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About Bernadette Bustin

Professional history

Background

I left  a career as a Communications Manager in the Telecomms industry, to start my family.  When my children were all happily in full time school, not wanting to return to management, I decided to retrain.  

Qualifications

Starting with an Honours Degree in Psychology with the Open University I then completed my MSc and Post MSc Diploma an the University of Wolverhampton.  This  qualification granted Chartership with the British Psychological Society.  The Associate Fellowship with the British Psychological Society (AFBPsS) recognises extensive post-qualification experience.
 
My ongoing accreditation now requires that I am also registered as a Practitioner Psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).

Photo of Bernadette

Experience and specialisms

Since the beginning of my training I worked within the NHS in a range of settings including Substance Misuse; Adult Mental Health and across a broad spectrum of physical health conditions, such as  chronic pain, cancer and sleep, including leading the Psychology team in an Adult Weight Management service where many clients struggle with binge-eating disorder and emotional eating.

 

I am now concentrating exclusively on the personalised individual therapy offered from this website.

I initially trained in CBT, Person Centred and Psychodynamic approaches.  Throughout my career I have continued to learn other therapeutic models and specifically trained in:
 

  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

  • Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT)

  • Compassion Focussed Therapy (CFT)

  • Eye Movement Desentising and Reprocessing (EMDR)

 

A recent addition to my formal training has been an extensive programme of Internal Family Systems training through IFSCA (Canada).

 

I have also added specific certification in ADHD Assessment and Management, Behavioural Addictions and Binge Eating Disorder.

friendly informal psychologist

My values

It is important to me that the way I earn my living is meaningful and makes a difference to others.  

 

My personal motivation for specialising in the area of addictions and compulsive behaviours is that I detest oppression and bullying of any kind.  I believe that our lives are uniquely  precious and that we should all have every opportunity to live freely and to aim for a fulfilling life.  However, it feels particularly unjust when we are oppressed by our own minds - and this is one way of describing what happens with addictions and compulsions – we feel like our mind is bullying us to behave in a way that, on another level, we know is not in our interests. 


Many incidents of oppression in this world are outside of my sphere of influence.  However, my training, experience and personal values mean that I bring skilled and wholehearted intention to my work with people who are feeling trapped and tyrannised by their own minds through addictions and compulsive behaviours.

 

Through this work with individual people, I know that my clients regain a sense of freedom and confidence that not only greatly benefits their own lives but also positively impacts on their relationships with family and friends.

Book a free consultation

I offer a free 15 - 30 minute introductory video consultation to help you decide if therapy with me is right for you at this time.  

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