PSYCHOLOGICAL THERAPY
Psychological therapy is often referred to as a ‘talking therapy’. With individual therapy you meet with your therapist either on your own or with someone whom you would like to bring along with you for support. This can be online, face to face in a consulting room or over the telephone. Sometimes therapy is offered in groups, usually for people experiencing similar difficulties. Other specific types of therapy such as couples or family therapy will include people in such relationship groupings. All psychological therapies involve working collaboratively with the therapist in a safe, supportive space to make sense of your experiences and feelings and importantly to find ways to improve your psychological and general wellbeing.
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For many meeting their therapist in person is what they want. For others this is not an option or a preference. Online therapy has been demonstrated to be as effective as therapy in person and maybe more suited to your own needs. For some, it can be the more convenient choice as it removes geographical and physical barriers. For those stretched for time to find space for themselves, eliminating the time it takes to travel to a clinic can make all the difference to be able to engage in therapy. Online therapy can provide a more private and comfortable space as you are in your own familiar environment, making therapy less daunting. For those with challenges making it feel unsafe to venture away from the home, therapy online gives you access to the help you need without compromising your feelings of safety. If you think that online therapy can benefit you, contact me to discuss options available.
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Whichever modality of therapy suits you what you bring to therapy, guided by the research evidence recommended for the treatment of similar difficulties, as well as your own goals and preferences will affect the type of therapy that you are offered. The sessions that I provide are generally 60 mins in duration. By arrangement with you the length of sessions can be adjusted to suit your needs. Time taken in therapy will depend on what you want to achieve from your sessions, the types of complexity you wish to address and what type of therapy is recommended. A general range of number of sessions is from 6 to 20 sessions. However, some people can benefit from a few sessions only whereas others require longer term therapeutic work. Sessions are usually offered on a weekly basis but again this is not set in stone and will vary depending on the needs and situation of the person.
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Therapeutic Approach
The main therapeutic approach that I use is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). This is an evidence-based therapy recommended by NICE (National Institute in Clinical Excellence), as having been proven to be an effective treatment for a range of mental health problems. Third wave cognitive therapies such as Mindfulness Based CBT, Mentalization Based Therapy (MBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) are also used as are techniques from Schema and Narrative therapy where indicated as helpful. I am also an accredited EMDR practitioner with the EMDR Association UK https://emdrassociation.org.uk/ . EMDR is a therapy recommended by NICE for the successful treatment of trauma, with a growing evidence base for a range of other presentations.
