Psychological therapy
Creating a safe space for change
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
CBT is an evidence-based therapy approach. It is based on the framework that the way we think affects how we feel and what we do. CBT proposes that understanding how an individual appraises a particular event or experience is important in understanding their emotional reaction. CBT helps to identify unhelpful or stuck modes of coping. It is a structured therapy intervention identifying specific goals towards change. The therapy process involves practicing and learning new ways of coping which can be taken forward at the end of regular therapy sessions.
Compassion Focused Therapy CFT
Compassion focused therapy (CFT) draws on a number of therapeutic modalities, including, cognitive therapy, evolutionary psychology and neuroscience and was developed for people who experience self-criticism, perfectionism, heightened feelings of guilt or shame. CFT can help those people who struggle with integrating what they know logically with how they feel emotionally, ‘I know a logical way to consider this, but I don’t feel any different’. CFT provides information about how our brain regulates emotions and why strong emotions can be difficult to tolerate. A main component is to develop a self-compassionate way of relating via a series of practices and exercises focused on developing compassionate attention, compassionate thinking, compassionate behaviour and compassionate feeling.
Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR)
EMDR was developed to help people recover from trauma and PTSD, it is also used to support recovery from other distressing life experiences, alongside other mental health problems such as anxiety. It develops from the idea that during a traumatic incident your brain did not know how to file the memory so the memory is stored as if it just happened to you, therefore something similar to the trauma can trigger strong feelings, emotions, memories. EMDR helps the individual process traumatic life events including memories, thoughts, images and physiological experiences associated with the event.
EMDR involves a structured process, which includes detailed assessment to understand how past experiences may have shaped current difficulties. Assessment also includes considering readiness and suitability for EMDR. Therapy involves creating a level of safety and stability prior to accessing and addressing any past difficult life events.