One-to-One Therapy Sessions
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) proposes that your thoughts, feelings, physical sensations and actions are interconnected, and that negative thoughts and unhelpful behaviours can trap you in a vicious cycle of negative feelings. CBT aims to help you improve the way you feel by enabling you to change negative thinking patterns and unhelpful behaviours that are contributing to your negative feelings.
Unlike some other talking treatments, CBT for the most part deals with your current difficulties, rather than unravelling issues from your past. It looks for practical ways to improve your state of mind on a daily basis.
If CBT is recommended, you'll usually have a session with your therapist once a week or once every fortnight. A typical course of treatment usually lasts for between 8 and 20 sessions, with each session lasting 50 minutes.
Therapy begins with an in-depth assessment which is usually spread over one or two sessions in order build a shared understanding with your therapist of the development and maintenance of your problem. During the sessions, you'll work with your therapist to break down your problems into their separate parts – such as your thoughts, physical symptoms, feelings and actions/behaviours. Together with your therapist you will analyse these areas to work out if they're unrealistic or unhelpful and to determine the effect they have on each other and on you. Your therapist will then be able to help you work out how to change unhelpful thoughts and behaviours.
Therapy begins with an in-depth assessment which is usually spread over one or two sessions in order build a shared understanding with your therapist of the development and maintenance of your problem. During the sessions, you'll work with your therapist to break down your problems into their separate parts – such as your thoughts, physical symptoms, feelings and actions/behaviours. Together with your therapist you will analyse these areas to work out if they're unrealistic or unhelpful and to determine the effect they have on each other and on you. Your therapist will then be able to help you work out how to change unhelpful thoughts and behaviours.
After working out what you can change, your therapist will help you learn skills and techniques which you will practise during the session and also between sessions as a home task. You'll discuss how you got on with the task at the next session.
The aim of therapy is to teach you to become your own therapist so that you continue to apply the skills you've learnt during treatment after your course of treatment finishes.
National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) provides independent, evidence-based guidance for the NHS on the most effective ways to treat disease and ill health. NICE recommends CBT in the treatment of the following conditions:
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anxiety disorders (including generalised anxiety, panic disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder)
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depression
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obsessive compulsive disorder.
There is also good evidence that CBT is helpful in treating many other conditions, including:
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phobias
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chronic fatigue
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eating disorders
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anxiety disorders in children
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chronic pain
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physical symptoms without a medical diagnosis
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sleep difficulties
Qualifications are also held in Solution Focused Therapy, Compassion Focused Therapy and Cognitive Behavioural Analysis Systems of Psychotherapy and can be utilised as required.
Weekday sessions are priced at £75 per session for self-funding clients, payable at each session.
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) is based on CBT but adapted for people who feel emotions very intensely and for those who struggle to regulate their emotions.
The aim of DBT is to help you:
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Understand and accept your difficult feelings
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Learn skills to manage these feelings
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Become able to make positive changes in your life
'Dialectical' means trying to understand how two things that seem opposite could both be true. For example, accepting yourself and changing your behaviour might feel contradictory but DBT teaches that it's possible for you to achieve both of these goals together.
Weekday sessions are priced at £75 per session for self-funding clients, payable at each session.
Online Options
Did you know that you can now choose to have your therapy online rather than on a one-to-one basis if you need more flexibility with appointments?
All you need to do is ensure your computer or smartphone that you are calling from has a stable internet connection, a webcam and a microphone installed.
It is ideal, but not essential, to meet in person for the very first CBT session before commencing online therapy.
Weekday sessions are priced at £75 per session for self-funding clients, payable at each session.
