Therapy
What can I help with?
I specialise in helping people who have had traumatic experiences, but I also have experience in and can help with a wide range of problems:
Depression
Anxiety
Panic attacks
Trauma
Pregnancy anxiety
Low self-esteem
Difficult and overwhelming emotions
Childhood abuse
PTSD and Complex PTSD
Relationship difficulties
Birth trauma
Phobias
Grief and loss
Perfectionism
Postnatal mental health
Shame
Anger
Social anxiety
Self-criticism
Chronic pain
If you’re experiencing any of these things, I can help. It’s not a definitive list, so if there’s something you are struggling with that’s not on the list, please do get in touch as I may still be able to help you.
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Neurodivergent? My approach is tailored to the individual, and this includes accommodating different neurodiverse needs. We can work together using a neuro-affirmative approach so that you feel able to access psychological therapy and make use of it.
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Therapy Models
Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT)
CFT is a psychological therapy that aims to help reduce distress and psychological difficulties, as well as increasing happiness, wellbeing and flourishing.
CFT does this by teaching us skills to help cultivate our compassionate minds, which in turn, allows us to engage with the difficulties we are facing in a wise and helpful way.
People sometimes think that compassion just involves being nice, kind and warm, but it’s important to recognise that it often also requires courage and strength. When we’re having painful emotional experiences like shame, fear or trauma, we need strength and courage to enable us to tolerate these difficult feelings in order to find ways to alleviate our pain.
Studies show that CFT is helpful for a variety of psychological difficulties and mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, trauma, eating disorders, personality difficulties, shame, self-criticism, worry, perfectionism, attachment insecurities, difficult emotions and feeling inferior.
FOR MORE ON COMPASSION, PLEASE SEE THE VIDEOS BELOW:
Dr. Chris Irons – International Science of Compassion Conference, 2012, USA.
https://youtu.be/9ULYf-gxAL8
Dr. Kristin Neff – Self-Esteem vs.
Self-Compassion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEyJ_H1U5SQ
Prof. Russell Kolts – Anger, Compassion, and What It Means To Be Strong
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QG4Z185MBJE
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR)
EMDR is a highly effective psychological therapy with a strong research base.
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As such, it’s recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as the treatment of choice for people who have experienced traumatic and emotionally painful adverse events.
So what exactly is EMDR? Imagine your mind as a powerful tool, capable of processing life’s experiences in a healthy way. However, when faced with overwhelming emotions, such as during a traumatic event, your brain can struggle to process information effectively. The memories can become ‘stuck’ in time, having a long-lasting negative influence on your life and relationships. Some people feel like they’re living in a perpetual state of threat and distress.
EMDR helps individuals to process and work through these stuck traumatic memories. It uses bilateral eye movements to help the brain to integrate these memories, to stop them resurfacing and causing distress. After engaging in EMDR, individuals I have worked with have reported a profound shift in the way they perceive and relate to past experiences, feeling free and no longer burdened by the past.
IF YOU'D LIKE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT EMDR, PLEASE SEE THE LINKS BELOW:
Animation to explain EMDR therapy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIJZQAr9nQo
The Secrets of EMDR Therapy and How It Can Help You
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNdMHuwvF_M
Listen to a BBC Radio 4 interview with a client who has experienced EMDR
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
ACT aims to help people live full and meaningful lives, whilst effectively handling the stresses that life inevitably brings.
In ACT, it’s assumed that suffering is a normal and unavoidable part of the human experience. ACT explains how our attempts to control, avoid, or get rid of difficult thoughts and emotions actually feeds into them and makes them worse, leading to more long-term suffering. ACT teaches us instead to notice and accept these difficult thoughts and feelings, and work with them head-on. It helps individuals to clarify what is truly important and meaningful to them, and helps them to commit to actions that improve and enrich their lives.
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ACT can help with a range of emotional issues including anxiety disorders (such as GAD, social anxiety, phobias, and OCD), depression, chronic pain, physical health problems, eating problems, relationship difficulties, and workplace stress.
FOR MORE ON ACT, HERE ARE SOME ANIMATIONS WRITTEN AND NARRATED BY DR. RUSS HARRIS:
The Struggle Switch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCp1l16GCXI
The Choice Point
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OV15x8LvwAQ
The Happiness Trap: Evolution of the Human Mind
The plasticity of the brain is now well evidenced by neuroscientific research.
This means that the brain has an ability to create new neural pathways. It is this that enables us to heal, and change, and grow. It’s therefore never too late to try something new, to break unhealthy patterns, to find ways through, to evolve, to become more aligned with who we want to be, to change.
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If you have any questions about CFT, EMDR or ACT, please contact me for more information