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Dr Claire Hepworth
BSc, MSc, PhD, DClinPsy, CPsychol. AFBPsS.

I specialise in anxiety, neurodivergence and emotion regulation. I love to help you if you are self-critical, feel worried or ashamed, or feel stuck or hopeless or unsure about how to proceed or problem solve. You may have low confidence, self-worth or set yourself very high standards and feel that they you are always striving. This may be getting in the way of achieving your goals, and happiness in relationships. I have over twenty years of experience. 
 
I am a Chartered and Clinical Psychologist, with a MSc in Health Psychology, PhD in Psychology, and a DBT Therapist. I am Dual Chartered with the British Psychological Society, Division of Clinical Psychology (BPS 126851) and Coaching Psychology, and accredited with the Health and Care Professions Council (PYL26294). I am accredited with the International Society of Coaching Psychology and have training in Performance Coaching, Resilience and Stress management.

I am also an accredited partner of the Be Talent Zircon suite of organisational psychology assessment tools. 

I completed my BSc Psychology at the University of Sheffield, followed by a MSc Health Psychology and PhD at the University of Southampton during which I worked as an Assistant Psychologist in NHS clinics across Hampshire and as a Research Consultant in CBT. During my PhD I worked as a Research Associate at the University of Maryland, USA in the Center for Addictions, Personality and Emotion Research. I completed my Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London, working in clinics, community teams and hospitals with children and adults, across South London and Maudsley NHS Trust.

I am a Senior Clinical Psychologist and have developed my experience in National Specialist and Community Mental Health Service Clinics. I worked for five years as a Clinical Psychologist and Research Lead in National and Specialist CAMHS at the Maudsley Hospital. I also worked as the Team Psychologist for a community CAMHS team in inner city London. I then became a Senior Clinical Psychologist and DBT Lead, working with adults with complex trauma and emotional needs in South London and developing a rapid access pathway so that clients in urgent need could access therapy from any part of the healthcare system. I have worked in Private Practice since 2015.

I have provided Whole school Psychologist services to a number of Primary and Secondary schools across the South East since 2017, most recently as a Consultant Clinical Psychologist. 

I have experience as a Clinical and Academic Lead and Senior Lecturer at the University of Exeter, training CBT Therapists in working with complex emotional needs. 

I work Independently in West Sussex and online offering ADHD assessments, and Joint ADHD and Autism assessments with a college and her team. I offer individual therapy, Consultation, Coaching, Supervision and training and remain actively involved in clinical research with a specialist interest in understanding and managing emotions. 
Psychologist Horsham

Photograph by Sophie Ward Photography 

Peer reviewed publications by Dr Claire Hepworth

 

Lawlor., C., Hepworth., C.R., Jolley, S. (2021). Self-reported Emotion Regulation Difficulties in Psychosis: Psychometric properties of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS-16). Journal of Clinical Psychology. Open Access.

 

Lawlor, C., Hepworth, C.R., Smallwood, J. and Jolley, S. (2020) Self‐reported emotion regulation difficulties in people with psychosis compared to non‐clinical controls: a systematic literature review, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, 27(2):107-135. 

 

Maguire, N., Hughes, V.C., Bell, L., and Bogosian, A., and Hepworth, C., (2013). An evaluation of the choices for well-being project. Psychology, Health and Medicine, 1-13.

 

Hepworth, C., Ashcroft, K., and Kingdon, D. (2011). Auditory hallucinations: a comparison of beliefs about voices in individuals with Schizophrenia and Borderline Personality Disorder, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, 196, 6, 399-403. 

Hepworth, C., Startup, H., and Freeman, D. (2011). Developing Treatments for persistent persecutory delusions: the impact of an emotional processing and metacognitive awareness (EPMA) intervention. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 199, 9, 653-658.

Gratz, K.L., Hepworth, C., Tull, M.T., Paulson, A., Clarke, S., Remington, B. and Lejuez, C.W. (2011) An Experimental Investigation of Emotional Willingness and Physical Pain Tolerance in Deliberate Self-Harm: The Moderating Role of Interpersonal Distress. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 52, 1, 63-74.

Kingdon, D. G., Ashcroft, K., Bhandari, B., Gleeson, S., Warikoo, N., Symons, M., Taylor, L., Lucas, E., Mahendra, R., Ghosh, S., Mason, A., Badrakalimuthu, R., Hepworth, C., Read, J. & Mehta, R. (2010). Schizophrenia and borderline personality disorder: similarities and differences in the experience of auditory hallucinations, paranoia, and childhood trauma. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 198, 399-403.

Davies, J., and Hepworth, C. (2009). Evaluating strategies for detecting test faking. British Journal of Forensic Practice, 11, 1, 25-29.

Book Chapter
Hepworth, C., Startup, H., and Freeman, D. (2013). Emotional processing and metacognitive awareness (EPMA) for persecutory delusions. In ACT for Psychosis (Ed. Johns, L., Oliver, J., and Morris, M), Wiley, UK.

 

Book Review

Claire Hepworth (2014). Review of 'Treating Complex Traumatic Stress Disorders in Children and Adolescents: scientific foundations and therapeutic models' Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 42, pp 380-381. doi:10.1017/S1352465814000095.

 

Selected Conference Presentations 
Hepworth, C. (2013). DBT with young people: Experiences at the Maudsley. Presentation at the International Society of Personality Disorders Conference, Copenhagen. 

Hepworth, C. (2006). Cue reactivity to self-harm cues: understanding triggers for deliberate self-harm. Presentation delivered at the American Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Therapy, Chicago

Davies, J., and Hepworth, C. (2009). Evaluating strategies for detecting test faking. British Journal of Forensic Practice, 11, 1, 25-29. Preliminary data presented at the Division of Forensic Psychology Conference (2001).

 

Hunt, K., Hepworth, C., and Morris, A. (2014). DBT for adolescents at the Maudsley: Adaptations, reflections and engaging young people in shaping their service. Britsih Society of Counselling Psychology Conference, London.

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Parker, S., Hunt, K., Stewart, C., and Hepworth, C. (2014). Tailoring treatment of borderline personality disorder in adolescence: Parent's views on a DBT Skills group. Poster presentation at the ESSPD Conference, Rome.

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