Dr Claire McDonald is an experienced and skilled principal clinical psychologist working with adults both in private practice and in the NHS. Dr McDonald gained an Undergraduate Degree in Psychology at University College Dublin, Ireland, a Master of Science in Neuroscience at Goldsmith’s College, University of London and a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at University College Dublin, graduating with first class honours. She is a Member of the Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing Association UK. She has published research in international scientific journals and occasionally lectures on master’s and Doctoral training courses in London.
Dr McDonald has a passion for working creatively and collaboratively with her clients to understand what factors might be driving the problems in question and how they may be overcome to live a more fulfilling life. She is trained in several specialist therapeutic approaches including Schema Therapy, EMDR, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Compassion Focussed Therapy, Mindfulness, Psychodynamic and Narrative Therapy.
She works with clients with a wide range of common and more complex forms of psychological distress, including depression, anxiety, work-related stress and burnout, trauma, dissociative conditions and relationship difficulties. In her NHS role, she leads a team of psychologists offering individual, team-based and organisational support to NHS staff at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in London. Prior to this, while working for several years at the Maudsley Hospital, London, Dr McDonald supported adults experiencing complex and enduring mental health problems and provided training and support to staff teams working in acute settings.