Types of Therapy | Silver Street Clinic

Getting the right help

Sometimes, discovering the right therapy and therapist for you involves trial and error. Your choice of therapy may be limited depending on where and how you access it, but if you have a strong preference, opting for a private therapist could be a proactive choice. The therapists at Silver Street Clinic have received training in various therapeutic approaches, such as Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Reprocessing and Desensitization (EMDR), Psychotherapy, Hypnotherapy, and Mindfulness-Based Interventions to name a few. Learn more about these different approaches below.

Psychotherapy & Counselling

Sometimes referred to as 'talking therapies,' 'psychotherapy' and 'psychotherapeutic counselling' involve discussing emotional difficulties with a trained therapist. These therapies can be beneficial for a wide range of mental illnesses and emotional challenges, spanning from grief and anxiety to relationship difficulties and depression. The collaborative process with a therapist centers on exploring what has happened to you, emphasizing understanding rather than focusing on what is perceived as wrong with you. Compassionate listening takes precedence over making a diagnosis.

Psychotherapy comes in various formats such as; integrative, person-centred & psychodynamic, with therapists offering one-to-one support, working with you and a partner or family member, or conducting sessions in a group setting. The objective is to provide you with the opportunity to delve into the specific issue or concern you want to address, and different therapists employ various approaches to facilitate this exploration. While some therapists encourage open discussion about feelings, behaviours, and thoughts, others may incorporate specific exercises into the process. The emphasis is on fostering self-discovery rather than dictating solutions.

Sessions typically occur once a week for 50 minutes, and active involvement from both the patient and therapist is crucial. The trust and relationship established between the individual and their therapist are essential for effective collaboration and deriving benefits from therapy. Psychotherapy can be either short-term, addressing immediate issues in a few sessions, or long-term, delving into longstanding and complex matters over months or years. The treatment goals and the frequency and duration of sessions are planned jointly by the patient and therapist.

While therapy does not involve opinions, advice, or medication prescription, a counsellor will assist you in finding your own solutions to the issues that concern you.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is an active talking therapy that focuses on thoughts (cognition) and feelings and how this impacts how we behave. Our past experiences lead us to develop assumptions and beliefs which influence how we perceive ourselves, others and the world. There may be times in our lives when we experience events which make us focus on unhelpful assumptions and beliefs. When this happens, our thinking can be distorted creating strong emotional reactions and in turn, we may engage in avoidant or safety-seeking behaviours inadvertently maintaining the problem without realising it.

CBT directs attention to the thoughts and behaviours that sustain problems. It empowers individuals by imparting skills to evaluate the logic, helpfulness, or truth of their thoughts and assess the helpfulness of their behaviours. As a collaborative problem-solving therapy, CBT equips individuals with lifelong skills. It stands as the most extensively researched therapy, demonstrating high effectiveness in addressing anxiety and mood-related issues. Explore more about CBT through the BABCP.

Hypnotherapy

Hypnosis is a state of very deep relaxation. When the mind is in this deeply relaxed hypnotic state, a number of physical and emotional problems can be treated by accessing the creative, intuitive, subconscious part of the mind.

Hypnotherapy has been shown to help psychological conditions, such as PTSD, depression, anxiety, insomnia, and addiction as well as functional disorders such as IBS, headaches or backaches which may have a significant psychological component. It has also been shown to help medical conditions, often by reducing anxiety but also by reducing other symptoms such as pain, cancer treatment side effects, dental procedures and childbirth. In addition, warts and other skin conditions can be improved through the positive effects hypnosis has on the immune system.

Hypnotherapy should only be performed by qualified health professionals who are accountable to a professional body. For example, they should be a medical doctor, psychologist, nurse, occupational therapist or physiotherapist.

Hypnotherapy is also offered by non-professionals with little training, so you should always check your therapist’s qualifications. Untrained professionals might use suggestions inappropriately, or not be able to tell if another treatment is more suitable for you. Learn more from the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness teaches us to be more aware of living in the present rather than dwelling in the past or anticipating the future, both of which often lie at the root of stress-related problems, depression and anxiety.

It is developed through the practice of specific methods of meditation and bodywork and has been shown to bring about a sense of increased calmness, improving our ability to cope with the challenges which life inevitably throws at us from time to time.

Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) is one of the 2 recommended therapies for the treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder by the National Institute for Health & Clinical Excellence (NICE).

Along with this, it has also been shown to be effective in the treatment of:

anxiety and panic attacks
depression
complicated grief
phobias
chronic pain
addictions
childhood attachment issues
self-esteem and performance anxiety

It is thought that about 80-90% of PTSD sufferers also have other problems, such as depression (which is quite common) and anxiety disorders. Some people start to use recreational drugs or alcohol as a way to cope, especially if they have had PTSD or experienced trauma for a long time. Information is taken from NICE Guidelines at www.nice.org.uk.

How does EMDR work?

EMDR works on the principle that the mind can often heal itself naturally in the same way as the body does. Much of the information we take in during each day is processed whilst we are asleep but sometimes, in certain situations such as when we are under a lot of stress or when we feel under physical or emotional threat, this information does not get processed in the normal way.

When this happens memories and feelings are stored in a different part of the memory system of the brain in a ‘raw emotional form’ and are not ‘filed away’ and put in the past. Because of this, painful or emotional feelings that relate to these memories are easily triggered by situations that remind us of what happened and evoke the same feelings, as though it is happening all over again.

EMDR therapy helps to reprocess painful memories which have been properly stored by recreating the natural process of REM sleep. This is done by bilaterally stimulating the brain using eye movements, sounds or pulses. The bilateral stimulation lasts for about a minute (called a ‘set’) after which there is a pause when the therapist asks about any experiences that have been noticed during this time. These experiences may include changes in thoughts, images, emotions, and body sensations.

Repeated sets of bilateral stimulation during a therapy session update old memories according to new perspectives and beliefs. For instance, a traumatic or distressing incident experienced as a child may have created a negative belief from a child’s perspective which can be seen very differently as an adult if the incident is reprocessed using EMDR. People report that memories feel different, that they are in the past now and that they no longer have the emotional charge they carried before.

During a session of EMDR the patient remains alert, awake and in control at all times. It is NOT like being hypnotised. It is not a talking therapy like most traditional psychological treatments and tends to be quicker than many other forms of therapy.

How long do the sessions take?

A normal session of EMDR processing takes between 60 and 75 minutes. It normally forms part of a longer-term therapy plan but in particular cases (such as phobias) it can require as few as 4 – 6 sessions to achieve treatment goals. For more complex issues a minimum of 12 sessions would be recommended.

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy

Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) is a type of talking therapy. It's based on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). But it's specially adapted for people who feel emotions very intensely.

DBT aims to help you by:

Understand and accept your difficult feelings
Learn skills to manage these feelings
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.

Will DBT work for me?

DBT is more likely to work for you if you feel able to do homework between sessions and you're ready to focus mostly on your present and future, rather than your past.

How long will I need dialectical behaviour therapy?

Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) usually takes at least six months to a year. However, each person is unique, and mental health conditions are complex. You shouldn’t expect to be completely free of symptoms or no longer have problematic behaviours after one year of DBT.

Many therapists believe that the treatment for borderline personality disorder, in particular, can often take several years.

Try not to get discouraged by how long it may take to be able to better manage your emotions and have a better quality of life. The important thing is that you’re seeking help. Any progress is good progress.

SILVER STREET CLINIC