Integrative Therapy

Integrative therapy was developed by Carl Rodgers and means either the two main approaches above or other evidenced based approaches. Everyone is different and one approach does not always fit all people with the same difficulty. Therefore sometimes therapists will integrate two or more approaches into your therapy sessions. This therapy ensures I tailor around you and your needs as much as possible.

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Best for: Individuals who do not meet specific diagnostic criteria and who do not have a specific preference regarding approaches.

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Person-centred therapy

Person-centred therapy, also known as person-centred or client-centred counselling is a non-directive form of talk therapy that was developed by humanist psychologist Carl Rogers during the 1940s and 1950s. This approach deals with the ways in which individuals perceive themselves consciously, rather than how a counsellor can interpret their unconscious thoughts or ideas. By offering a safe, comforting environment, the client is able to understand the past experiences that have impacted the way they feel about themselves and take the steps to positive change.

Benefits: 

• Find closer agreement between an idealised self and actual self

• Achieve better self-understanding and awareness

• Release feelings of defensiveness, insecurity and guilt

• Have a greater ability to trust oneself

• Develop healthier relationships

• See improvement in self-expression

• Achieve a healthy sense of change overall

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Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

CBT was developed by Dr. Aaron T. Beck in the 1960s and focuses on the here and now. It provides practical strategies to try between sessions to break the cycle which maintains someone’s difficulties. We focus on the use of techniques to change your thoughts, beliefs and behaviours in order to see a change in your emotions, physiology and achieve a specific goal.

Benefits:

• Manage symptoms of mental illness

• Prevent a relapse of mental illness symptoms

• Treat a mental illness when medications aren't a good option

• Learn techniques for coping with stressful life situations

• Identify ways to manage emotions

• Resolve relationship conflicts and learn better ways to communicate

• Cope with grief or loss

• Overcome emotional trauma related to abuse or violence

• Cope with a medical illness

• Manage chronic physical symptoms

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Psychodynamic Therapy

The psychodynamic approach is designed to help individuals with a wide range of problems, it was developed by Sigmund Freud between the 1890s and the 1930s and focuses more on the deeper routed nature of a person’s difficulties. It looks at how early life relationships (childhood) influence us now in terms of our interpersonal relationships and how we deal with our emotions. 

Benefits:

• Focuses on the relationship between conscious and unconscious motivation

• Helps those who have lost meaning in their lives

• Explores difficulty in forming or maintaining personal relationships

• Ability to open up and explore any unresolved issues and conflicts hidden in the unconscious that may be affecting mood and behaviour

• Become conscious of internalised feelings and beliefs, and from where they stem

• Learn new patterns of behaviour and ways of thinking that promote personal development and growth

• Be able to acknowledge and understand deep-rooted feelings and resolve any conflicts with figures from childhood

• Coping tools for depression, anxiety, interpersonal problems, relationship difficulties, childhood emotional neglect, attachment issues, low-self esteem and addictions

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Dialectial Behaviour Therapy (DBT)

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) is a variation of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT). Developed in the 1980s to treat borderline personality disorder, it’s now a viable therapy for many conditions. DBT was first created to help people with borderline personality disorder and has a greater emphasis on managing extreme emotions and relationships. There are four key aspects of DBT — often known as the four modules or skills. Two of these relate to acceptance, and two relate to behavioural change.

Benefits:​

• Focus on building healthy relationships with respectful boundaries and trust 

• Aims to improve quality of life by gently helping to make choices that bring around positive changes in many aspects of life

• Helps those who struggle with depression, suicidal thoughts and self-harm to develop alternative coping strategies

• Builds tolerance to distress and assists with regulating emotions

• Ability to observe your thoughts, emotions and actions, without judgement

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Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) was founded by Steven Hayes and encourages people to embrace their thoughts and feelings rather than fighting or feeling guilty for them. This technique is action-oriented and focuses on mindfulness, staying present, and behaviour change without first changing or eliminating uncomfortable thoughts and feelings.

Benefits:

• The ability to stay present and aware of the current moment along with its emotions, sensations, and thoughts

• Be more open and accepting of emotional experiences

• Recognise and adapt to situational demands by shifting your mindset and choosing behaviour's accordingly

• Use mental resources effectively

• Better regulate emotions

• Balance competing desires, needs, and areas of life

• Rebound from stressful events and difficulties planning and working towards life goals

• Higher quality of life

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