We provide a range of individual and group psychological therapies for adults ( 18+) with common everyday issues or with primal diagnosis/ symptoms associated with depression and anxiety disorders ((generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder with or without agoraphobia (PD), social anxiety (SA), health anxiety(HA), specific phobias (SP), trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other stress-related disorders)). 

We comply with The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Guidelines.

All talking therapies are client’s choice of treatment and are individually tailored according clinical presentations, comorbidities and client’s personal needs and preferences.

Behavioural Therapy (BT)

Behaviour therapy or behavioural psychotherapy is a broad term referring to clinical psychotherapy that uses techniques derived from behaviourism and/or cognitive psychology. The behavioural approach to therapy assumes that behaviour that is associated with psychological problems develops through the same processes of learning that affects the development of other behaviours. Behaviour therapy based its core interventions on functional analysis. Although behaviour therapy is based on the general learning model, it can be applied in a lot of different treatment packages that can be specifically developed to deal with problematic behaviours. Some of the more well known types of treatments are: Relaxation training, systematic desensitisation, virtual reality exposure, exposure and response prevention social skills training, modeling, behavioural rehearsal and homework.

Wikipedia-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behaviour_therapy

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

Cognitive behavioral therapy is a psycho-social intervention that aims to reduce symptoms of various mental health conditions, primarily depression and anxiety disorders. CBT is a "problem-focused" and "action-oriented" , views cognition and emotions as preceding overt behaviour and implements treatment plans in psychotherapy to lessen the issue by managing competing thoughts and emotions, often in conjunction with behavioural learning principles.

The core idea of CBT is that peoples emotional reactions and behaviour are strongly influenced cognitions (words, thoughts, images, beliefs, and the interpretations ( the meanings ) that people make from a situation or an event. Some of the basic principles of CBT are:

• The cognitive principle -different cognitions give rise of different emotions.

• The behavioural principle -people’s actions are crucial in maintaining or changing psychological states. The behaviour has strong impact on thoughts and emotions, respectively - changing behaviour leads to changes in thoughts and emotion.

• The continuum principle- mental health problems arise from exaggerated or extreme version of normal processes, rather then as pathological states that are different from normal states and processes.. Psychological problems are at one end of the continuum rather then in a different dimention.

• The “here and now” principle -focus on the processes that maintain the curent problem, rather than the processes that may have let to the development of the problem.

• The interacting system principle - current psychological problems are conciderated as complex interaction among cognitions,emotions, behaviour and physiology, which also interact with the individual’s environment.

• The empirical principle- treatments are based and evaluated on scientific theories research outcomes.

In adults, CBT has been shown to be an effective part of treatment plans for anxiety disorders,depression, eating disorders,trauma,post-traumatic stress disorder and others.

In children or adolescents, CBT is an effective part of treatment plans for anxiety disorders, depression, eating disorders,obsessive- compulsive disorder (OCD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).CBT has shown to be the most effective intervention for people exposed to adverse childhood experience in the form of abuse or neglect..

A typical CBT program would consist of face-to-face sessions between patient and therapist, made up of 6–18 sessions of around an hour each

CBT may be delivered in conjunction with a variety of diverse but related techniques such as exposure therapy,stress inoculation, cognitive processing therapy, metacognitive therapy, metacognitive training,relaxation training, dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT),acceptance and commitment therapy(ACT) and others.Some practitioners promote a form of mindful cognitive therapy which includes a greater emphasis on self-awareness as part of the therapeutic process.

Wikipedia-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_behavioral_therapy

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Acceptance and commitment therapy is a branch of CBT ( contextual CBT) as well as branch of clinical behavioural analysis ACT uses mindfulness and acceptance interventions and has been found to have a greater longevity in therapeutic outcomes. It is an empirically based psychological intervention that uses acceptance and mindfulness strategies along with commitment and behavior-change strategies to increase psychological flexibility.

Wikipedia-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acceptance_and_commitment_therapy

Art Therapy

Art Therapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses visual art media, which can be helpful when someone finds it difficult to communicate their thoughts and feelings in words, and/or finds self-expression through using art materials satisfying.

 People of all ages and abilities, and at all stages of life can find art therapy helpful. Through making images, creating stories or just playing with the materials people can become aware of and explore their complex and sometimes confusing feelings. This can help them understand themselves better and can open space to mental and emotional growth.

Art materials also have sensory qualities. Someone can feel calmer and more relaxed just through using their hands to spread paint on the paper, through modelling the clay or touching the sand.

The creative part of making art is itself healing. Imagining the composition, creating a story, making an art piece stimulates the brain and boosts up positive self image.

Art therapy can help with issues, connected with anxiety, anger, setting boundaries, transition, self awareness and self esteem, trauma and bereavement.

Regular Art Therapy sessions take place each week at the same time and place. The end of therapy will be discussed by both the person in therapy and the therapist. When it is felt that the initial goal has been achieved, the ending process, which usually takes four weeks, will start.

Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT)

Dialectical behavior therapy is an evidence-based psychotherapy,considered as a part of the “third wave of CBT.DBT adapts CBT to assist patients in dealing with stress or treating disorders that are characterised by impulsivity and emotional dysregulation. The goal of DBT is emotional regulation. This approach incorporate four modules :

• Mindfulness

• Acceptance and change

• Distress tolerance

• Emotional regulation - (understanding and naming emotions, changing unwanted emotions, reducing vulnerability, and managing extreme conditions)

  DBT is helpful in treating borderline personality disorder, depression and complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD).

Wikipedia -https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dialectical_behavior_therapy

Compassion - Focused Therapy (CFT)

Compassion-focused therapy is a system of psychotherapy that integrates techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy with concepts from evolutionary psychology, social psychology, developmental psychology, Buddhist psychology, and neuroscience.The central therapeutic technique of CFT is compassionate mind training, which teaches the skills and attributes of compassion. This approach is proven to be effective helps with cognitions and emotions related to anxiety,anger,shame and self-criticism.

Wikipedia -https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compassion-focused_therapy

Psychological therapies for trauma and stress-related disorders

A number of psychotherapy approaches have been designed with the treatment of trauma -Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) ,Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) ,Cognitive Therapy (CT), Prolonged Exposure (PE),Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy ,Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET), and others.

Cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on the interaction among thoughts, feelings and behaviors that lesd to symptoms interfering with reduced functioning and general quality of life.

Cognitive processing therapy approach and modify unhelpful or biased beliefs related to the traumatic experience.

Cognitive therapy focuses on modifying the pessimistic memories and appraisals of the trauma, and interrupt the dysfunctional thoughts, assumptions and behavior.

Prolonged exposure is a type of cognitive behavioral therapy where the traumatic memories are gradually approached with aim to moderate avoidant behaviors.

Narrative exposure therapy helps individuals establish a coherent life narrative in which to contextualize traumatic experiences. It is known for its use in group treatment for refugees.

EMDRA is a structured therapy incorporating focus on the traumatic memory and simultaneous experience of bilateral stimulation ( eye movements), leading to reduction in the vividness and emotional distress of the traumatic experience.

Trauma therapies aim processing unprocessed "trauma-related memories. This usually includes psychoeducation, emotional regulation (grounding), cognitive processing, trauma processing (systematic desensitization - triggers no longer produce distress), emotional processing ( reconstructing biased perceptions, beliefs and expectations and experiential processing (visualisation of achieved relief state).

American Institute of Medicine and the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines identify cognitive behavioral therapies (especially prolonged exposure and cognitive processing therapy) as the most effective treatments for PTSD.

Eye Movement Detestation and Reprocessing (EMDR)

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing become very fashionable and demanded intervention although is perceived controversially in psychological and therapists’ communities. It was founded by Francine Shapiro in 1987 with aim to alleviate the distress associated with traumatic memories. EMDR involves focusing on traumatic memories in a manner similar to exposure therapy but with side-to-side eye movements.

EMDR is recommended for the treatment of PTSD by various government and medical bodies citing varying levels of evidence, including the World Health Organisation, the UK National Institute for Health and Excelence, the Australian National Medical and Research Concil and the US Departments of Vereran Affears and Defense. The US National Institute of Medicine found insufficient evidence to recommend EMDR. The American Psychological Association suggests EMDR may be useful for treating adult PTSD. Treatment guidelines note EMDR effectiveness is statistically the same as trauma-focused behavioral therapy, and the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council notes that this may be due to including most of the core elements of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT).

Wikipedia -https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_movement_desensitization_and_reprocessing).

EMDR can be delivered in person ONLY.