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Dr Paula Watson - HCPC-registered Exercise Psychologist; BSc, MSc, PhD (Health Behaviour Change); 
CBT & Motivational Interviewing; Specialist in Weight Loss, Disordered Eating and Exercise.

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​Hi, I’m Paula. 
I’m a HCPC-registered Practitioner Psychologist (Sport and Exercise), with a specialist interest in weight and health behaviour change. 
We’re told that weight loss is simply about eating less and moving more.  The reality is – most people can do this for a few weeks or months.  But changing behaviour over the long-term is incredibly challenging.   


How can therapy help us manage our weight, eating and exercise behaviours?
• Perhaps you’re “good” for a few weeks, but then you self-sabotage.  You know what you need to do, you just don’t seem able to do it and you don’t understand why.  
• Perhaps you find yourself constantly thinking about food, planning or tracking what you’re eating, craving treat foods, then beating yourself up after another binge.  Food has always been the go to - whether you’re feeling happy, stressed, or frustrated. 
• Or perhaps exercise is the problem. Perhaps you can’t stop. Or perhaps you can’t start.  You hate yourself for letting your body get to this state.  Everything about exercise says it’s meant to make you feel good, so you don’t get why it’s so difficult for you.     
If these resonate, you’re not alone.  It’s easy to get stuck in these negative cycles, without knowing how to get out.  But the good news is, it is possible to change.

 
I will help you explore the thoughts, emotions, and behaviours that are keeping you stuck and help you to develop alternative, more helpful cycles. Through developing appreciation of your body and what it can do, it is possible to reach a place where self-consciousness no longer holds you back from what’s important to you in life.  And when you feel ready, I will support you to gradually introduce small, realistic changes to your eating and/or physical activity behaviours that you feel able to sustain in the long-term. 

 

My Background
I started my career working for Liverpool John MooresUniversity, where I led the GOALS family-based weight management programme from 2005-2013, gaining my PhD and helping 400+ Liverpool families with their eating and exercise behaviours.  I then worked as a lecturer/reader in Exercise and Health Psychology for 10 years, and conducted many research projects to help local people with their health behaviours.  
I set up my private practice in 2020 to provide individualised psychology support focused specifically on weight, exercise and/or diet. 
Across my 19+ years in health behaviour change, it’s the work with individual clients I most enjoy, and from which I learn the most. Through both working with clients, and my own personal therapy journey, I have discovered that learning to love ourselves is often at the heart of sustained change.    
How I work to support you 
We’ll work together to help you find a way forward that works for you. You’ll bring expertise in your own life, your thoughts, and your emotions. I’ll listen, support, and guide you through the process.  
 
My approach is integrative and draws on elements of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) and motivational interviewing.  Whilst talking therapy forms an important part of this, sustainable behaviour change requires committed action outside of the therapy sessions.  For example, in our sessions we’ll work through the “cognitive” elements (exploring your thinking patterns and emotions, where these came from and how these are connected with your behaviour), whilst in between sessions you’ll undertake tasks to explore what is happening in the moment, to try things out or to put new behaviours into practice.  


Areas I can help with 
• Weight-loss therapy 
• Disordered eating
• Binge eating
• Emotional eating
• Exercise anxiety
• Exercise compulsion/addiction


Availability and Fees
50-minute appointment - £100
Discovery Chat – The first step in starting therapy is to book a free 30-minute discovery chat (please complete the contact form below). This is a no-obligation chat that gives you chance to tell me about yourself and what support you’re looking for, and ask any questions you have. If we both feel we’re a good fit we’ll then go ahead and book in your first session.

                 
Weekly Appointments - I offer in-person appointments on:
• Thursday Daytime
• Friday Afternoon
Online appointments may also be available on Tuesdays, Thursdays or Fridays. 


Couples/Family weight-loss therapy - Sometimes weight problems co-exist among family members and it can be helpful to go through the change process together. Couples or family sessions can be arranged (£120 for 2 people) where you feel this would be beneficial. 
 

Qualifications and Training
BSc (hons) Psychology; MSc Sport Psychology; PhD Psychology – “Feasibility evaluation and long-term follow up of a family-based behaviour change intervention for overweight children (GOALS)”
Further training includes Motivational Interviewing (2014, 2015, 2023), brief CBT for non-underweight eating disorders(2022, CBT-T), CBT for weight loss and maintenance (2023, Beck Institute). 
Since 2006 I’ve also attended and presented at multiple national and international conferences linked to exercise psychology, behaviour change and weight management.

 
Professional Registration 
HCPC-Registered Practitioner Psychologist (Sport and Exercise) – PYL28668
I have Professional Indemnity Insurance, and am registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (Certificate Number – ZB392602). I also have an enhanced DBS check for working with vulnerable adults and children.

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To arrange an appointment with Dr Paula Watson please fill in the contact form below.

I am enquiring about:
Please select (any or all) of the time frames below that suit for your appointment:
I would like my appointment to be:
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