About My Approach
My therapeutic work utilises a trauma-informed and strengths-based approach.
A trauma informed approach is a holistic view of each individual, taking into consideration each person’s unique way of being in the world, including personal identity, health and wellbeing, childhood experiences, family upbringing, interpersonal relationships, social networks, cultural factors, personal values and beliefs, losses and bereavements, and other experiences that have had an impact on you.
A strengths-based approach is rooted in positive psychology; this is a branch of psychology that focuses on the study and promotion of positive emotions, strengths, resilience, and overall functional well-being. Using this approach helps you to draw on your skills, values, character strengths, learning, achievements, interests and social networks in order to improve your wellbeing and resilience.
As well as looking at what is troubling you in the present, we would also explore your past, including your experiences growing up, and how this may be affecting you in the here and now. This can lead to greater self-awareness and insight. We can then look at what outcomes you would like to gain from therapy.
Below I have outlined some of the counselling approaches and therapeutic interventions I use and the ways in which they can be helpful. Do get in touch if you would like more information about any of these approaches.
- Mindfulness skills for learning to step back from distressing thoughts and feelings and be fully open to and present with each moment. Mindfulness has an extensive evidence-base for the treatment of a wide range of difficulties, including depression, anxiety, stress, pain management, concentration and the management of long term health conditions. As a trained mindfulness teacher, I can tailor mindfulness interventions to suit your particular needs and provide you with a recording so that you can practice at home.
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) has an extensive evidence base for a wide range of psychological difficulties. ACT guides us to recognise and move away from things that drain us, and instead to move towards what nourishes us. ACT invites us on a journey towards being in touch with our values and what is meaningful to us – in other words, living our best life.
- Compassionate Focused Therapy (CFT) teaches us how evolution has shaped our brain, body and nervous system to work together for our survival, and how this is sometimes not very helpful for us. Compassionate Mind training teaches us how to draw on our innate capacity for self-compassion by developing a relationship with our Compassionate Self. This can help us to let go of feelings of guilt and shame which often develop in complex trauma.
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) helps us to understand how our thoughts, feelings, emotions and behaviours are all inter-linked. It has a strong evidence base for both depression and a wide range of anxiety disorders. By making changes to our behaviour and identifying and challenging unhelpful beliefs we can break the vicious cycle of anxiety and low mood.
- Interpersonal Therapy is a NICE recommended therapy for relationship difficulties. It looks at four key areas: role disputes, role transitions, grief and interpersonal effectiveness. Please note: this is not couples therapy.
- Behavioural Activation (BA) for Depression is an evidence-based intervention that helps to kick-start motivation and pleasurable feelings that depression can rob us of. It involves goal setting, activity scheduling, developing healthy self-care for mind and body, and keeping a mood diary.
- Internal Family Systems (IFS) sees each person as possessing an internal family of 'parts'. These parts often take on a protective role at a very early stage in the person's life, particularly where an individual carries deep wounds of trauma. However, sometimes the parts create a barrier, keeping us stuck in the past. By opening up a dialogue with the parts, we can gain a better understanding of them and help them to become fully integrated with our True Self, allowing us to move forwards towards healing and recovery.
- Positive Psychology is a strengths based intervention involving activities such as: gratitude journalling, noticing positive things each day, working with our strengths and undertaking random acts of kindness towards others. All of these tasks can help to foster wellbeing.
- Grounding and stabilisation skills can help to manage feelings of panic, fear and overwhelm which are often triggered by traumatic events from the past. Interventions include: mindfulness of breath and body, soothing breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation, controlled exposure to fears, psychoeducation and soothing place imagery. All of these help to calm the nervous system
- I also draw on interventions from Polyvagal Theory to help you find your anchors of safety. I will help you to build your personal self-soothing toolkit, learn distress tolerance skills and find alternatives to unhelpful or addictive habits and behaviours.
- Imagery Rescripting can be used following stabilisation to re-define your trauma as a narrative or story in which you decide the ending. This allows you to make sense of your experiences, updating the narrative with the insight and reflection gained from the present. This is particularly useful in cases involving an injustice where there has been no resolution.
While all of these therapeutic approaches can be helpful, it is above all the therapeutic relationship which you and I build that will become central to your recovery. I will work with you to create a recovery plan that resonates with you and is uniquely tailored to your needs and preferences.
Keep your heart in wonder at the daily miracles of your life.
FREE Introductory Chat
I offer a free introductory 15-20 minute chat, either online or by phone, so that you can learn a bit more about me and my approach. You can ask questions to help you decide whether I am the right therapist for you.
If you would like to book a FREE Introductory Chat please contact me.
