I am a BABCP accredited Cognitive Behavioural Therapist (CBT) and EMDR therapist providing online therapy across England.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
CBT is based upon the cognitive model of mental illness. Cognitive therapy suggests that it’s not what happens to us, but what we make of it, and what we make of it is influenced by our previous experiences. In other words, it is not the situation itself that determines how you feel, but how you interpret it based on what you have been through.
These early experiences might teach us that we are not good enough or unlovable, or that others are unkind. We might see the world as dangerous, or that the future is bleak or hopeless. If we see ourselves as not good enough, every little mistake we make confirms it to us. Every delayed response to a text proves to us that the person must hate us and that we are not worth their time. If we have been hurt, and our trust in others no longer exists, we might keep them at a distance to protect ourselves from ever feeling that way again. If we see the world as a dangerous place then we might perceive ourselves to be vulnerable and worry about everything. We might find ourselves unable to tolerate the inherent uncertainty in life and need control wherever we can find it. CBT therapy can help us to interrogate that first assumption or learn to trust in others again. It can help us to be more comfortable with “not knowing” or assuming that we won’t cope without a plan, or even re-examine our beliefs about ourselves, others, and the world.
If we are able to understand how we see things and how that causes us to feel and behave, we can learn new ways to cope and move forward in our lives. CBT is an evidence based, National Institute for Health and Excellence (NICE) recommended and highly collaborative therapy that utilises in between session tasks to enhance our learning and support the changes we wish to make, and is used in the treatment of a range of common mental health problems
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
EMDR therapy enables us to heal from the emotional distress caused by painful life experiences. Often seen as a “cognitive shortcut”, EMDR works on the premise that much like our bodies, our minds will try to naturally heal following traumatic experiences but are sometimes unable to do so because something is blocking this process. EMDR allows us to remove the block and encourage the natural healing process. In order to facilitate this, EMDR employs eye movements to mimic the biological mechanisms in Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep. As we follow these movements, we are encouraged to hold different aspects of painful experiences in our mind and are simply instructed to “go with it”.
Successful EMDR therapy allows us to process the things that have happened to us and transform their meaning at an emotional level. Whilst originally developed for the treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), EMDR can be used in the treatment of a variety of disorders where painful experiences have played a part in their development. EMDR has the potential for such rapid and long lasting change that you will often hear it referred to as “straight up voodoo”, and I can’t say that I disagree. It really is a wonderful and powerful thing.
Professional Supervision
In my 13+ years working in psychological therapies, there has been no greater resource than supervision. Supervision has not only given me the space to discuss my caseload and enhance my learning, but has also given me emotional support and guidance which is essential to managing my own wellbeing in a very demanding profession.
I have provided one to one supervision for both my peers within the NHS and CBT therapists in training, as well as group supervision and delivering clinical skills sessions. As an Associate University Lecturer, I have experience of teaching a wide range of mental health topics, and also regularly deliver training to a range of different physical and mental health clinicians in my Long Term Conditions role.