Counselling for Anxiety, PTSD, Depression, Grief and Anger.

An empirically based psychological intervention that uses acceptance and mindfulness strategies, together with commitment and behaviour change strategies, to increase psychological flexibility.

The aim of ACT is to maximise human potential for a rich, full and meaningful life; to cultivate health, vitality and well-being through mindful values-based living.

A short-term, structured therapy, whereby the client and therapist work collaboratively to identify and change unhelpful patterns of thinking and behaving.

CBT has a strong evidence-base and is the treatment of choice for a wide range of difficulties.

CBT seeks to effect improvement by changing the ways in which we think and behave, gradually replacing maladaptive thoughts and behaviours with adaptive, positive alternatives.

EMDR is an individual therapy typically delivered for a total of 6-12 sessions. It is based on the premise that symptoms of PTSD and other disorders (unless physically or chemically based) result from past disturbing experiences that continue to cause distress because the memory was not adequately processed.

EMDR restarts your natural capacity to self-heal. It does this by focusing directly on the memory and is intended to change the way that the memory is stored in the brain, thus reducing and eliminating the problematic symptoms.

EMDR has been extensively researched, and proven to help people recover from trauma and other distressing life experiences, including PTSD, anxiety, depression, and panic disorders.

A modified type of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) that was originally intended as a treatment for Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), and is considered the “gold standard” psychological treatment for this condition. However, DBT can be particularly helpful for people who have difficulty with emotional regulation or those who engage in self-destructive behaviours (such as eating disorders and substance use disorders). It is also used to treat Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Skills and strategies taught in DBT include distress tolerance and emotional regulation skills to reduce intense emotions, interpersonal effectiveness to improve relationships, and mindfulness-based strategies to reduce the emotional pain. The therapist and client work together to resolve the apparent contradiction between self-acceptance and change, to bring about positive growth for the individual in treatment.

This is a modified form of ‘Cognitive Therapy’ that incorporates mindfulness practices such as meditation and breathing exercises. Using these tools, clients are taught how to break away from negative thought patterns that can cause a downward spiral into depression or anxiety.

Clients are taught meditation and relaxation techniques as well as basic principles of cognition such as the relationship between the way you think and the way you feel.

The aim of FACT is to help clients live a rich, full and meaningful life and not specifically to remove symptoms. In brief, the FACT approach is to: 

• accept what you cannot change (acceptance part) – you cannot undo your history but you can learn to hold it gently and not be defined by it

• become psychologically flexible (ie, learn to be aware and accepting of the pain that comes into your life while continuing to pursue what you value

• identify values and commit to following them (commitment part). This may require a bold move and ability to stay with any discomfort that shows up. 

Motivational interviewing is a counseling approach designed to help people find the motivation to make a positive behavior change. This client-centered approach is particularly effective for people who have mixed feelings about changing their behavior.