Elena Paraskevopoulou

As a graduate psychologist, I am passionate about exploring the intricacies of the human mind. I am fueled by enthusiasm and dedication and have gained valuable experience conducting psychological research and analysing complex data. My proudest accomplishment to date is the topic of my dissertation, which examined how adverse childhood experiences can impact cognitive abilities in adulthood. My research suggests that individuals who have experienced challenging childhoods may experience cognitive impairment. With my exceptional empathy, strong analytical skills, and keen attention to detail, I am equipped to make meaningful contributions to studying human behaviour.

Overall, over the past year, I have supported adults of all ages and from all kinds of backgrounds, who are struggling with mental health disorders and various physical health problems and I am confident that I have the fundamental knowledge and understanding of the impact these have on their lives and how best to help them within the limits of my role. My counselling skills have helped me build better relationships with my colleagues but also to establish excellent working relationships with my clients. I have an empathetic understanding of how different mental health problems affect people differently, as my clients come from a range of cultures and varying socio-economic backgrounds. I believe that I am able to build good relationships with them because I have learned to adjust my communication style, to listen actively and above all to treat them with dignity and respect.  When working with service users, I always take into account all aspects of their life, including cultural issues, as well as assessing risk, so I can look at their needs holistically and discuss with them what they believe they need from our services. Keeping the service user in the centre of these procedures helps them feel in control of their recovery journey and has better outcomes, as it helps combat discrimination and stigma. My experience of working on a busy hospital ward has helped me learn how to communicate effectively and compassionately with patients and family members under stressful and overwhelming circumstances. This includes managing expectations while simultaneously remaining calm and delivering great quality of care that represents the best this NHS Trust has to offer. I have great experience working with computers, using Office tools, and completing daily records for patients in electronic health records. This also means that I have been trained in keeping records appropriately and confidentially and through my work I am aware of the GDPR and relevant legislations.

I have obtained a First Honour Degree in Clinical Psychology, a Counselling Diploma Level 2 and a HealthCare Assistant Certificate from NHS. In addition, I possess transferable skills from my previous studies, including an Optometry degree and a performance diploma, where I specialised in drama therapy.