Therapy Frameworks

We provide psychological services for children, adolescents, adults and couples; drawing on a range of evidence-based frameworks including Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy, Mindfulness, Schema Therapy, Emotion Focused Therapy and Family Therapy. 

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) focuses on how our thinking patterns (cognitions) and our behaviour can influence how we feel and shape our experiences. It uses an explorative approach to elicit unhelpful thoughts and behaviours that contribute to a person’s difficulties and works to find more adaptive ways of thinking, coping, or interacting with others. It is usually a short-term approach that focuses on symptom relief.

CBT is suitable for a range of problems including:

• Anxiety, including phobias and OCD
• Depression
• Stress
• Anger management

Psychodynamic psychotherapy encompasses a range of different therapy approaches where the focus is on understanding and becoming aware of thoughts and feelings that were previously outside the person’s conscious, in order to provide relief from emotional pain. Much of the work is focused on how childhood experiences affect us as adults, in particular the development of self-esteem, coping skills and patterns of interpersonal relating. It is generally a longer-term therapy approach, which focuses on character and personality change as well as symptom relief. 

Psychodynamic psychotherapy may provide clients with:

• A sense of support and understanding for distressing issues.
• A greater understanding of how their own internal dynamics affect mood, behaviour and relationships.
• More choices and options for problem solving and coping.
• An opportunity to work through and process distressing memories from childhood.
• A sense of self-cohesion, identity and greater self-esteem.

Schema Therapy is an integrative approach that seeks to identify and change groups of beliefs and patterns of interpersonal relating, called schemas, that are causing difficulties in a person's life. These patterns usually originate in childhood and are often reinforced by negative life experiences. Schema therapy uses cognitive, behavioural and experiential techniques to elicit and shift these schemas into more adaptive ways or relating to oneself or others. It is suitable for those who have been through complex trauma, who wish to change aspects of their personality, or who find themselves in toxic relationship patterns. 

Schema Therapy is suitable for a number of different difficulties, in particular:

• PTSD and Complex Trauma
• Personality Disorders
• Relationship problems

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on developing psychological flexibility by using a range of experiential techniques to challenge the power of unhelpful thoughts, feelings, and behaviours.  With a focus on developing present-moment awareness and identification of personal values, ACT aims to improve a person’s quality of life by helping to clarify what is truly important and meaningful to them to promote a rich and meaningful life.

ACT is suitable for a range of problems including:

• Anxiety, including Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
• Depression
• Chronic pain
• Chronic health issues
• Stress       

Emotion-Focused Therapy is a type of therapy aimed at promoting healthy emotion regulation. Emotions are a valuable information system, however with traumatic experiences this system can become altered. Many people who enter therapy experience either heightened emotions (e.g., excessive anxiety, guilt, or shame) and/or suppression of others (e.g., healthy assertion, joy).

Emotion-focused therapy is based on emotion theory and attachment theory, and can help clients to:

• Differentiate between different emotion states.
• Regulate maladaptive emotions and increase adaptive emotion states.
• Use emotions as a guide.
• Allow for greater levels of emotional intimacy in relationships.
• Overcome traumatic experiences, particularly childhood experiences of abuse, trauma or neglect.

EMDR is an intervention that was originally used to alleviate the distress associated with traumatic memories. It is common for individuals to experiences disruptions or ‘blocks’ to processing traumatic events in the brain, which can make people feel they are ‘reliving’ these events on a daily basis; months or years after the original trauma occurred. EMDR works to remove those blocks, by helping the brain establish new neural pathways when the memories are activated. This is called ‘bilateral stimulation’ and can be achieved with eye movements, audio cues, or sensory stimulation. Your therapist will help you with this in a safe and controlled process when you feel ready. New research is also emerging for the use of EMDR with anxiety disorders, impulse control disorders, and substance misuse.