About Dr Polly James
I am a Highly Specialised Clinical Psychologist and have been working in the NHS for over 10 years. I am a compassionate and friendly psychologist with experience of working with children and adults across the lifespan with various physical, mental and neurodevelopmental needs. I love the work that I do and I aim to provide a warm, friendly non-judgmental environment for therapy with children, young people, adults and their families. I believe in working holistically and draw from different therapeutic models. I am also an experienced yoga teacher and believe in taking a person centered approach to help people meet their goals and make positive changes in their lives.
Background
By way of introduction, I grew up in London and enjoyed exploring, asking lots of questions and trying all sorts of sports. My curious and inquisitive nature remained through school and I went on to study philosophy and psychology at Bristol University and completed my doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London. I have been working at St Thomas’s Hospital since qualifying and for the past 6 years I have been the lead clinical psychologists in the children’s allergy service.
Specialties
Prior to clinical training I worked at great Ormond street hospital and in community paediatrics supporting children and their families with social communication difficulties such as Austic spectrum disorder, ADHD and developmental delay. During my training I worked in the NHS across a number of different settings including neuropsychology, adult mental health, learning disability and adult health. In my final year I specialised with adults with a cancer diagnosis and children with physical health problems (paediatrics).
Evelina London Children's Hospital
For the past 7 years I have been working at the Evelina London Children’s hospital delivering specialist psychological assessment and treatment to children, young people and their families. My clinical work has included supporting children to manage procedural distress, pain management, promoting young people's understanding of and adjusting to illness and disability, and providing neuropsychological assessments to aid in the understanding of how physical health difficulties may contribute to the development and/or maintenance of psychological difficulties.
Who I work with
As Clinical Psychologist I am experienced to provide psychological therapy to children and adults who may be experiencing a wide range of mental health difficulties including;
-
Anxiety (including health and relationship anxiety)
-
Stress (including work-place stress)
-
Depression
-
Low Self-Esteem
-
Anger
-
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
-
Phobias
-
Allergies
-
Feeding difficulties
-
Emotional Regulation
-
Relationship or Interpersonal Difficulties
-
Problems with Sleep
-
Behavioural Difficulties
-
Grief and Loss
-
Difficulties related to control (over-control/loss of control)
-
Pain
Publications
I am very keen to carry out research that is specific to providing improvements for children with allergies and to the quality of services that support children and their families. Below are a list of some of my publications and articles.
​
Psychological services for food allergy: The unmet need for patients and families in the United Kingdom. Rebecca Knibb, Mary Halsey, Polly James, George Toit, Judith Young. School of Psychology Applied Health Research Group College of Health and Life Sciences.
​
The psychological impact of anaphylaxis: advice and coping strategies for people affected:
Authors: Dr Polly James, Highly Specialist Clinical Psychologist, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, London; and David Reading, Co-founder and Honorary Vice President, Anaphylaxis Campaign
​
https://www.anaphylaxis.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Psychological-Impact-v5.pdf
​
Illness perception of adolescents with allergic conditions under specialist care. Polly James,Maria Rosario Caballero: 04 November 2019
​
BSACI 2021 guideline for the management of egg allergy. Susan C. Leech,Pamela W. Ewan,Isabel J. Skypala,Nicola Brathwaite,Mich Erlewyn- Lajeunesse,Sarah Heath,Heidi Ball,Polly James,Karen Murphy,Andrew T. Clark
Qualifications
Doctorate in Clinical Psychology - Institute of Psychiatry
October 2011 - October 2014 - DClinPsy
Joint Philosophy and Psychology Degree - University of Bristol
October 2004 - July 2007 - First class Joint Hons Bsc
200hr Yoga Teacher training - Power Yoga Company
November 2015 - Yoga teacher
Employment
Paediatric Clinical psychologist - Evelina London, Guys’ and St Thomas’ Trust
November 2014 - December 2022
Roles included:
-
Lead psychologist in children’s allergy service
-
Clinical psychologist in neurology
-
Patient experience lead psychologist
-
Clinical Psychologist in general paediatrics
Clinical Psychologist in Training - Institute of Psychiatry
October 2011 - October 2014
Roles included:
-
Placement 1: Conduct, Adoption & Fostering Team (CAFT)
-
Placement 2: Split Placement; Southwark IAPT,
Maudsley Hospital / Adult Neuropsychology, Kings College Hospital
-
Placement 3: Mental Health Learning Disability (MHLD), Lewisham
-
Placement 4: Mental Health Older Adults (MHOA) Psychology & Psychotherapy Service
-
Placement 5: The Psycho-Oncology Team (POST), Dimbleby Cancer, St Thomas' Hospital
-
Placement 6: Paediatric Psychology Service, The Evelina London Children's Hospital
-
​DClinPsy Research Project: 'Guiding intervention: Identifying parental psychological risk factors for children's pre-operative anxiety'
Research Psychologist – Cognitive Remediation Therapy for Psychosis
Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry
July 2009 - August 2010
Assistant Psychologist – Child Mental Health
Child Development Service, Westminster Primary Care Trust
August 2009 - July 2010
Health Care Assistant Psychologist
Great Ormond Street Hospital
January 2009 – August 2009
Support Worker - Adult Mental Health
Notting Hill Housing
January 2008 - January 2009
Volunteer - Health care worker
Ghanaian National Health Service
August 2007 - December 2007