Hi! I'm Amanda Watson

In 2007, I extended my Essex-based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) practice for those with depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and other emotional problems, to treat patients with an illness that previously was thought to be "untreatable".

It's called Borderline Personality Disorder, a condition of extreme mood instability, a fear of abandonment, an uncertain sense of self, a pervading sense of emptiness, suicidal behaviour, self-mutilation, unmanageable anger, rocky relationships, stress-induced paranoia, or even dissociation (the feeling of leaving your body or 'zoning out', as though you're living in a dream or a movie).

The good news is that it can be treated, with a therapy designed specifically for BPD called Dialectical Behaviour Therapy.

As a therapist specialising in CBT, Schema-focused ('Life-traps') work and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), I've helped many of my clients come to terms with all kinds of emotional problems, including their urges to hurt or kill themselves; with their impulsiveness, their sensitivity, their shifting moods, their inherent fragility when under stress or when they've begun to feel connected to someone.

I've helped them learn how to tolerate the difficulties they have when they're alone, their need for security and their gnawing sense of dissatisfaction with what is.

While I don't claim to have eradicated their pain completely, they now have a more solid sense of themselves, of being independent; they feel they've created a new life for themselves, one without constant distress or misery.

And I passionately believe I can help you achieve the same.

If you struggle with Borderline issues yourself, or you have a formal diagnosis of BPD, or you're a GP, social worker, Clinical Commissioning Group, Mental Health professional, or a close friend, or ex-, or family member caring for someone but finding it hard to cope, this website is designed to give you a taste of the services I provide and to decide if DBT's defined goal of building a life worth living is right for you.

Click or tap the menu (  top-right) to browse the rest of this website for detailed information on how your borderline, or other symptoms can be made more manageable.

Begin, perhaps, by learning about the clients I work with, via the Who I work with panel, below.

Thanks for visiting,