CBT is based on the concept that your thoughts, feelings, physical sensations and actions are interconnected, and that negative thoughts and feelings can trap you in a vicious cycle.

It aims to help you deal with overwhelming problems in a more positive way by breaking them down into smaller parts. A range of techniques are used to change these negative patterns to improve the way you feel.

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The approach is focused on the here and now, rather than issues from your past. It is highly structured and pragmatic, involving practical ways to improve your state of mind on a daily basis.

 

CBT is recommended by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) as the intervention of choice for many mental health difficulties, including anxiety disorders and depression.

Schema Therapy was developed for complex, long-standing psychological difficulties. It focuses on interpersonal problems and breaking unhelpful 'life patterns'. It can be particularly useful when other treatment approaches may not have worked. 'Schemas' are a set of negative self-beliefs that develop in childhood as a response to unmet core needs. When schemas are activated they dominate how a person thinks and behaves and lead to emotional difficulties. To cope with the activation of painful schemas, individuals often develop unhelpful coping strategies.

 

The aim of Schema Therapy is to change the negative self-beliefs and associated unhelpful coping strategies through a range of cognitive, behavioural and emotion-focused techniques, as well as through the client-therapist relationship. 

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Research indicates that schema therapy is an effective treatment for many difficulties including personality disorders, relationship problems, eating disorders, anxiety, depression and childhood trauma.

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Mindfulness has been defined as ‘being in the present moment with intention’. Mindfulness has become increasingly part of western therapies as a desirable skill to cultivate in order to facilitate mental well-being.

 

With practise, you can become more aware of the present moment and begin to experience afresh things that you have been taking for granted. Mindfulness allows you to become more aware of the stream of thoughts and feelings that you experience and to see how you can become entangled in that stream in unhelpful ways. It allows you to stand back from thoughts and start to see their patterns. Gradually, you can train yourself to notice when your thoughts are taking over and realise that thoughts are simply 'mental events' that do not have to control you.

 

Taking a step back allows you to ask yourself ‘is trying to solve this by overthinking helpful, or am I just getting caught up in my thoughts?' Such awareness can help you notice signs of stress and anxiety earlier and helps you deal with them better.

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Compassion-focused therapy (CFT) aims to help promote mental and emotional healing by encouraging people in treatment to be compassionate toward themselves and other people. 

People who lack compassion for themselves frequently also struggle to feel compassion for others, which can affect their ability to form and maintain healthy relationships. Compassion, both toward the self and others, is an emotional response believed by many to be an essential aspect of well-being. CFT is especially useful for people who tend to be very self-critical and to experience feelings of shame.

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ACT is a form of cognitive behavioural therapy that uses acceptance and mindfulness strategies together with commitment and behaviour strategies to increase psychological flexibility. ACT teaches psychological skills to deal with painful thoughts and feelings effectively and helps you understand what is truly important and meaningful to you.

 

At its core, ACT’s message is ‘Acceptance of what is out of your personal control and Commitment to taking action that enriches your life’.

 

The aim of ACT is to create a rich full and meaningful life, while accepting the pain that inevitably goes with it. Mindfulness skills are central to ACT and are taught in order to facilitate the development of an ‘observing self’ that can help you notice both your physical experiences and your thinking processes.

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing. It is a powerful therapy to help overcome the effects of trauma. It helps people recover from problems triggered by traumatic events in their lives. It stops difficult memories cause distress by helping the brain to reprocess them properly. We work with traumatic memories to heal the legacy of past pain.

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EMDR therapy is best known for treating PTSD but can help with a range of mental health conditions including depression and anxiety.

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Internationally recognised, EMDR therapy is endorsed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the World Health Organisation, The International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, and many other bodies.