Individual therapy
Therapy
Negative emotions are inbuilt into all of us as a means of survival, helping to warn us of imminent danger or threat. When these emotions are in balance, we remain mentally healthy. When our emotions begin to mis-fire, usually as a result of multiple stressors, mental health problems can emerge and we can become stuck in a vicious cycle. Psychological therapy, gives you the opportunity to learn to control your emotions in a helpful and constructive manner, within a confidential, non-jugdemental environment.
A little note on what to expect
The therapeutic process begins with an assessment where we meet one-to-one to discuss the difficulties you are experiencing. We will guide you through this process by asking questions about your history as well as your past and current lifestyle so that we can build up an accurate and full picture of your experience. This step is usually completed in 1-2 sessions depending on the complexity involved.
Then, together with you, we start to weave everything together into a coherent and meaningful framework so that we can understand the problem fully. This is called formulation, which helps us to define the problem, to understand the reasons why it is happening and what may be keeping it going. We explore your strengths and the resources and supports you have in your life that help you to deal with stress. We also consider the potentially problematic circumstances or coping habits that you may have developed which could be preventing problem resolution. Once the formulation is agreed, your therapist will use it to inform selection of the most suitable treatment. The treatment plan is then discussed and therapy can begin.
Our team
Alison’s training allows her to draw on a number of modes of treatment. She is trained in a variety of different therapies including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Interpersonal Therapy, Schema Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, DBT-informed therapy and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR), and can therefore provide an integrated approach that is tailored to your needs.
Sara’s primary training is in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and she frequently attends training and workshops in other types of therapies so that she can integrate techniques from a range of other therapeutic modalities to suit each individual.
Emma, Ashleigh, Dylan and Karyn use evidence-based cognitive and behavioural therapies to help individuals understand and change problematic thinking patterns and behaviours.
Autism Assessments
All of our therapists are trained in the use of the Autism Clinical Interview – Adults (ACIA). This is a diagnostic assessment for people over the age of 16. Assessment results can be followed by recommendations for reasonable adjustments to universities and workplaces to help improve how these settings are experienced in the context of autism. Clients also benefit from a detailed understanding of their diagnosis specific to them.
The ACIA comprises two parts
1. a pre-interview questionnaire that we ask you to complete before the assessment session
2. a semi structured interview that lasts approximately 2 hours. During this interview, we ask for a detailed developmental history, information relating to autism characteristics, and we explore any other physical, mental, or neurodevelopmental conditions that may be co-occurring
Sometimes it can be helpful to get someone close to you to contribute their knowledge about you to the process, if this is the case and it is agreeable to you, we will provide a questionnaire for them to fill out as well.
Fees for this service are based upon therapist hourly fees, applied to the interview and the time taken to write up a summary. Hours billed for this service tend not to exceed 3-4 hours, unless extra time is required – in which case this would be discussed with you.
Please contact us should you have any questions or would like to book.
Common difficulties seen include:
- Anxiety
- Stress
- Panic attacks
- Depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Grief
- Health anxiety
- Social anxiety
- Obsessive compulsive disorder