Helen offers CBT with a particular interest in two areas with the field of this therapy; Acceptance and Commitment therapy (ACT) which encompasses Mindfulness, and Compassion Focused therapy. Each patient is of course an individual and the practise of CBT starts with an assessment which is individualised for the patient, where they are at now and where they want to be moving to with treatment. The therapy, while individualised, follows protocols that have been reached with years of research (randomised controlled trials, or RCTs) providing a secure foundation for the treatment.
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.
The Treatment:
CBT helps us to understand what factors are keeping us ‘stuck’ with our problem. For instance, with depression, we commonly will have lots of negative thoughts about ourselves, and about others, about the past and the future. These thoughts can and do effect the way we feel and greatly impact what we do and don’t do. While this is understandable, it has the unwanted effect of making us feel worse and stopping us from moving on with our lives. Working together with the therapist enables us to have help and understanding of all the features of our problem and step by step we make changes.