Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy, (or ‘therapy’ for short), is perfect if you are going through some challenging times.

If, right now, you are struggling to cope with things in your life, or you are dealing with some major difficulties, or perhaps you simply need support to process challenging emotions, such as grief, depression, anxiety or anger, then psychotherapy is the place to begin.

In my therapy sessions, I focus on creating a safe space for you, so that together we can get to the heart of the issues that you are facing.

Psychotherapy is sometimes called the talking cure, and I think deep down, if we are honest, we know when we need to talk something through with a non-judgmental and accepting person.

Sometimes talking it through is all that is required. I have seen this happen several times, where the person just needed to share their story and this alone created a cathartic release, and the person could return to normal functioning.

Other times, talking it through will lead to sudden insights, or greater awareness, and that in itself is enough to bring about positive change.

But in most cases, therapy is more than just talking through the problem; a good therapist will also help you to approach your challenges in new and empowering ways.

They will help you understand the root cause of the problem, and teach you skills that will enable you to cope better in the future.

And finally, psychotherapy can help you to take new positive action towards goals that are meaningful to you.

The Process

Over the last 25 years, I have studied many approaches to psychotherapy, including Gestalt, Solution-Focused, Process-Oriented, Narrative and Psychodynamic approaches.

More recently, I have focused my training on an approach called ACT - which stands for Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.

ACT is the main framework I use in my therapy sessions, so here is a quick overview of the main elements:

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

The aim of ACT is to help you create a rich, full and meaningful life, while at the same time, helping you learn to accept and deal effectively with some of the inevitable pain that comes your way.

There are 6 core therapeutic processes that make up ACT sessions:

1. Be Present

2. Defuse Unhelpful Thoughts

3. Accept What Is

4. Locate Your True Self

5. Clarify Your Values

6. Take Committed Action

Together these 6 core processes contribute to something we call Psychological Flexibility.

The more psychological flexibility you have, the better you are able to cope with challenges and enjoy your life.

All psychotherapy sessions are one (1) hour in length, but if you feel like you need a longer session, then we can arrange that for you.