My Approach
As a counselling psychologist, I work integratively, drawing upon the use of different modalities to suit your individual needs. Working together, I believe that for therapy to be successful, you need to take an active role in engaging and participating in the process. For me, it is not about providing a “quick fix”, but about working together to further our understanding of what is going on for you, gaining insight into how you might perceive the problem and what might be maintaining the issue.
My work is tailored to suit your needs and together we would try strategies that may be most effective and helpful for you. I believe that the development and building of a non-judgemental therapeutic relationship in which you feel safe, lies at the heart of the therapy. It is this relationship that enables you to openly talk about what’s going through your mind, how you’re feeling and how you would ideally like to be living your life.
​
Examples of different approaches include but are not limited to....
Cognitive Behavioural therapy (CBT)
CBT helps you to gain insight into your thought patterns and how these may impact upon your feelings and your behaviour.
Through increasing our understanding of this cycle, we can work together to introduce change that will help to improve your wellbeing.
CBT can be particularly effective in helping you to manage low mood, anxiety, OCD and panic attacks.
Person-centred Therapy
At the heart of the person centred approach lies the belief that it is through the development of a strong therapeutic relationship that enables much of the change process to occur.
Through listening, the sharing of ideas, and reflecting on your thoughts and feelings, the approach enables you to feel listened to and understood. Using this approach, we will focus on understanding your concerns, helping you to develop ways in which to manage your difficulties and implement change.
Acceptance Commitment Therapy
Acceptance Commitment Therapy aims to help you work towards living a life based on your values. Using techniques such as mindfulness, it helps you to accept what you can't change and guides you to take action where you can.
In learning to "step back" from your painful thoughts and feelings, this approach enables you to make positive change towards achieving your goals.
Solution-focused Therapy
Solution-focused therapy helps you to focus on what is currently going well and how to create opportunities to build upon and develop this further.
It focuses on how you would ideally like to be living your life and enables you to discuss ways in which you can implement gradual change to make your life more fulfilling. It is an approach which focuses on the present and the future, helping you to strive towards the life you would like to be leading if your problems were solved.
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) is an effective therapy used to treat mental health difficulties such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety and depression, especially where a difficult life event has occurred. It can also be useful for people who have experienced traumatic events such as a car accident, bullying, low self-esteem, performance anxiety and emotional abuse.
EMDR is based on how our brains naturally process memories and feelings during rapid eye movement sleep (REM) when our eyes move rapidly from side to side. During a session, EMDR recreates similar movements through eye movement, tapping and sounds. EMDR can be used with children, teenagers and adults.
Psychological Coaching
Coaching can be a powerful tool in which to help you to set goals and develop ways in which to achieve these goals within a given timeframe.
Working together, coaching helps you to bridge the gap between where you are now and where you would like to be. It can be particularly effective for those who feel “stuck” or who would like support in managing areas of their life such as improving work/life balance, managing stress at work or exam stress.