There are a wide variety of therapeutic approaches and treatment models and at times this choice might feel confusing. I am including a brief explanation but we can discuss this further to identify what might be most helpful for you.
Integrative Counselling Psychology
Integrative counselling psychology draws on humanistic, psychodynamic and cognitive models to focus on a person’s meaning making of their subjective experience. My integrative approach acknowledges the inherent difficulties but also the ever-present potential for growth and development in the human experience. It also allows therapy to be more flexible and inclusive according to an individual’s particular difficulties and therapeutic goals. This approach caters to both those who are interested in exploring the impact of past experiences on present ways of thinking and feeling whilst others may be after a more pragmatic set of skills to better manage those difficulties.
Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy (DIT)
Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy (DIT) is a time-limited, structured psychotherapy, with a growing evidence base in its effectiveness of treating depression. Typically it is delivered over 16 weekly sessions. It aims to help clarify the connection between presenting symptoms and what is happening in relationships by identifying a core repetitive pattern of relating that can be traced back to childhood. Once this pattern is identified, it will be used to make sense of difficulties in relationships in the here-and-now that could be contributing to psychological stress.
3rd Wave Cognitive Behavioral Therapies
3rd wave CBT extends the traditional cognitive behavioural theories that thinking, feeling and behaviour are all active contributors to low mood and anxiety, which can be resolved by changing what we do, think or feel. 3r d wave CBT draws on neurological research, decades on evolving psychological practice as well as ancient concepts such as compassion and mindfulness to develop a new way of working. This approach focuses less on the content of thoughts and pays more attention to the context, process and function of these internal experiences. 3rd wave CBT can offer more pragmatic skills and strategies to support different ways of responding to psychological pain and distress. This type of therapy may be useful for people suffering from low mood, anxiety, high expectations of themselves, or a tendency to ‘over think’.
Relationship Counselling and Couples Therapy
Relationships are vital for us as humans and when they go wrong this can cause a great deal of distress. Attending sessions together to focus on the couple can be an opportunity to consider what might be happening between the two partners. The sessions are an opportunity to safely explore areas of concern and allow partners to communicate with one another to identify and begin to understand underlying conflicts. Due to the complex nature of relationships people may find themselves responding to difficulties they may have had in their past as well as current challenges and this is useful to think about as a couple. As in individual therapy, couples may enter into therapyas a result of a crisis as well as at times of feeling stuck or simply a desire to improve the quality of the relationship.