Welcome to my website, I am Alessandra Merizzi, Clinical Psychologist and Gestalt Psychotherapist.
This is a short introduction to my clinical work and to my background.

Dott.ssa Alessandra Merizzi

Clinical psychologist, Gestalt psychotherapist

Lots of diverse people. I work with people of different provenience and cultural background, thus sessions are offered in Italian and English. People who come to see me are of diverse age, from 18 to how much they like. They may also be neurodiverse, for example have ADHD, o develop neurological conditions, for example dementia. Their gender can vary and be fluid or not. The issues people come for are various such as anxiety, panic attack, depression, bereavement, trauma and so on.

SOME HISTORY

I lived in Manchester (UK) where I worked for six years as psychotherapist at the Manchester Gestalt Centre with which I continue to collaborate actively. I also worked for five years as Clinical Psychologist at a NHS Trust specialised in mental health care, as explained later on.

​Additionally to my clinical work, I run workshops, actively participate in psychotherapy associations, publish some of my writing and lately I began my path to become an accredited Gestalt trainer. In 2019 I obtained a Postgraduate Certificate in Supervision of Counselling and Psychotherapy from the University of Central Lancashire.

As a Clinical Psychologist I am specialized in Psychology of Ageing. I have been working for over a decade with older adults as well as their family members/carers in various settings (nursing home, day centre, and in their homes) providing psychological support and cognitive stimulation therapy. I have also been delivering a meta-cognitive memory programme to adults and healthy older people in the community.
I have been working as Clinical Psychologist at the Oldham Memory Assessment and Treatment Service, Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, which role required me to administer neuropsychological and psychological tests, and risk assessments, to offer psychological therapy and psycho-educational support in one-to-one, couple and group settings, and to contribute to the service development which includes research activity. These services are offered to people experiencing memory and/or other cognitive (thinking) difficulties that are frequently related to dementia and other conditions.
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I fully qualified in Italy in 2007, therefore I needed to validate my title through the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). In order to meet their requirements, I completed two placements in the National Health Service. The first one was with the Oldham Adult Learning Disability Service, Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, where I was part of a multidisciplinary team providing assessment and person-centred intervention for adults from age 18. The latest was at the Oldham Department of Clinical Psychology (same Trust) where I offered psychological therapy, using various modalities (particularly Cognitive Analytic Therapy, Compassion Focused Therapy and Schema Therapy), to adults in working age with complex presentations.
For further information about my professional experience please visit the pages ‘About‘ and ‘Ageing & Dementia‘. For any further information and/or request you can leave me a message using the ‘Contact‘ page. Thank you.