Talking Therapies

In a psychotherapy group, stimulating interactions between group members become the focus of the therapeutic work. 

Reflecting on group interactions becomes a powerful way of learning about oneself and others. It is not uncommon for people to initially feel some reluctance to join a group.

There are very many forms of talking therapies, each with their nuances and uses. Below you will find out some of the methods we employ - click to learn more about each of these.

CBT

CBT, or Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, is a form of talking therapy which has been shown to help treat a wide range of emotional and physical health conditions in adults, young people and children. CBT looks at how we think about a situation and how this affects the way we act. In turn our actions can affect how we think and feel. The therapist and client work together to change the client’s behaviour, their thinking pattern, or both.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness in the form of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is a skills-training that helps deal with physical and emotional problems by combining modern cognitive therapy techniques with ancient meditation practices.

EMDR

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a psychotherapy that enables people to heal emotional distress resulting from disturbing life experiences. Repeated studies show that the mind can heal from psychological trauma much as the body recovers from physical trauma. When you cut your hand, your body works to close the wound. If a foreign object or repeated injury irritates the wound, it festers and causes pain. Once the block is removed, healing resumes. EMDR therapy demonstrates that a similar sequence of events occurs with mental processes. The brain’s information processing system naturally moves toward mental health. If the system is blocked or imbalanced by the impact of a disturbing event, the emotional wound festers and can causes intense suffering. Once the block is removed, healing resumes. Using the detailed protocols and procedures learned in EMDR training sessions, clinicians help clients activate their natural healing processes.

Psychotherapy

The aim of psychotherapy is to help people gain insight into their difficulties or distress, establish a greater understanding of their motivation, and enable them to find more appropriate ways of coping or bring about changes in their thinking and behavior. It involves exploring feelings, beliefs, thoughts and relevant events, sometimes from childhood and personal history, in a structured way with someone trained to help you do it safely.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

ACT (pronounced as the word ‘act’) is a type of psychological therapy. It uses a series of techniques in order to assist someone in fundamentally changing their relationship with their situation, illness or symptoms. It encourages psychological flexibility and facilitates clarity by focussing on acting for what matters and acting according to one’s values. ACT is sometimes referred to as one of the ‘third wave’ of behavioural therapies which all place an emphasis on the development of mindfulness skills.

Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT)

CAT is a very active therapy, inviting the individual to be the observer of their own life and to take part in what needs to change. The changes needed may be small, such as stopping being caught in a trap of avoiding things, or they may be larger, such as finding new ways of relating to people. The first thing that happens with any human encounter is one’s reaction to the other person. Many of our automatic responses to other people stem from patterns of relating in early life. When one realises one has got used to being in this trap one can start to notice and begin to change what one does and learn to find other more useful ways if relating to others. CAT helps change learned attitudes and beliefs and focus on ways to make better choices.

Energy Psychology

We can offer psychotherapy which also uses Energy Psychology Procedures within a Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Framework.

The basis of this therapy is the patient’s current problems are seen as being maintained at the level of physical and mental energy systems by past traumatic experiences. Sometimes, just ‘talking about it’ cannot completely resolve the engrained energetic connection between past traumas and current problematic emotions and behaviours.

Mentalisation Therapy

The Mentalisation based Therapy model promotes the capacity to reflect on one’s own emotional and mental experiences and to understand more readily the emotional and mental experiences of others.

Solution Focused Therapy

Solution Focused Therapy (SFT), as its name suggests, focuses on solutions and is goal-oriented, rather than problem focused as many other therapies are. It is also known as Brief Solution Focused Therapy or Solution Focused Brief Therapy, and was developed by Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg, who were influenced by the work of Milton Erickson.