Dr Melanie Orchard - Profile

I am a clinical psychologist who is dedicated to supporting people to overcome their difficulties and live a life that is personally meaningful and fulfilling.

I offer a range of psychological therapies, including Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT). All interventions are collaboratively tailored to meet the needs of the person that I am working with.

My personal interests include cooking, writing, photography and painting. I believe that this flair for creativity is highly relevant to my work as a clinical psychologist and that an imaginative outlook increases the capacity for flexibility. In the past I have worked alongside clients to produce collages, storybooks and paintings to explore and make sense of their experiences. This has been particularly beneficial in my work with children and adolescents.

In addition to private practice, I have been working in the NHS since 2005, providing a range of psychological treatments to people who require support for their distress. I am very experienced in the practice of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), which the government recommends as the first line of treatment for the majority of psychological difficulties.

I am committed towards ongoing professional development and regularly attend relevant workshops and training events. I have also presented my own research at the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP) conference and I regularly provide training to other mental health professionals.

I have a specialist interest in Commitment Therapy (ACT) and have been utilising this model in my work since 2007. ACT is a what we call a third wave cognitive behavioural therapy, and focuses on acceptance of one’s internal experiences (thoughts, feelings, memories etc.) in order to move forwards and start living a life that is vibrant and meaningful. When I was undertaking my doctoral training I completed my thesis looking at the processes of change that occur in ACT, and I was particularly interested in its use with people for whom other treatments have been unsuccessful. Since qualifying as a clinical psychologist, I have developed ACT across my local NHS Trust, writing treatment protocols and providing training to other staff members. I have recently won an award within the Trust for the work that I have undertaken to roll ACT out across local services.

In 2013 I undertook Foundation Level training in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) with the British Isles training group (the sole licensed providers of DBT training in the UK).