The Kaleidoscope ethos.

“Everyone deserves to live a fulfilling and rewarding life which they value. Our role is to help people reach their goals and overcome their struggles so they can live the kind of lives they want.” – Paul Walton

My name is Dr Paul Walton, and I am the Director of Kaleidoscope Psychology and Psychotherapy. I am a Clinical Psychologist and Systemic Family Psychotherapist and I have worked in the NHS, charity, and private sector over the last 15 years.

Kaleidoscope formed from a desire to create a therapeutic service which privileges the lived experience of people and champions their strength and ability to overcome emotional distress. We operate from a relational philosophy, that the people we become is shaped by the relationships we encounter along the way and how we see ourselves is largely influenced by the people we have around us. From the moment we are born we are in a relationship with others and building a relationship with ourselves.

Our ethos is based on the belief that the emotional and psychological problems people experience are understandable responses to the things that have happened to them over the course of their lives and that through working to develop a different relationship with these problems, ourselves, our past and one another; we can create meaningful and lasting changes.

We embody an ethical position on emotional wellbeing problems has become popularly known as being ‘trauma-informed’ or ‘non-pathologising practice’ (see our FAQ for further details). In practice what this means is that whilst we recognise the prominence of diagnostic accounts of people’s emotional distress, we are much more interested in understanding what has happened to a person that has led them to experience these challenging feelings. It is not that we are against diagnosis per se, just that it can become somewhat limiting in the development of a meaningful understanding of a person, their life, and the problem(s) they encounter.

Although it may sometimes feel like it, emotional and psychological problems don’t just appear out of thin air. In our experience there is always a rational explanation of how a problem arrived in someone’s life. At Kaleidoscope our aim is to help make sense of these difficulties, how they came to be in people’s lives and most of all, to validate peoples experience and reduce commonplace feelings of shame and blame.

Working from this position as a therapist means taking an interest in all parts of a person’s lived experience, the people and events that have mattered along the way and stories and meanings that have shaped them. We find that by approaching our work in this way, our clients are better empowered to overcome the psychological, emotional or relational problems which brought them to therapy in the first place.

Sometimes these problems get so bound to us that they can take over our lives and almost define us. At Kaleidoscope the fundamental position is that the problem, not the person, is the problem. You are not to blame for this problem in your life and you are in a position to take your life back from it.

Our practice conforms to the ethical guidelines outlined by the British Psychology Society and the Association of Family Therapists. Our director, Dr Paul Walton, is a registered member of the Association of Clinical Psychologists UK and his professional registration is governed through the Health Care Professionals Council (HCPC). As ‘Practitioner Psychologist’ is a protected title, this HCPC registration assures you of the authenticity of his practice as a Clinical Psychologist.

If you are interested in the help we offer and would like to get booked in for a free 30-minute consultation with Dr Paul Walton, then please get in touch via the form below. If you have any further questions, then please click here to see our FAQ page.

Get in touch.

What other people say.

Our sessions with Paul were invaluable.

We daily face new problems and challenges, all of which add to an ongoing situation. Paul always demonstrated a high level of understanding of our complex scenario/despair and was able to help us understand the recurring themes. Most importantly, Paul helped us try to understand how to live with our ongoing circumstances and to focus on the things we could control and not to apportion blame/frustration on ‘innocent’ people around us.

Paul listened, he remembered, and he helped us draw together and untangle the knots so that we can accept and move forward with our ongoing challenges.

Paul worked with me during a period where both my personal and working lives became extremely difficult to navigate.

He took time to understand me not just in terms of the crisis I was experiencing, but as a whole person, and what had contributed to me getting to that point.  This in turn allowed me to understand myself better, recognise patterns and to learn from my experiences to date.

He provided a balance between support and challenge, and while he encouraged me to reflect on my experiences, he was also keen that I focused on future action, utilising a number of techniques that required me to put some effort in and really participate in the process.

Due to Covid 19, all of our meetings were on line.  I know that establishing a connection with someone in this way requires real skill, and  Paul made it look easy.

We went to see Paul to ask for help as a family. Our adopted daughter who is 9 years old had issues with attachment and slight behavioural attributes. Paul helped the family work through these and we now have a good family life and many of the issues have been resolved and as a family we feel much more complete and have now a happy home life. This took 17 sessions with Paul but these were worth the effort and we cannot thank Paul enough for his help.

I have worked with Paul for a long time now, dealing with specific problems at what was/is a very difficult time in my life. I am incredibly thankful for all the help, professionalism and approach used by Paul. Every therapy session I always felt like I was listened to and valued.

To say my therapy sessions have helped me is an understatement, working with Paul has given me so many different ways of thinking and viewing situations. It was so helpful having a therapist who was patient and non-judgemental there was never a time I felt judged or rushed, I would never hesitate to go back for more therapy in the future if I ever felt like I needed it, I highly recommend Paul if you want an authentic, professional and understanding therapist who is very reliable and friendly. Thank you Paul.