I am trained and work in a range of therapeutic methods including Psychodynamic counselling, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy & Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. I tailor sessions to suit my individual clients needs.

Psychodynamic Counselling

What is Psychodynamic Counselling?

In psychodynamic counselling the mind can be viewed in a similar way to an iceberg. We are aware of some of it but there’s a whole load of things going on under the surface which we are not aware of (the unconscious part of the mind to use the technical term) and which can affect the way we behave.

This can result in some deep-rooted feelings and memories which we are unaware of but that can affect the way we act in certain situations, our levels of anxiety or depression and our relationships with others.

The goals of psychodynamic therapy are to work on helping clients become more self-aware by learning to understanding of the influence of the past (these bits we may be storing in our unconscious mind) on present behaviour to cope with current and future difficulties.

How can Psychodynamic Counselling help me?

  • It can help you to recognize symptoms before they get out of control.

  • Assist in building confidence.

  • Encourage self-awareness.

  • Develop coping skills.

  • Gain a deeper knowledge of self.

  • Lead to an acceptance of yourself as a whole.

  • This helps bring long lasting, effective relief to areas in your life which you have been struggling with.

What are the sessions like?

Our first session together is an assessment session which is really a getting to know you process where I will ask a bit about your present circumstances, what has brought you to counselling, any issues you particularly want to concentrate on and I will gather some information on your background. This will last 1 hour.

Following the assessment the sessions will take place once a week at the same time and place and last 50 minutes each and will involve you discussing whatever is troubling you or that you would like to speak about in each session and us looking together at how this affects you and how to work towards overcoming these issues.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

What is CBT?

CBT is based on the idea that how we think about situations can affect the way we feel and behave. For example, if you interpret a situation negatively, you might experience negative emotions. And those bad feelings might lead you to behave in a certain way.

CBT combines two types of therapy to help you deal with these thoughts and behaviours:

  • Cognitive therapy, examining the things you think

  • Behaviour therapy, examining the things you do

How can CBT help me?

CBT teaches you coping skills for dealing with different problems. It focuses on how your thoughts, beliefs and attitudes affect your feelings and actions.

What are the sessions like?

During the sessions

A typical CBT session may include:

  • Working through exercises with your therapist to explore your thoughts, feelings and behaviour

  • Agreeing some activities to work on in your own time

  • Going over what you did in previous sessions and discussing what progress you’ve made

Outside the sessions

CBT can involve activities for you to do outside your sessions with a therapist. This might include filling in worksheets or keeping a diary.

You may need to commit your own time to complete the work over the course of treatment. You may also need to continue this after the treatment has ended.

You can find out more about how CBT works on the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP) website, including information in different languages.

Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)

What is ACT?

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is an action-oriented approach to psychotherapy that stems from traditional behavior therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy.

The theory behind ACT is that it is counterproductive to try to control painful emotions or psychological experiences; suppression of these feelings ultimately leads to more distress. ACT adopts the view that there are valid alternatives to trying to change the way you think, and these include mindful behavior, attention to personal values, and commitment to action. By taking steps to change their behavior while, at the same time, learning to accept their psychological experiences, clients can eventually change their attitudes and emotional states.

How can ACT help me?

Clients learn to stop avoiding, denying, and struggling with their inner emotions and, instead, accept that these deeper feelings are appropriate responses to certain situations that should not prevent them from moving forward in their lives. With this understanding, clients begin to accept their hardships and commit to making necessary changes in their behavior, regardless of what is going on in their lives and how they feel about it.

ACT can help treat many mental and physical conditions. These include:

What are the sessions like?

Working with a therapist, you will learn to listen to your own self-talk or the way you talk to yourself specifically about traumatic events, problematic relationships, physical limitations, or other challenges. You can then decide if a problem requires immediate action and change or if it can, or must, be accepted for what it is while you learn to make behavioural changes that can modify the situation. You may look at what hasn’t worked for you in the past, and the therapist can help you stop repeating thought patterns and behaviors that can cause you more problems in the long run. Once you have faced and accepted your current challenges, you can make a commitment to stop fighting your past and your emotions and, instead, start practicing more confident and optimistic behavior, based on your personal values and goals.

ACT aims to develop and expand psychological flexibility. Psychological flexibility encompasses emotional openness and the ability to adapt your thoughts and behaviors to better align with your values and goals.