending time in our motorhome are two of my favourite things to do when I’m not working.

My Areas of interest:

Anxiety Disorders including OCD, Health Anxiety, Social Anxiety, Panic and Phobias;
Trauma Reactions including PTSD and Complicated Grief;
Adjustment Disorders including management of physical health problems;
Lifestyle changes including illness, injury, loss and bereavement;
Supporting recovery and building a healthy life after trauma including abusive relationships.
Over 18, no upper age limit.

My work history

I began my career as a Community Psychiatric Nurse in 1998 after qualifying as Registered Mental Health Nurse (MRN) from the University of Ripon and York St. John. I began developing my CBT practice in 2000 beginning with in house courses whilst working full time for the NHS before going on to graduate with honours in a CBT focused Health Sciences Degree in 2004 from York University.

Following this I moved into NHS Liaison Psychiatry, initially working as a full time Therapist for people with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, then developing and delivering a new psychological service for Kidney patients across several hospitals in Hull and North Lincs. Later in 2009 as Lead Therapist for all services within Liaison Psychiatry as a band 8a.

I oversaw the recruitment and supervision of the therapists providing psychological care into general hospitals including Diabetes, General surgical, Perinatal and Obesity services.

Personally I provided psychological services for clients under Infectious Diseases, Renal (Kidney) services and Medically unexplained symptoms.

It was whilst working in Liaison Psychiatry I began developing my own mindfulness practice more formally completing the Bangor University 8 week mindfulness course and going on to co-facilitate the same mindfulness course with my supervisor for NHS staff and clients over the next few years.

This was especially helpful for working with clients with difficulty adjusting to and accepting long term conditions, life changing illness, treatment or surgery and pain and loss.

During this time I also gained my Cognitive Therapy Post Graduate Diploma with Merit from Salford University of Manchester. I started taking occasional private clients in 2008 and built my private CBT practice along side my NHS work.

In 2010 I joined a specialist trauma service: Assist Trauma Care after relocating to Hertfordshire and having my baby. As part of this role as a Trauma Therapist I began receiving regular specialist training and supervision from the Oxford Cognitive Therapy Centre and training to the UKPTS/ESTSS Psychotraumatologist level. https://ukpts.org/for-the-public/

Here I worked with clients who had PTSD or stress reactions from single event traumas such as an accident or attack but specialised in on-going life changing trauma, predominantly homicide or other traumatic bereavement. resulting in Adjustment Disorders, Complex PTSD, Complicated Grief, OCD, Health Anxiety and Depression.

In 2023 I left his service after 13 years to focus full time on my private practice.

I receive monthly supervision and on-gong training as required as an RMN and accredited CBT Therapist.

My mental health qualifications

Diploma of Mental Health Nursing.
Bachelors degree in Health Science with Honours.
Postgraduate Diploma in CBT with Merit.
Accredited member of the British Association for Behavioural & Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP)