Common Questions about Psychiatry
What you need to know
Unlike other mental health professionals, such as psychologists and counsellors, psychiatrists must be medically qualified doctors who have chosen to specialise in psychiatry. This means they can prescribe medication as well as recommend other forms of treatment.
After assessing your condition, the psychiatrist may prescribe medication or recommend other treatments, such as counselling or cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).
The number of times you need to see a psychiatrist and the length of each appointment will depend on your circumstances.
Psychiatrists may also provide psychological support for people with long-term, painful or terminal physical health conditions.
After assessing your condition, the psychiatrist may prescribe medication or recommend other treatments, such as counselling or cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).
The number of times you need to see a psychiatrist and the length of each appointment will depend on your circumstances.
Psychiatrists may also provide psychological support for people with long-term, painful or terminal physical health conditions.
Our sensitively trained client services team will discuss your needs and explain the options available. All information is dealt with confidentially with the aim of linking you with an appropriate clinician. Generally, when deciding whether to see a psychiatrist or psychologist one consideration is whether you are likely to need medication or not. If you will need medication, then it’s very important to be assessed and treated by a psychiatrist, though you may also need to see a psychologist for talking treatment as well.
Please call 0330 134 4659 or use our contact form at the bottom of this page to book your assessment. One of our team will then get in touch.
Yes, we are able to provide secure video consultations. After booking your appointment you will be sent a confirmation email with a secure link to access your video consultation. We recommend finding a private quiet place at home for these sessions and using headphones to ensure privacy. Please note that for some types of assessment a video consultation may not be possible, and a face-to-face appointment will be advised in these circumstances.
With children and young people, the psychiatrist will usually meet with the parent /carer(s) and the child or young person together for the first appointment, and time permitting, will also see the child/young person alone. Following this, depending on the patient's individual needs, the psychiatrist may advise a further appointment to meet with the parent/carer(s) without their child present or to meet with the child /young person individually.
Some parent/carer(s) prefer to meet with the psychiatrist for the first appointment alone, without the young person present, and this may be possible, please state this preference when booking the first appointment.
Often, the psychiatrist will also need to contact the child’s school to gather more information to help complete the assessment and both parents and teachers may be asked to fill in questionnaires.
During the assessment concerns will be discussed and on completion a recommended treatment plan and report will be provided. In some instances, for example where ADHD or Autism are being considered, additional specialised assessments may be recommended.
For adults, the psychiatrist will meet with the patient either face to face or remotely. They may request the name of an informant to provide supporting information but will not contact them without your permission.
The first appointment lasts up to 70 minutes and follow up appointments up to 40 minutes. These are conducted via face-to-face review in clinic or secure video consultation. Telephone consultations can also be arranged.
Some parent/carer(s) prefer to meet with the psychiatrist for the first appointment alone, without the young person present, and this may be possible, please state this preference when booking the first appointment.
Often, the psychiatrist will also need to contact the child’s school to gather more information to help complete the assessment and both parents and teachers may be asked to fill in questionnaires.
During the assessment concerns will be discussed and on completion a recommended treatment plan and report will be provided. In some instances, for example where ADHD or Autism are being considered, additional specialised assessments may be recommended.
For adults, the psychiatrist will meet with the patient either face to face or remotely. They may request the name of an informant to provide supporting information but will not contact them without your permission.
The first appointment lasts up to 70 minutes and follow up appointments up to 40 minutes. These are conducted via face-to-face review in clinic or secure video consultation. Telephone consultations can also be arranged.
You may wish to explain to your child about their appointment. Explain that you are taking them to a psychiatrist who meets with children and young people, to see if there is anything they can do to support them at home or in school. The psychiatrist will ask them some questions, a bit about the things they like doing, what they are doing well in and anything else that they may be finding difficult. Reassure them that there won’t be any kind of medical tests or physical examinations.
Please provide a copy of the referral from the GP or other professional in advance of the appointment.
If you have any professional reports from other specialists, or school reports, that you wish to be reviewed by the doctor, please bring them with you on the day or send them prior to the appointment to psychiatryinfo@onebright.com and the psychiatrist will review these reports during the assessment process.
If you have any professional reports from other specialists, or school reports, that you wish to be reviewed by the doctor, please bring them with you on the day or send them prior to the appointment to psychiatryinfo@onebright.com and the psychiatrist will review these reports during the assessment process.
The psychiatrist will tailor your treatment package to your individual needs. This may include psychiatric reviews, cognitive behavioural therapy, psychology, family therapy, prescribed medication or referral to other multidisciplinary professionals. Our psychiatrists are authorised to provide private prescriptions, including for ADHD medications. We work closely with a network of psychologists, and therapists and if a referral is required, we will arrange this.
CBT is a talking therapy that can help you manage your difficulties by changing the way you think and behave. CBT is indicated for a range of conditions including depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and OCD.
With children and young people, the therapist will initially meet with the young person together with their parent(s) or carers, although if preferred the therapist can meet with the young person or parent(s)/carer(s) separately. The format of the therapy going forwards will depend on the specific needs of the young person. Some therapy will involve individual sessions with the young person, some will involve parent(s) sessions and others will involve a combination of the above with some sessions for the child/adolescent and parent together for part/all the session. Together the psychologist, young person and parent(s)/carer(s) will decide on the best approach, likely treatment length and goals. The length and frequency of sessions will be tailored to the young person’s individual needs. Typically, sessions will occur on a weekly basis for a time limited period e.g. two to three months although length varies depending on the young person’s specific needs. Sessions will be 50 minutes face to face in clinic or via video consultation.
With adults, the therapist will meet with the patient either face to face or remotely. We also offer other therapies via the network. Please see the therapy pages for more details.
With adults, the therapist will meet with the patient either face to face or remotely. We also offer other therapies via the network. Please see the therapy pages for more details.
For face-to-face appointments: 10 Harley Street, London, W1G.
The nearest tube is Oxford Circus underground.
The nearest tube is Oxford Circus underground.
We recommend that you contact 0330 134 4659 and ask any questions you may have regarding the location, directions, prices and format of the appointment. If you have any further queries that cannot be answered prior to your first appointment, then feel free to email psychiatryinfo@onebright.com and someone will get back to you.
We recommend that you discuss the detail of your concerns face to face at the consultation, as these conversations tend to be most beneficial when discussed in person, however if you do wish to have a telephone consultation prior to the first appointment this can be provided. For regular clients who are receiving ongoing care, the psychiatrist will arrange any necessary phone calls with you directly.
We recommend that you discuss the detail of your concerns face to face at the consultation, as these conversations tend to be most beneficial when discussed in person, however if you do wish to have a telephone consultation prior to the first appointment this can be provided. For regular clients who are receiving ongoing care, the psychiatrist will arrange any necessary phone calls with you directly.
In view of our recently updated practice guidance, adherence to safe medical practice and GDPR compliance, regrettably the psychiatrist cannot provide detailed clinical advice over email. We recommend that if you have a clinical query about your care, that you book in a face-to-face consultation, or a phone consultation. Please note, some queries cannot be addressed appropriately over the phone and a face-to-face consultation may be advised.
We are an outpatient service, and we provide care to clients who require treatment on an outpatient basis only. Our psychiatrists can treat clients who require weekly, monthly or annual appointments. If you require more intensive support, we recommend you see your GP for a referral to your local crisis team. We do not provide out of hours or emergency care, therefore if you are in an emergency, please attend your local A and E.
Yes, if you have a condition that you feel may impact your access to our service, please contact us on 0330 134 4659 and we will make reasonable adjustments to enable your appointment to proceed and for any treatment to be provided in an individualised accessible format.
We accept referrals from GP’s, paediatricians, schools, mental health charities and other professionals such as psychologists and psychotherapists. If you would like to self-refer, please see your GP and request they send a referral letter. Following the assessment completion, the psychiatrist will write back to the referrer and GP to explain the outcome and recommended plan.
Yes, please wherever possible, although self-referrals are accepted, the GP will need to be informed by the psychiatrist of the assessment. This is for various reasons, such as the psychiatrist often needs professional information about a child's health and development and may need to ask the other GP or another doctor to carry out further treatment.
In the UK healthcare system, the GP holds the overall view of a patient's health, and it is important that they are aware of the assessment so they can continue to support the patient appropriately.
In the UK healthcare system, the GP holds the overall view of a patient's health, and it is important that they are aware of the assessment so they can continue to support the patient appropriately.
Our psychiatrists work with individuals with:
• emotional conditions such as anxiety, depression, bereavement, losses or trauma
• behavioural conditions such as challenging behaviour or anger
• neurodevelopment conditions for example ADHD and autism
• and other conditions.
Please note that we do not treat patients who require urgent intensive crisis support. At the time of booking, you will be sent screening questions so that we can check we are the appropriate clinic to support you before confirming the booking.
• emotional conditions such as anxiety, depression, bereavement, losses or trauma
• behavioural conditions such as challenging behaviour or anger
• neurodevelopment conditions for example ADHD and autism
• and other conditions.
Please note that we do not treat patients who require urgent intensive crisis support. At the time of booking, you will be sent screening questions so that we can check we are the appropriate clinic to support you before confirming the booking.
Yes, you will be provided with an assessment report on completion of the assessment, and this is included in the consultation fee. This includes the information from the consultations, and where relevant, any post consultation liaison with school or other professionals and analyses of questionnaires.
The report will include a summary of the findings and recommendations based on the psychiatrist’s professional opinion. Reports will be provided as soon as possible, usually within two weeks for most appointments. However, we recommend you discuss with your individual psychiatrist to establish the exact timescale for your report. The psychiatrists provide a client copy of the report and send a copy to the referrer and or GP. If relevant the psychiatrist can also provide a copy or an abbreviated letter to school. Any additional reports may incur an additional charge.
The report will include a summary of the findings and recommendations based on the psychiatrist’s professional opinion. Reports will be provided as soon as possible, usually within two weeks for most appointments. However, we recommend you discuss with your individual psychiatrist to establish the exact timescale for your report. The psychiatrists provide a client copy of the report and send a copy to the referrer and or GP. If relevant the psychiatrist can also provide a copy or an abbreviated letter to school. Any additional reports may incur an additional charge.
We treat all the information that you share with us, and the details about any treatment you receive, in strictest confidence (unless you have given us your permission to seek and/or share information with others).
The only limits to confidentiality are when a client is at risk of harm (from themselves or from others), someone else may be at risk of harm, or if we are ordered to share information by a court (or where the service is open to legal proceedings if we do not share information)
If any of these situations are the case, we will always seek consent to share information wherever possible. Our usual practice is to share information about your assessment and treatment with your GP, unless there are valid reasons not to.
When working with children and young people, the same principles of confidentiality apply, and we will usually only share information with the young person’s parents or carers with consent. There may however be some situations where we need to share information with parents and carers without consent, for example if the child/young person is not able to consent to treatment themselves.
The only limits to confidentiality are when a client is at risk of harm (from themselves or from others), someone else may be at risk of harm, or if we are ordered to share information by a court (or where the service is open to legal proceedings if we do not share information)
If any of these situations are the case, we will always seek consent to share information wherever possible. Our usual practice is to share information about your assessment and treatment with your GP, unless there are valid reasons not to.
When working with children and young people, the same principles of confidentiality apply, and we will usually only share information with the young person’s parents or carers with consent. There may however be some situations where we need to share information with parents and carers without consent, for example if the child/young person is not able to consent to treatment themselves.
Fees are dependent on the type of assessment.
We offer a pre-pay clinic for self-funders and therefore you will be provided with a receipt which you can pass on to your insurer to reclaim your payment if applicable.
For those planning to fund appointments through an insurance policy we advise clients to speak to their insurer prior to booking to ensure that their pre-paid appointment will be covered to avoid disappointment.
We offer a pre-pay clinic for self-funders and therefore you will be provided with a receipt which you can pass on to your insurer to reclaim your payment if applicable.
For those planning to fund appointments through an insurance policy we advise clients to speak to their insurer prior to booking to ensure that their pre-paid appointment will be covered to avoid disappointment.
If you are unable to make your appointment, please provide at least 48 hours’ notice (this does not include weekends) so that there is time to arrange for someone from the waiting list to be seen. If not sufficient notice (48 hours excluding weekends) is provided to be able to offer the slot to someone else, then the full consultation fee will be charged. For all cancellations there is a £100 fee to cover the non-refundable administrative costs incurred during the booking process.
We are always looking to maintain and improve high quality standards of care and value any feedback relating to your experience of the practice. If you would like to leave feedback, please send to psychiatryinfo@onebright.com. If for any reason you are dissatisfied with the care provided by your psychiatrist and wish to make a complaint, please contact us at 0330 134 4659.