Frequently Asked Questions
What is CBT?
CBT stands for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and is a talking therapy. CBT looks at how changes in the way we think can impact the way we feel and behave. CBT has been thoroughly researched and proven to be successful in the treatment of many emotional and psychological difficulties. In CBT both the client and the therapist would work together in order to help the client change his or her thinking patterns and/or behaviours. CBT has two over-arching aims, the first is to gain an understanding of the individual’s problem – how the problem has developed and maintained. The second part of CBT is to put measures in place to reduce and eliminate such difficulties and disrupt the vicious cycles that the individual may find themselves in. Therapy, in general, is often short term and can last between six weeks to six months.
For more information on what is CBT, the effectiveness of CBT and whether CBT is the right therapy for you please click on the following link: www.babcp.com/Public/What-is-CBT.aspx
What issues do we work on?
We work with a variety of life issues, mental health and psychological difficulties, and see children over the age of 7 years old, teenagers and adults.
People may contact us for a variety of reasons including:
- Anxiety of all kinds (e.g. phobias, constant worrying, social anxiety, health anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and trauma, obsessive compulsive disorder, panic attacks and others)
- Depression, low-mood, post partum depression, seasonal affective disorders
- Emotional difficulties, such as anger problems, resentment, feelings of stress
- Childhood and sexual abuse
- Vocational issues
- Low self-esteem and self-criticism
- Relationships difficulties
- Sleep difficulties and insomnia
We also provide treatment for dealing with bereavement and loss; psychological difficulties following serious medical diagnosis i.e. cancer. If you feel that your particular difficulties do not appear on this list or are slightly different, please get in touch, we can discuss this and if necessary we can direct you to another professional that works in the field.
We also offer consultation and training to schools and parents around childhood anxiety disorders and childhood sexual abuse.
What is EMDR?
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) was developed by Dr Francine Shapiro. It is an innovative clinical treatment, which has successfully helped millions of people of all ages who have experienced psychological difficulties which originate from some kind of traumatic experience, such as sexual abuse, childhood neglect, road traffic accidents and violence. EMDR is effective for almost all issues clients present with in psychotherapy.
EMDR has been found to be an efficacious treatment for PTSD as well as for processing other emotional memories. More recently its clinical applications have grown to include anxiety, depression, performance issues, relationship difficulties, complex trauma, health related problems, body dysmorphic disorder, substance misuse, bipolar disorder, chronic pain, psychosis, suicidality and self-harm.
EMDR is supported by wealth of constantly evolving research and is recognised by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS).
EMDR is characterised by standardised procedures and protocols that include a bilateral sensorial stimulation such as repeated eye movements, aimed at processing and working through memories of trauma and other adverse life experiences.
It is guided by the adaptive information processing (AIP) model in which present symptoms are seen as unprocessed memories stored in the brain that lead to maladaptive information processing and present as symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder.
EMDR Therapy asserts that following treatment of a distressing life event, information processing is enhanced and new associations are forged, resulting in new learning, elimination of emotional distress, and development of cognitive insights.
To learn more about EMDR, please watch the following introductory video or visit the EMDR UK Association website and the EMDR International website.
Introduction to EMDR Therapy (youtube.com)
What if I can't keep myself safe?
If you are actively suicidal, our service will not be appropriate. If you don't feel you can keep yourself safe right now, seek immediate help.
- Go to any hospital A&E Department (sometimes known as the emergency department)
- Call 999 and ask for an ambulance if you can't get to A&E
- Ask someone else to contact 999 for you or take you to A&E immediately
- If you need some support right now, but don't want to go to A&E, here are some other options for you to try:
- Contact your GP for an emergency appointment or the out of hours team
- Call NHS 111 (England) or Contact your local crisis team
How do you contact us?
You can contact us by telephone or by email. We use a business mobile phone for our work. If we are working with a client, we will be unable to answer but you can leave a private message and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
Client Handouts
If you need copies of any of my handouts, you are welcome to download them from here.
Relaxation Tips STOPP APPLE
Stress Self Help Anxiety Self Help Depression Self Help Nourishing and Depleting Activities Mindfulness - The Visitor
