About Unlock Psychology Ltd
We are passionate about providing businesses with high quality mental health solutions
Unlock Psychology Ltd is led by Dr Alastair Pipkin, who is a clinical psychologist, accredited cognitive behavioural therapist, gender specialist and accredited lecturer.
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Dr Alastair Pipkin qualified from the University of Oxford with a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology. He has worked in a range of settings, including adult and child mental health services in the community and hospital settings, and latterly provided therapy for corporate clients. He setup and led a psychology service in an acute inpatient hospital for adults, which involved managing and supervising a team across two hospital sites, developing strategies and providing reflective practice sessions and well-being support for staff. He has also worked in academia, providing teaching and training for trainee therapists, and has setup and led a training course with the NHS to train front-line mental health practitioners. He is an active researcher and published author, with 15 academic articles published to date (see below).
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Driven by a passion for making evidence-based psychological knowledge and skills accessible, he spends his time designing and delivering training, conducting research and providing specialist assessments and therapy.
Mental health services are over-stretched, under-resourced and limited in the extent to which they can provide effective therapy. Workplaces are one of the best places to identify and address mental health needs, where we know mental health can have a devastating impact if left untreated.
That's why we pride ourselves on providing timely access to a range of high quality, evidence-based mental health solutions. Our workshops can help managers and employees to identify and address mental health at the front-line. Our audits help to understand the needs of your workforce and implement practical strategies. Our assessments and therapeutic interventions help to ensure a happy, healthy workforce, free from mental health difficulties.
Certifications
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Registered Clinical Psychologist with the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC).
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Fully accredited Cognitive Behavioural Therapist with the British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP)
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Associated Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA)
Qualifications
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Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Oxford
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Regular continuing professional development in line with professional regulation (additional training in autism and ADHD diagnosis; compassionate leadership; CBT, working with attachment needs)
Our publications
Dr Alastair Pipkin has led and collaborated on research with the Universities of Oxford, Leicester and Northampton. He has led clinical research in a range of NHS services and attracted grant funding for a range of community research projects. He provides research supervision for doctoral students. He has also applied his research and audit skills to understand and improve the functionality of services. Full papers can be found via the See our work button, and see our current list of publications below.
Pipkin, A. & Rodriguez, L. (2024). Opportunities and challenges facing LGBTQ+ people in employment in rural England post-pandemic: A thematic analysis. Qualitative Research Journal. https://doi.org/10.1108/qrj-12-2023-0195
Kau, F., Lusher, J. & Pipkin, A. (2024). Meaning making in the aftermath of trauma: A narrative review. World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 21(1), 1202-1208. http://dx.doi.org/10.30574/wjarr.2024.21.1.0114
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Pipkin, A. & Clarke, C. (2023). You can’t be too many things: the experiences of gender-affirming care for trans people of color – a thematic analysis. International Journal of Transgender Health (Early View). https://doi.org/10.1080/26895269.2023.2295380
Davies, M. & Pipkin, A. (2023). The acceptability and feasibility of a cognitive behavioural therapy managing emotions group on a male psychiatric intensive care unit: a mixed methods evaluation. Journal of Psychiatric Intensive Care (Early View). https://doi.org/10.20299/jpi.2023.008
Pipkin, A., Ward, L., Cotton, S., & Shearn, C. (2023). The experience of navigating sexuality for transgender and gender non-conforming people: A meta-ethnographic review. International Journal of Transgender Health. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/26895269.2023.2260795
Sessions, L., Pipkin, A., Smith, A., & Shearn, C. (2023). Compassion and Gender Diversity: Evaluation of an Online Compassion-Focused Therapy Group in a Gender Service. Psychology & Sexuality, online. https://doi.org/10.1080/19419899.2023.2181097
Pipkin, A., Smith, A., & Shearn, C. (2022). Transition Needs Compassion: a Thematic Analysis of an Online Compassion-Focused Therapy Group in a Gender Service. Mindfulness, 13(6), 1510–1520. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-022-01893-9
Patel, M. & Pipkin, A. (2022). Self-love is to break boundaries: A thematic analysis of the experience of self-love in Johannesburg. European Journal of Applied Positive Psychology. https://www.nationalwellbeingservice.org/volumes/volume-6-2022/volume-6-article-10/
Pipkin, A. (2021). The Psychological Needs of Non-Binary People. Clinical Psychology Forum, 339.
Pipkin, A., Armitage, S., Knight, M. & Hogg, L. (2021). “A Blank Canvas of Me”: An Interpretive Phenomenological Study of Client Self-Disclosure in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Psychosis. Psychosis 13(3), 242-252. https://doi.org/10.1080/17522439.2021.1881597
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Pipkin, A., Hogg, L. & Armitage, S. (2021). “Someone on my Level”: A Meta-ethnographic Review of Therapeutic Relationships in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Psychosis. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy 28(5), 1297-1313. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.2578
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Pipkin, A. (2020). The Evidence Base for Rural Early Intervention in Psychosis Services: A Critical Review. Early Intervention in Psychiatry 15(4), 762-774. https://doi.org/10.1111/eip.13019
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Pipkin, A. (2019). Men’s Recovery Action Service: A New NHS Men’s Group. Workshop presented at the Male Psychology Conference 2019 on 21/06/2019.
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Kinsella, A. & Pipkin, A. (2018). "Men's Action Recovery Service: A Pilot Recovery Group for Men." Poster presented at the Male Psychology Conference 2018 on 23/06/18.
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Evans, S., Bailey, A. & Pipkin, A. (2017). "Evaluating the impact of Parenting Interventions on contributing factors to child behavioural problems, including Parental Mental Health." Presented at the BPS DCP Faculty of CYPF Annual Conference 2017 on 26/09/17.
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Pender, F. & Pipkin, A. (2015). A Peer Education Project in Local Schools. Workshop presented at the Division of Clinical Psychology Faculty of Children and Young People and Families Conference in 2015.