Therapies We Use
Psychological therapy refers to a variety of techniques and methods used with individuals who are experiencing difficulties with their emotions or behaviour.
At Eden Psychology, we have experience in a broad range of psychological treatments and therapies. We use treatments that have been shown by scientific research to be helpful and effective. But we also understand that it is essential to tailor your counselling to your individual circumstances and preferences. We will work collaboratively with you to choose the best therapy, or combinations of therapies, for your situation.
Some of the main therapies we may agree will work best for you include:
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)
CBT is one of the most common forms of therapy used to enhance psychological and emotional wellbeing. It is a therapeutic framework based on the notion that our thoughts influence our emotions and actions.
The goal of CBT is to identify and challenge unhelpful thoughts and behaviours. By gaining insight into the relationship between these processes, you can begin learning to reframe your thoughts in a more positive and helpful way.
CBT is an effective treatment approach for a range of mental and emotional health issues, including anxiety and depression.
Narrative Therapy
In narrative therapy, the events that occur over time in our lives are viewed as stories, some of which stand out as more significant than others.
Narrative Therapy takes the view that we give meaning to our personal experiences through the stories they create and these meanings guide our behaviours and influence how we see ourselves and the world around us. Although some stories can be positive and others negative, all stories impact our lives in the past, the present, and in the future.
The aim of Narrative Therapy is to assist you in altering problematic stories, which are a likely contributor to distress, into more positive ones.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
ACT is a new form of cognitive and behavioural therapy which can assist you to better manage negative emotions and help you to live a more meaningful life.
This approach is all about helping you to recognise that some feelings, thoughts and difficulties are an inevitable and perhaps unchangeable part of life.
ACT uses a range of principles to give you the strategies to contextualise these factors, increase your psychological flexibility and clarify your personal values to bring more vitality and clarity to your life.
ACT has been used effectively to help treat stress, anxiety, social concern, depression, addiction and obsessive-compulsive behaviour.
Interpersonal Therapy (IPT)
Based on attachment and communication theories, IPT is designed to improve the quality of interpersonal relationships and social functioning to help reduce distress.
IPT provides strategies to resolve problems within four key areas:
It addresses interpersonal deficits, including social isolation or involvement in unfulfilling relationships.
It can help manage unresolved grief - if the onset of distress is linked to the death of a loved one, either recent or past.
IPT can help with difficult life transitions like retirement, divorce, or moving to another city.
IPT is recommended for dealing with interpersonal disputes that emerge from conflicting expectations between partners, family members, close friends, or coworkers.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is the idea of learning how to be fully present and engaged in the moment. It teaches you how to focus on the thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations and the environment around you at any particular moment without without interpretation or judgment.
It provides practical techniques including guided imagery, meditation, and breathing exercises that can be helpful in reducing symptoms of depression, stress and anxiety.
Schema Therapy
Schema therapy is an approach to therapy which focuses on unhelpful patterns of behaviour, thoughts and emotions (schemas) which develop in childhood and continue in to adult life.
In Schema Therapy, psychologists work together with clients to identify and explore the origins of their schemas. It includes elements of cognitive, behavioural, experiential, interpersonal and psychoanalytic therapies to provide an integrated approach to understanding and addressing your schema.
Schema therapy was designed to help with issues that have been resistant to previous treatment.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
DBT is an effective treatment for helping to manage overwhelming emotions. DBT is a skills-based approach that is focused on balancing two fundamental therapeutic goals: Acceptance and Change.
It involves four key components:
Distress tolerance skills to help you manage and cope during a crisis and to tolerate distress.
Mindfulness to help you focus your awareness in the present moment.
Emotion regulation to help you effectively manage your emotional experience.
Interpersonal effectiveness to help you navigate your personal relationships more effectively.
Family Focused Therapy (FFT)
Family therapies are distinguished from other forms of therapy by their attention to family dynamics and relationships as contributing factors that help or hurt illness.
Treating the whole family means all members of the family are included in the therapy sessions and work together towards establishing healthier familial relationships, more effective communication, and enhanced connectedness so family members can better serve as an emotional support system for one another. FFT focuses on:
Changing the way family members interact
Improving the functioning of the family as a unit
Improving the functioning of individuals in the family