How It Works

Getting Started

Lydia provides a 15-minute telephone consultation to discuss your concerns and consider options open to you. This is free of charge. You can contact Lydia by phone 01394 617680. This is a confidential phone number and answerphone service. Please leave your name and contact details, together with a brief message, and Lydia will phone you back to discuss your concerns and treatment options.

If you would prefer to email Lydia please include your contact details and a brief message outlining your concerns at lydia@lydiajbell.co.uk. Lydia will get back to you to talk through your concerns in more detail.

You may wish to make a voluntary donation to Suffolk Mind who do important work supporting young people within our community.

Fees

Fees are payable by bank transfer (BACS) in advance or by debit card at the appointment.
If you cannot attend an appointment, please provide 24 hours notice. Appointments cancelled with less than 24 hours notice will be charged.

Booking Appointments

Clinics are held at Framfield Medical Centre, Ipswich Road, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 4FD. Once you have spoken to Lydia, you will be able to book appointments directly with her.

Clinic Opening Times

During term time clinics are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Clinic is usually closed during school holidays except for the summer when a reduced number of clinics continue for existing patients.

The First Appointment

Lydia understands that children and adolescents often feel nervous about their first appointment. She will make every effort to put your child at ease and ensure that they understand that she is here to help.

Lydia will usually meet with you and your child together to find out what your concerns are. It is then often helpful for parents and the young person to see Lydia separately during the assessment. The assessment will give you an opportunity to describe the problem, when it started, and what you have already tried to resolve it. This first meeting will usually take up to an hour and a half.

Lydia will discuss treatment options and develop a treatment plan with you.

Treatment

The treatment plan will be explained to you and will include setting some goals for the therapy.

Lydia will advise you on the spacing of sessions to help your child engage with treatment. Sessions are usually more frequent at the beginning to establish treatment and build confidence, becoming more spaced out as treatment progresses. Progress will be reviewed regularly and a follow-up appointment is offered at the end of treatment.

Lydia will draw on her knowledge and skills to develop treatment that is suited to your child and their problem. This is often a blend of therapeutic approaches including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), EMDR, behavioural approaches, play and creative techniques and motivational enhancement therapy.