My approach to therapy is tailored to each individual, seeking to do whatever will be most helpful. I draw on various evidence based approaches in my work, including CBT, ACT, Schema Therapy, EMDR, and psychodynamic therapy.
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What is CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)?
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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a widely used and evidence-based psychotherapy approach that focuses on the connection between thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. It is based on the idea that our thoughts influence our feelings and behaviors, and that by changing our thoughts, we can change how we feel and act.
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CBT is typically a short-term, goal-oriented therapy that is used to treat a variety of mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), among others. It is often used in conjunction with medication but can also be used as a standalone treatment.
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In CBT you typically work to identify and challenge negative or unhelpful thought patterns and beliefs which develop more adaptive ways of thinking and coping with stressors. CBT also focuses on behavioral techniques, such as exposure therapy and behavioral experiments, to help change problematic behaviors and develop healthier habits.
Overall, CBT is a practical and effective therapy that helps you learn skills to manage emotions, improve coping strategies, and make positive changes in your life.
​'There is nothing either good nor bad, but thinking makes it so.' - Hamlet
What is ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy)?
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Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a form of psychotherapy that I'm very passionate about and a lot of my blog posts are about ACT. ACT focuses on helping you develop psychological flexibility by accepting your thoughts and feelings rather than trying to control them, and committing to actions that are in line with your values. ACT is based on the idea that trying to avoid or eliminate negative thoughts and emotions can actually lead to greater suffering (The Buddha's famous 'second arrow'), and that learning to accept them can lead to a more fulfilling life.
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ACT uses a variety of techniques, including mindfulness exercises, to help you become more aware of thoughts and feelings and to develop a more accepting and compassionate stance towards them. It also encourages you to clarify values and take committed action towards goals that are important to you, even in the presence of difficult thoughts and emotions.
​'Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.' - Haruki Murakami
What is Psychodynamic therapy?
Psychodynamic therapy is a longer, more intense treatment that most other therapies. It aims to help you develop deeper self-understanding and lead a more fulfilling life.
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We have all had different experiences early in life, and these experiences shape who we become. What we have learned from our experiences can lead to a repetition of problematic patterns in relationships, without us necessarily even realising this is occurring. Moreover, throughout our lives, we develop ways of coping with our underlying and often hidden feelings, and these ways of coping can in themselves cause us further problems or distress.
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Often, people come to therapy for help with a particular problem, such as an episode of depression, or coping with a relationship breakdown. Sometimes, people can have multiple episodes of therapy, all for seemingly different problems such as these. They might obtain some strategies for managing symptoms, and the symptoms may ease, but for many people, different problems and issues can keep arising, or there is a sense of still having underlying issues.
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In psychodynamic therapy, problems such as depression, anxiety, relationship difficulties, and other mental health issues are not typically seen in isolation, as issues to be treated separately. Instead, this therapy helps people to understand how these seemingly separate problems and symptoms, may in fact arise from underlying, unresolved issues. For instance, a person who has had negative experiences of caregivers throughout childhood might grow up to have a sense of others as being critical and emotionally unavailable, and find it difficult to form close, connected relationships. This might also contribute to developing problems such as depression or anxiety. Therapy that focuses on managing the symptoms of depression or anxiety may end up not exploring and working through the underlying themes and issues that have contributed to the development and maintenance of depression and anxiety.
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In contrast, psychodynamic psychotherapy helps you with your current problems that are bringing you to therapy, through helping you to have better understanding of how and why these problems developed, and helping you to work through the underlying issues or conflicts that have been leading to these problems developing and continuing. As a result of this form of treatment, you can develop more insight, feel more connected with yourself, and have a more fulfilling and engaging experience of life.
'Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.' – Carl Jung
What is EMDR?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a psychotherapy approach designed to help people process and recover from traumatic experiences or distressing life events. Developed by psychologist Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s, EMDR is most often used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) but has been applied to a range of other mental health conditions, including anxiety, depression, and phobias.
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The therapy involves recalling traumatic memories while simultaneously engaging in bilateral stimulation, often through guided eye movements. The idea is that this dual attention helps the brain process these memories in a way that reduces their emotional impact and allows for healthier integration into the person’s life narrative. Studies indicate that by using EMDR some people can experience very fast recovery and it is now recognized as an effective form of treatment for trauma and other disturbing experiences by the American Psychiatric Association, the World Health Organization and the Department of Defense.
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EMDR can be effective for people who haven’t responded well to traditional talk therapy, as it takes a less verbal and more experiential approach.