Psychological Therapy

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy or ACT (pronounced as the word ‘act’) is an evidence-based psychological therapy, created by Professor Stephen C. Hayes. It can be a powerful tool in helping individuals with a range of difficulties relating to anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, addictions, relationship problems and many others. 

Underlying ACT is the assumption that life can be wonderful and full of joy but also dark, distressing, and with many hardships. As a result, individuals can find themselves caught up in unwanted thoughts, feelings, and behaviour patterns that may feel overwhelming at times. Although unpleasant, from an ACT perspective these difficult experiences are a normal part of being human and it is often our relationship with these experiences that maintains/drives distress. 

Using ACT, your therapist will help you to reduce the impact painful memories, thoughts and feelings have on you, helping you regain a sense of control over your life. It does this through a number a techniques that together support you to build ‘psychological flexibility’. This is the capacity to be fully aware of, and open up to your experiences, and to act in a way that fits with what's important to you. This process happens at your own pace and I will support you throughout your therapeutic journey. 

Although ACT originates from CBT, there are some key differences and many people who have tried CBT in the past find that ACT can be more helpful for them. 

Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) was developed by behavioural Psychologist Professor Paul Gilbert from different psychological approaches including CBT, evolutionary psychology, and Buddhist philosophy.  

Underlying CFT is the idea that life is difficult, and painful experiences can lead to us being caught up in distressing thinking and behaviour loops. These are driven by our ‘tricky brains’ and emotion systems which have evolved to respond to challenges by using strategies such as fight, flight, or freeze. 

The way we respond to stressful situations can be influenced by many factors that we did not choose or want, such as our genetics, our brain and our childhood experiences. CFT encourages individuals to develop their understanding of these processes, allowing them to take a moment, stand back and find ways to develop their skills to increase their well-being. One way of doing this is to build compassion for themselves and other people.  

There is significant evidence to show that developing compassion helps us to navigate the challenges of life and change how we think, feel and act as well as helping our our bodies and brains. 

CFT has been successfully used to treat a wide range of problems such as anxiety, depression, rumination, self-harm, anger/aggression, self-criticism, occupational stress, relationship conflict, shame, grief, and psychosis.