Dr Atkin is taking a period of bereavement leave and not accepting new clients at present. Thank you for your understanding
Dr Atkin is taking a period of bereavement leave and not accepting new clients at present. Thank you for your understanding
Dr Atkin is taking a period of bereavement leave and not accepting new clients at present. Thank you for your understanding
Hello and welcome to my website! If you’re reading this then I can guess you or someone you care about has a problem that you’re looking for help with. Acknowledging there is a problem and looking for help is an important first step. My aim is to provide you with a sensitive, empathic service where we will work collaboratively to first understand your problem better and then find solutions that work for you.
The reason my website is called ‘Attachment Matters’ is because in 30 years of working in mental health, the DMM theory of attachment is what has made the most sense to me when trying to think about the big questions in life; for myself, my friends my family and my patients. Questions such as ‘Why am I so depressed? Why do I struggle to keep a relationship? Why do I get into the same difficulties with every new job? Why do I feel so empty?’ In my experience the medical model of diagnosis based on symptoms alone, doesn’t really help us understand the ‘why’ behind our problems, and symptom -based treatments alone are often not effective in the long term. Using an attachment -based formulation and understanding of a person and their problems as the basis of treatment can help people understand themselves better so they can find more helpful ways of managing life’s difficulties; freeing them up to be the person they really want to be.
Dr Louise Atkin is a Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist with over 25 years experience working in mental health. She has been a consultant for 18 years in the NHS, Ireland and most recently for Care in Mind, where she works with young people aged 16 – 30 years with complex mental health needs. Her work with looked after children led to her interest and study of attachment, specifically the Dynamic Maturational model (DMM) which now informs her clinical practice.
She is experienced in assessment and diagnosis of the full range of psychiatric disorders; but prefers to use an attachment-based formulation approach to treatment. She has been an expert witness to the family courts for over 10 years, providing psychiatric assessments and specialist assessments of attachment, parenting and family functioning.
Assessment and intervention for young adults up to age 25 years, children, parents and families experiencing difficulties with any aspect of their psychological well -being including depression, psychosis, anxiety, self-harm, eating difficulties, PTSD, social or relationship problems and addiction.
For more information lake a look at our services page.
