Hello  and thank you for your interest in this website offering CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) in Hertfordshire and North London with our accredited BABCP (British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies) therapist Helen Dee Lomas.

I am now working on FaceTime, Zoom or Skype which means I can see you for sessions wherever you live.

Perhaps you are considering getting help in overcoming difficulties – whether these be quite new problems or may have been bothering you for many years. Or you may have decided to try CBT to help you to improve your quality of life, or achieve new goals, or to live your life more in line with your values.

CBT may have been recommended by your G.P. or medical specialist, your counsellor, employer or maybe a friend or colleague who has some personal experience. The National Institute of Health & Care Excellence, (the body who recommend treatments for the NHS based on their efficacy) recommend CBT for depression and anxiety as a first line treatment. It really does help make a difference.

Hopefully the website will give you some information about CBT and the problems it can help, about the therapist, Helen Dee Lomas, and the service she offers. If you want to have a chat about what she can help you with or any doubts or concerns you have, please, don’t hesitate to contact her via this website or directly on her mobile. We know that contacting a therapist can be daunting but we are confident that you won’t regret it.

Many people suffer with what we call everyday mental health problems. Often, we believe that we can not do anything about them; we might say to ourselves, It’s just how I am or I’ve always been like this or feelings of hopelessness (that accompany depression, for instance) may lead us to think Nothing will change, I’ll always be like this. 

Depression ranges from the mild – feeling flat, sad, and unmotivated on a regular basis,  to severe and very severe – we may feel unable to get out of bed and we avoid contact with others. The physical symptoms of depression are present wherever we are on this range of the illness.

Anxiety is a term that covers many different types. As with mild low mood, we all feel anxiety in our everyday lives; it is quite normal!  But when it impacts our ability to move on and live our life, it is time to get some help to overcome it.

Things can – and do – improve with CBT. It takes a good therapeutic alliance with an accredited therapist and motivation to change…and it can happen!

First step when starting out is to find an accredited CBT therapist and contact them for an initial chat. If you want to move on, the next step is to arrange to meet for an assessment appointment. This will enable you to meet the therapist and get an idea if they are an individual you would feel comfortable working with, and it will also give you some feedback on whether the therapist believes CBT is right for you and maybe a working diagnosis and idea of treatment if that is appropriate.

Assessment

We offer a thorough assessment using cognitive behavioural psychotherapy. This is shared with you; CBT is an open and collaborative therapy.  The assessment will help you to decide whether CBT is for you and whether, importantly, you feel comfortable with and have trust in, your therapist. Sometimes, the assessment session is enough to help you and the therapist may furnish you with self help material to take home.