About Therapies -
Finding the right one for you.
There are many different types of ‘talking therapies’ out there! It can be very confusing for someone looking for the right therapist and therapy for them. Generally speaking, there are three main schools of thought; 1.cognitive-behavioural, 2. humanistic and 3. psychodynamic.
CBT
Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is likely to be one that most people will have heard of as according to The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) it is the treatment of choice in the NHS for most common psychological difficulties.
CBT proposes that events in our early lives create ‘core beliefs’ (schema) about ourselves, others and the world, some of these beliefs can become ‘out of date’ and unhelpful in our adult life, leading to difficulties with our thoughts, feelings, behaviour and physiology; all these interact contributing to the difficulties. Simply put, CBT assumes that the emotions we experience and how we behave are determined by the way we think about and interpret situations; it is not events per se that cause us pain, but our interpretation of the events. By challenging our unhelpful thought process and beliefs and finding helpful alternatives it is possible to reduce emotional pain.
My stance on CBT is in the fostering of thinking realistically and with self compassion and awareness (rather than self-criticism).
CBT is collaborative which means that all aspects of the therapy are clear and open, and that the therapist and client have shared understanding of aims and the direction of the therapy. Work is time-limited according to the nature of the difficulty. More enduring issues usually require a longer time frame. CBT encourages client independance in that gradually clients can become more of their own therapists.
Humanistic Therapy (e.g. person-centred)
The person centred approach is one branch of the humanistic paradigm. This therapy is client led with the client aiming to resolve difficulties for themselves within an authentic (real) and empathic relationship with their therapist. Its aim is to help the client move towards a resilient and healthier sense of self (self-actualization). People are viewed as being in a constant process of becoming which the therapy seeks to enable. It encourages people to explore their feelings and own their thoughts and actions.
Psychodynamic Therapy
Old behavioural and relational patterns can replay in our lives over again (e.g. finding ourselves in the same destructive relationships time and again), unconscious issues (thoughts, feelings, beliefs that are out of our everyday awareness) can affect our lives detrimentally. The aim of psychodynamic therapy is to facilitate the understanding of ourselves and how our issues connect to feelings and assumptions contained in current and past relationships and experiences. This understanding acts as an antecedent to changing old patterns.
It is worth baring in mind that no psychological therapy can provide a 'magic cure' for any of us, it involves commitment and joint effort. A bit like exercise, we get out of it what we put in.
My Approach
As a Chartered Counselling Psychologist I have been trained to effectively integrate as appropriate these three paradigms according to the clients needs. My training and clinical experience enables me to consider clients' difficulties from a number of theoretical perspectives. This allows me to take an holistic and individual approach for each person.
Most importantly, regardless of the therapeutic approach, I view the therapeutic relationship between therapist and client as fundamental to the process. This requires the therapist to offer a safe environment and to be real and empathic in order for trust to develop. Principally, I view myself as a person first, a therapist second.
