There are many theoretical orientations in the field of psychology. Like one size of clothing, one orientation does not fit all clients. As a scientist I am interested in evidence based theories that work, as a human being I choose the theories that appeal to me. It is professionally and ethically important to me to keep up with new developments in psychology, so I can do my best to help you. We weave all of these components together with your story, at a pace that suits you.

 

Theories I favour

​

CBT (cognitive behaviour therapy) - provides the client with empowerment over their anxiety, depression, etc. to create a different story about their life by identifying cognitive distortions and responding to them in a more flexible way. Discussion of problems using socratic dialogue helps clients to explore their problems and become curious instead of staying stuck in them. 

 

DBT (dialectical behaviour therapy) - is a subsection of CBT and embraces the fact that opposites are often true in any given situation and focuses on four areas: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation and interpersonal effectiveness.

​

Mindfulness and relaxation exercises - physiological symptoms for anxiety are addressed by 'bottom up' body based exercises and interventions. 

​

Gestalt therapy -  is based upon the 'here and now' and attends particularly to non-verbal communication. It dovetails nicely with the relaxation methods and mindfulness that I use. 

​

Humanistic Psychotherapy - is essential to creating rapport and helps you to gain trust in the therapeutic relationship to weather the risk of change. Hence I track your progress, at your desired pace and focus on what is important to you in line with the goals noted during the assessment phase of therapy.

​

Existentialism - is based in the present moment, understanding the meaning we give to what we experience. It discusses the conflicts of existence: awareness of ultimate concerns (death, freedom, isolation, meaninglessness). where anxiety is a defence mechanism to cope with those conflicts. It also focuses on our sense of 'will', the desire and responsibility we have to ourselves to change.

​

Psychodynamic Psychotherapy - suggests that much of mental life is not conscious, hence people can behave in ways or develop symptoms that are inexplicable to themselves. Individuals can have conflicting feelings that motivate them in opposing ways and often lead to compromise solutions. Childhood experiences play an important role in personality development, shaping the ways people form later social relationships. Mental representations of the self, others, and relationships guide people's interactions and influence the ways they become psychologically symptomatic. Personality development involves not only learning to regulate emotions but to move from a socially dependent state to an interdependent one.

​

Attachment Informed Psychotherapy - pioneered by Bowlby and Ainsworth, views human beings as born with an innate psychobiological system (the attachment behavioural system) that motivates them to seek proximity to significant others in times of need. Attachment is defined as 'secure' or 'insecure'. Insecure attachment is then divided into the following three categories: resistant - ambivalent (preoccupied); avoidant (dismissing); disorganised (unresolved/disorganised). Our attachment style defines how we interact with others.

​

Family Systems Therapy - defines the family as the primary unit of treatment instead of the individual in the family who is acting out. The person acting out is viewed as the symptom bearer, expressing the family's disequilibrium or current dysfunction.

​

Couples Therapy: PACT (psychobiological approach to couples therapy) - created by Stan Tatkin, emphasises the importance of keeping each other 'safe' (low arousal levels) in a relationship in view of attachment type (as above); 

 

Gottman Institute - has been home to John Gottman’s research for nearly four decades on all facets of relationships, including parenting issues. At the Institute, in collaboration with Dr. Julie Schwartz Gottman, he developed an approach that not only supports and repairs troubled marriages and committed relationships, but strengthens happy ones. He was one of the first researchers to focus on happy couples and what constitutes a good relationship.

​

Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)  - created by Sue Johnson, is a well-known humanistic approach to psychotherapy formulated in the 1980’s and developed in tandem with the science of adult attachment, a profound developmental theory of personality and intimate relationships.  The EFT model prioritises emotion and emotional regulation as the key organising agents in individual experience and key relationship interactions.

​

Imago Relationship Therapy - formulated by Harvill Hendrix, identifies a connection between frustrations in adult relationships and early childhood experiences. Childhood feelings of abandonment, suppression or neglect will often arise in a marriage or committed relationship. When such “core issues” repeatedly come up with a partner, they can overshadow all that is good in a relationship and leave one to wonder whether he or she has chosen the right mate. Through Imago Relationship Therapy, couples can understand each other’s feelings and “childhood wounds” more empathically, allowing them to heal themselves and their relationships and move toward a more “Conscious Relationship.”