Psychological Therapy

Psychological therapy is an effective way of treating emotional and behavioural difficulties. We have expertise in providing therapy for:

  • Stress & Anxiety (including obsessive-compulsive disorder, social anxiety, panic attacks, generalised anxiety)
  • Low Self-Esteem
  • Depression
  • Emotional and behavioural difficulties associated with Neurodevelopmental Disorders such as ASC, ADHD
  • Psychological impact of physical health issues and disability (support for adapting to difficult medical diagnosis and anxiety around medical procedures)
  • Grief and Loss
  • Parental stress

This list is guide to the areas we offer support with,  but we have experience in many issues outside of these. If you need support or advice on something not listed then do please call us for a free telephone consultation.

How we work

We are highly trained in:

  • Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)
  • Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
  • Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
  • Mindfulness Based Therapy​
  • Systemic Therapy
  • Parenting support

All therapies we offer are evidence-based and in line with guidelines set by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines (NICE). 

What to expect

What is therapy?
The aim of therapy is to provide a safe and confidential space to discuss your thoughts, emotions and behaviours, and work with you to achieve your therapeutic goals.  Your therapist will spend time getting to know you, share their understanding of your strengths and difficulties (called a formulation) and plan with you what therapy approach would be helpful. Our goal is to meet you where you are and help you to feel better, and move forward in your life.

What happens in therapy?
In the first session, you will meet with one psychologist for the assessment and they will spend some time with you to discuss the below. Where support is for a child, we may meet with the child and parent individually or both the child and parent together to discuss the below:

  • Your key concerns
  • What has worked and hasn’t worked well so far
  • Your hopes and expectations
  • Strengths and resources
  • Your child’s physical, social, emotional and cognitive development (child clients only)
  • Our recommendations for therapy, resources and practical strategies (where appropriate)

We can also provide a written summary of our assessment including resources, strategies and recommendations.

  • Therapy sessions are often weekly, one-to-one, and last 50 minutes. 
    • Initial sessions –  getting to know you, your strengths and difficulties, and goals and expectations for therapy 
    • Later sessions –  working through difficulties together in line with the therapy approach  
    • Final sessions – planning for the future after therapy as ended
    • Follow-up – where requested we will offer follow up appointments to see how things are going (the number will be set by your therapist)
  • You will not be forced to talk about anything you are uncomfortable with and can tell us if you have a preference about who joins the sessions.
  • Another psychologist may also join a session as it often helps clients to have a second perspective. We will discuss this with you first.
  • Sessions will usually be held at your psychologist’s clinic but sometimes be at your home or another location if this is where the problem usually appears.

How many sessions will I need?
Our aim is to provide treatment that will support you in your life and we will be open with you about what we think the best approach will be and how many sessions we think would be helpful depending on your needs and the support you would like.  We will regularly review therapy at 6-8 sessions, including your experiences, reviewing the therapy to date, and planning future sessions.  

As a guide, NICE guidelines suggest approximately 14-20 sessions for CBT therapy for mild to moderate difficulties where there is a single mental health need or no additional complexity. Other therapy approaches may be more longer term and some people prefer a longer course of treatment to build rapport and have additional support whilst they navigate their challenges. We tailor treatment to your specific needs and would be happy to discuss this with you at the beginning of therapy.