BSc(Hons). MSc. DClinPsychol. AFBPsS. C.Psychol
Claire Winchurst is a highly experienced Consultant Clinical Psychologist with 30 years of expertise in the NHS and private sector.
Psychological Wellbeing and Mental Health
Claire provides psychological therapy to adults, couples, and young people (aged 16 and over), addressing a broad range of psychological difficulties and neurodiverse conditions. Her areas of expertise include anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), trauma, relationship difficulties, bereavement and loss, and autistic spectrum disorder (ASD).
With extensive training across multiple therapeutic approaches—including Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), psychodynamic psychotherapy (both short and long-term), systemic therapy, and solution-focused therapy—Claire tailors interventions to meet the individual needs and preferences of her clients.
Claire brings a wealth of experience as a psychological therapist providing a compassionate, confidential, and relaxed therapeutic environment for her clients.
Problems treated include:
Specialist in Chronic Pain and Physical Health Psychology
In addition to her expertise in mental health, Claire is a specialist in Clinical Health Psychology, focusing on the psychological management of chronic pain and physical health conditions. For the past 30 years, she has worked in Acute NHS Hospital Trusts and is currently employed as a Consultant Clinical Psychologist in an NHS Chronic Pain Management Clinic.
She provides an array of evidence-based psychological treatments for individuals with a range of chronic pain conditions, including musculoskeletal pain, fibromyalgia, post-surgical pain, and pelvic/vulval pain. Her work also extends to supporting individuals with medical conditions such as diabetes, cancer, gynaecological conditions/women’s health issues, long COVID, chronic fatigue syndrome, functional neurological disorder (FND), and medically unexplained symptoms.
Claire is highly experienced in helping individuals better manage their health conditions and enhance their quality of life through effective (evidence-based) psychological approaches.
Pain Conditions Treated include:
Physical Health Conditions treated include:
Claire has been a clinical supervisor for 25 years.
Claire supervises counsellors, psychologists, and therapists in training and in qualified practice. She provides approach-specific supervision, for example, in CBT and psychodynamic psychotherapy, as well as supervision for integrative therapy. Her training and practice in several therapeutic approaches bring a breadth and depth to formulation and treatment options.
From 2000 to 2020, she was a visiting lecturer on the University of Hertfordshire’s Doctorate in Clinical Psychology Training Programme, where she taught various aspects of the course, including therapy skills and medical psychology. She was also a member of the selection and interview panel and provided clinical supervision for trainees on placement, as well as for doctoral research studies
Claire brings a wealth of experience in therapeutic assessment and treatment to the supervision she provides. She provides a relaxed and enjoyable supervision environment whilst fostering a depth of exploration and understanding to your clinical practice.
Research
Claire has conducted research in the fields of learning difficulties, cancer, and chronic pain, with a particular focus on the psychological support of cancer patients, attachment relationships, and the benefits of multidisciplinary approaches to chronic pain management.
She has published her findings in peer-reviewed journals and has presented her research at both national and international conferences.
Education:
Current NHS Post: Consultant Clinical Psychologist, West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Memberships:
Health Insurance: Claire is accredited with many of the major health insurance providers.