megan

Megan Chrystal

Clinical Psychologist

Degrees & Education

Master of Science in Psychology with Distinction- Victoria University of Wellington

Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Psychology- Victoria University of Wellington

Professional Training in

  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT for Beginners; for Trauma; and as a Brief Intervention) – certificates
  • Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) Skills – certificate
  • Eye-Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) Institute Basic Training Part 1 – certificate
  • EMDR Institute Basic Training Part 2 – ongoing

My Clinicial Practice

I am a Clinical Psychologist with experience working with children, teens, and adults in a variety of clinical settings. My career has included working in both adult and child and adolescent public health services, an NGO, and my own private practice in New Zealand. Having recently made Edinburgh my new home, I’m excited to apply my skills in this community.

I have worked with people from a wide range of backgrounds with presenting issues such as anxiety, depression, phobias, panic, self-harm and suicidality, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, eating disorders, enduring interpersonal difficulties, Autism, ADHD, and gender incongruence.

My Therapeutic Approach

I am guided by values including compassion, respect, collaboration, non-judgement, and integrity in my clinical practice. I understand that seeking help can be a difficult step for people and I aim to create a warm, supportive space where clients feel accepted and safe to explore their issues.

In our work together, we will come to understand the nuances of the problems you’re facing; create a shared explanation of these problems; and develop a treatment plan to create the change you want to see in your life. In other words, we will try to figure out “what’s happening?”, “why is this happening and what keeps it going?”, and “what can we change about this situation to make life better?”.

I draw on Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) skills, and Eye-Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. My knowledge of multiple modalities means we can be flexible and adapt treatment to your individual needs. Providing trauma-informed, neuro-affirming, and culturally safe psychological services is important to my therapeutic approach.