Cognitive Behavioural therapy

All of us experience unpleasant thoughts and feelings and this is a normal part of life. Through my work I have found that often it is the way in which we try to cope with these unpleasant thoughts and feelings which typically becomes the problem. This is why my approach will teach you the skills to be able to cope when these thoughts and feelings pop up. 

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CBT is an evidence-based therapy for anxiety and mood disorders. This approach helps you to identify patterns of thoughts and behaviour which may be keeping you stuck and contributing to your difficulties. 

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CBT is generally a time-limited therapy (on average 12-20 sessions) which aims to teach you strategies to manage difficult thoughts and feelings. This is an active therapy and you will be asked to complete between session tasks to aid you in your progress. Much like physiotherapy, if you only attend the weekly session and do not practice between times you will get less benefit from the therapy. 

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For OCD, I also use Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) which is an evidence based therapy for the treatment of OCD. ERP is a process where you are asked to face your fears,  allow intrusive thoughts to enter your mind, and let go of the usual behaviours and compulsions you would normally use to cope. This would be discussed with you and taken at a pace which suits you. 

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Throughout my work I use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which is a type of CBT. This is predominantly a behavioural therapy which helps you to change your relationship with your thoughts and feelings. In my work, I will help you to identify the most important values in your life and support you in developing the skills to navigate difficulty to work towards the life you want for yourself. There is no one size fits all for therapy, so I will help you to discover what works best for you. I also make use of mindfulness in my CBT to support you in developing all the skills you need to become your own therapist.