Dr Joe Ramsay, Private Psychiatrist, Cheltenham & Gloucestershire
I am a Consultant Psychiatrist with more than 10 years experience in helping people recover and getting back to living purposeful, happy and thriving lives.
I offer friendly and compassionate private psychiatry with a holistic and integrated focus to people in Cheltenham and Gloucestershire .
I specialise in working with motivated individuals who are looking to broaden their treatment horizons, leveraging a wide range of mind, body and lifestyle approaches to achieve an improved state of health and wellbeing.
Whether you are an individual looking for support or a professional considering a referral have a look at my site to learn a bit more about me and how I work.
kind, collaborative, holistic psychiatry
I have more than 10 years experience working with patients in Primary, Secondary and Tertiary NHS Mental Health Services. I have worked with patients from all walks of life from anxious professionals, to people undergoing palliative cancer treatment, to both victims and perpetrators of violent crime. I am also a person, and like most people have experienced my own share of trauma, sadness and ill-health.
My personal and professional experiences have confirmed to me that high quality psychiatric care requires kindness, collaboration and a holistic understanding of the person. That is the focus and the model that I bring to my practice.
High-volume, low-resource psychiatric practice frequently relies heavily (sometimes solely) on medication to ‘patch-up’ peoples difficulties without ever getting to grips with the complex array of factors contributing to the illness. As a medical doctor I aim to provide the best in up-date and evidence-based prescribing, but I also know that medication alone is rarely enough.
I aim to provide a perspective that considers mind, body and spirit, that helps you make sense of things and brings about meaningful and enduring recovery.
How I Can Help You
When you’re struggling mentally or emotionally, it’s hard to know where to find help you can trust.
Around one in four adults suffer with some degree of mental ill-health in any given year. Depression alone is the leading cause of disability in the world. Yet, despite the enormity of the problem it can often feel that help is scarce.
Mental Illnesses are complicated things and there is rarely a single causative factor. They emerge from the complex interaction of your biological state (brain chemistry, genetics, nutrition, inflammatory factors, hormones etc), your psychological state (experiential history, trauma, personality structure) and your social state (work, relationships, stress, finances etc).
Given the complexity of these illness-entities its hardly surprising that many patients feel that under-resourced NHS services struggle to fully grasp their needs or offer well-rounded treatment plans that address not just the neuro-chemical but the myriad other factors too.
I maintain a small-scale and holistically-focused private psychiatric practice in Cheltenham. My approach is human, warm and collaborative. I will work with you to understand not just what is happening to you, but also to understand all the little pieces that drive the problem.
My approach is pragmatic and solution-focused. I know that no-single intervention is likely to get you fully back to health. Sometimes it takes 5 or 6 interventions, each focusing on a different part of your illness-picture, each one offering a marginal gain and contributing to your recovery. Together we will devise a holistic and comprehensive treatment plan that leverages my expertise in pharmacological therapies and builds on that base with a range on interventions that considers your nutritional and hormonal health, your sleep and physical well-being. I will arm you with simple techniques to feel calm and grounded and explore with you what deeper psychological interventions are likely to yield the best results for you.
If this model of care motivates and interests you then get in touch and we can discuss working together.
For more information on what to expect when you enquire and then decide to work with me, see here.
About Me.
I graduated medicine in 2011 before completing house jobs and working in A&E for a couple of years.
I initially planned on being an anaesthetist but discovered and fell in love with psychiatry in circumstances that make a good dinner party anecdote.
I completed my psychiatry training at the Maudsley Hospital in London and then my sub-specialty training in Bristol.
As well as working as a psychiatrist in a wide variety of clinical settings I have worked alongside the police and other government agencies in liaison and consultation roles.
I have been a Consultant since 2022 and am engaged in a wide range of management and educational endeavours. My ‘day-job’ involves assessing and treating people on criminal-justice pathways.
In addition to the above I maintain a medico-legal practice providing expert witness to the courts in both criminal and civil matters.
Below are some of the issues I frequently work with in my private practice.
Stress and Burnout
Sleep problems
Depression and Low mood
Trauma and PTSD
Anxiety, OCD and Panic Disorders
Bipolar Disorder
Fees
Initial Consultation (60 minutes) £400
Follow up Consultation (30 minutes) £200
Full details of all fees and T&Cs will be shared with you prior to your appointment.
Please note my private practice works on self-pay model and I do not accept BUPA, AXA or other private medical insurance.
Contact me.
Contact me for more information and to arrange an appointment. I will normally be able to respond on the same day.
If you are a GP or allied professional wanting to make a referral, complete the form and I will contact you to discuss.
