Counselling in Hertford

Why choose me?

Clinical psychologist in Hertfordshire Dr Maria Tucknott sat at desk smiling

One of the reasons I am so passionate about the work that I do is because I’ve been there. I have experienced my own difficult life events, especially in recent years. These experiences have given me a deeper understanding of what it is like to struggle with your mental health and how crucial it is to find the right therapist to help you navigate this path and come through to the other side feeling better.

I put the therapeutic relationship at the heart of what I do because it is important that you feel safe, contained and understood. This is particularly important if you are sharing parts of yourself that you have hidden for a long time.

My approach is not to tell you what is wrong with you, instead it is to listen to you and learn what has happened to you. This will allow us to come to a shared understanding of your difficulties and make links between the past and present so that you can learn to understand your mind and recognise some of the repeating patterns that you are getting caught up in.

By integrating what you learn in therapy into everyday life, you will become more skilled at managing your difficulties. By the end of our work together, you will have a “toolbox” of strategies to help you stay on track and continue moving forward with your life in a meaningful way.

When I am not at work, I enjoy going on long walks in nature and reading a good book.

About me

My Background

Clinical psychologist in Hertfordshire Dr Maria Tucknott sat at desk

Following completion of my Doctorate in Clinical Psychology in 2014, I worked full time in the National Health Service (NHS) for several years. I also pursued further training in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT), EMDR and Internal Family Systems (IFS) because I wanted to increase the effectiveness of my skills in order to help the clients I work with.

I began private work alongside my NHS role in 2021 and after a year of working in this way, I made the decision to leave the NHS and focus on my private practice part time.

I have experience of working with a range of difficulties and specialise in anxiety, low mood and trauma. The word trauma means different things to different people; so what do I mean by it? Traumatic experiences are situations that are frightening, overwhelming, and difficult or out of our control. These experiences may have happened in adulthood or childhood (or both). In my experience, trauma can exacerbate depression and anxiety along with contributing to additional difficulties at work, at home and important relationships.

Highly Trained

Qualifications and Credentials

DClinPsych - Doctorate in Clinical Psychology - University of Hertfordshire
Practitioner Psychologist - Health Care and Professions Council
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) - trained in 2018
EMDR Europe Accredited Practitioner - EMDR Association UK
Attachment Focused EMDR - trained in 2022
EMDR and Complex Cases - CPD event 2023
Schema Therapy (module 1) - completed in 2023