Ines Soares, Specialist Clinical Psychologist
I am a Chartered Clinical Psychologist specialised in working with children, adolescent and adult eating disorders and body image difficulties. Alongside my work with Treating Disorders, I have worked in an NHS Specialist Inpatient Unit for Children and Young People with Eating Disorders, as well as in a Children and Young People's Community Eating Disorder Service in South West London, where I am currently based.
Within these services, I have been providing individual therapy, family therapy and group therapy to young people and families dealing with varying eating disorder diagnosis including Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa. The therapeutic models I typically use are Family Therapy for Anorexia Nervosa (the evidence-based NICE recommended treatment for young people with Anorexia), Dialectical Behavioural Therapy, as well as tools from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.
I am currently completing the Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Enhanced (CBT-E) training which is a specialist and evidence-based treatment for adults with eating disorders and sometimes applied to older adolescents, as well as Family Therapy for Bulimia Nervosa.
As a Clinical Psychologist, I am very conscious of the responsibility of my work, and hope to create an environment of warmth, safety, trust and hope for each person I work with. I am passionate about diversity and freedom and strive to work collaboratively in order to find out what truly motivates and drives people towards recovery and achieving their goals.
I tend to use an integrative approach, drawing on a range of different models (such as CBT, Narrative Therapy, Family Therapy and ACT) depending on a person's needs. At the start of treatment, we will work collaboratively to develop an understanding (known as a psychological formulation) of what may have triggered the eating disorder/body image difficulties and what factors may be maintaining it, so that we can achieve a common understanding of the concerns.
Referral Criteria & Process
Self Referral
Training
I completed a BSc degree in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Clinical and Health Psychology (MSc) at the University of Minho (in Portugal). As part of my undergraduate studies, I also trained in Universidad Pontifícia de Salamanca (Spain). My MSc was divided into research and practical training. On a research level, it focused on Basic and Evolutionary Psychology, and the practical training focused on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Narrative Therapy. I am registered as a Clinical Psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council.
Experience
Since qualifying as a psychologist I have worked with children, adolescents, and adults with a varied range of mental health difficulties and presentations. I have worked privately since 2017 in Portugal, predominantly working with mood disorders like Depression or Anxiety, across all age groups. After moving to the UK in 2020, I have worked in an NHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service, an NHS Specialist Inpatient Unit for Children and Young People with Eating Disorders, as well as in a Children and Young People’s Community Eating Disorder Service in South West London, where I am currently based. Within these services, I have been providing individual therapy, family therapy and group therapy to young people and families dealing with varying eating disorder diagnosis including Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa.