Dr. Comfort Shields

Comfort Shields is a HCPC-registered clinical psychologist and highly experienced psychotherapist specialising in trauma and PTSD and is certified in EMDR. She offers 3-session and 6-session blocks for EMDR and 8-session blocks for psychotherapy. She also has a special interest in working with high functioning individuals who are neurodivergent. She was the Co-Founder of the former Box Tree Clinic in the Harley Street medical district of Central London, where she served as clinical director for several years. She offers individual and couples therapy for adults of any culture, religion, gender and sexuality. She also offers comprehensive diagnostic assessments for medico-legal and insurance purposes as well as for CICA and AFCS . These services include C-PTSD/PTSD diagnostic assessments and reports. She also offers second opinions on diagnosis, reports for appeals, specialist assessments for ADHD and diagnostic uncertainty.

Dr Shields graduated from Oxford University with an MPhil in social and cultural anthropology and then undertook 5 years of further postgraduate training in clinical psychology in the States, completing her clinical training placement at Yale University Medical Centre. She was awarded her PhD in clinical psychology based on her dissertation on attachment, complex bereavement, and temporality.

She most often utilises a psychodynamic and humanistic approach for psychotherapy. She specialises in trauma and PTSD and often utilises EMDR to help patients who have undergone trauma due to road accidents; emotional, physical, or sexual abuse; domestic violence; human trafficking; and war.

Additionally, she offers an expedited service for the diagnosis of PTSD as well as for OCD, anxiety, and depression. These takes place during a one-day appointment either in person or online, and reports are usually delivered within a week.

Additionally, Dr Shields is a qualified supervisor and leads supervision groups for psychotherapists and counsellors as well as supervising individual psychotherapists.

Dr Shields strongly believes that when one experiences difficult times, the way that person integrates the experiences and manages the situation is what defines them as a person. When patients bring about these emotional challenges with Dr Shields, she will provide emotional validation and empathy as a way to connect with her patients and work through the problems.

In addition to accepting Aviva and Cigna, she also accepts Bupa International / Bupa Global, Allianz, and WPA Insurance.