Dr Rebecca Knowles Bevis  

My name is Becca. I am a clinical psychologist chartered by the British Psychological Society, and registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). I am also a BABCP Accredited Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist, an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society, and an accredited Video Interaction Guidance (VIG) practitioner. I've been qualified nearly 20 years now: I have 15 years’ experience of working in NHS community mental health services, including specialist trauma services and complex needs services, and I now work solely in independent clinical practice with a focus and particular specialism in perinatal, parental and parent-infant mental health. 

I love working therapeutically but I'm a keen researcher too, and for many years I held an academic post alongside my clinical job. Most recently, I have been a research tutor and lecturer at the Oxford Institute of Clinical Psychology Training and Research. After COVID, the need for increased access to specialist perinatal mental health support was so acute that I chose to concentrate my practice on offering this vital help to as many people as possible.

I am experienced in the assessment and treatment of a wide range of psychological and emotional difficulties, including anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, relationship and family difficulties, low self-esteem, grief and loss. However, I have a particular interest in perinatal psychology, and in the specific issues and transitions associated with becoming a parent. For the last decade or more, this has been my biggest passion and focus. I have developed my private practice in order to offer specialist, bespoke psychological support for people who are experiencing difficulties associated with any aspect of the path to parenthood, including infertility, pregnancy, miscarriage, baby loss, TFMR, pre- and postnatal mental health difficulties, relationship problems, and the general trickiness of adjusting to being a parent. I’m a recognised birth doula too, working alongside couples and families to provide continuous care and support through pregnancy, birth and the immediate postnatal period. 

Whilst the majority of the work I do now is related to perinatal or parental mental health, I do also work with adults who are experiencing challenges with their mental health that are not directly connected to the journey to parenthood, so please feel free to get in touch if this is you. 

My approach to therapy is compassionate, honest and collaborative, and my focus is on developing a safe and supportive therapeutic relationship to enable you to resolve difficulties and make positive changes for yourself. We will work together in order to arrive at a better understanding of your difficulties, to create a safe space in which you can express painful feelings and feel heard and understood, and find ways to tackle problems and make meaningful change. I can also help you to learn strategies and skills you can use to help you protect yourself against similar difficulties in the future. 

I'm also a mother to two teenagers, and my own rocky path to and through parenthood has been a crucial part of my growth and development as a psychologist, and as a human. 

If you would like to see my full CV, please click on this link (pdf opens in new window)