Is therapy right for me?
Individual Therapy
You don’t need a particular diagnosis to access support through Psych & Soma because our approach is ‘transdiagnostic’. This means we focus on the common underlying processes and mechanisms shared across different mental health difficulties, rather than treating each diagnosis as a separate entity.
Some common reasons for referral include
Anxiety (health-related anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, specific phobias or post-traumatic stress)
Depression (low mood, low self-esteem, shame, self-criticism)
Persistent physical symptoms, medically unexplained/psychogenic or functional disorders.
Mood issues related to a physical health condition or long term condition (e.g. cystic fibrosis, endometriosis, cancer, gastroenterological disorders, diabetes, kidney disease).
Identity changes or difficulties navigating relationships as the result of your mental and/or physical health.
Frustration, mistrust, or grief as the result of difficult experiences navigating healthcare systems such as disjointed care, delayed diagnosis, diagnostic overshadowing, medical gaslighting and/or traumatic experiences.
Staff support, work-related stress and burnout (e.g. healthcare workers)
Remember, there doesn’t need to be something ‘wrong’ that needs ‘fixing’ to start therapy. It is perfectly okay to come to therapy with the goal of wanting to learn more about yourself, explore your identity, relational patterns or values.
The mind, body, relationships, community and systems around you all have a role to play.
Therapeutic approach
Clinical Psychologists are trained to be ‘multi-modal’ practitioners which means at Psych & Soma, there is not a prescriptive or ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. Instead, we will work collaboratively to build a ‘formulation’ which is a shared understanding of how and why your difficulties have developed over time which typically involves mapping or diagramming. This enables us to develop a hypothesis about why your difficulties are maintained in the here-and-now, and allows us to tailor psychological support to your individual needs, goals and promote meaningful change.
Your therapy could be informed by the following:
CFT was developed by Paul Gilbert and helps individuals manage shame, self-criticism, and emotional difficulties by cultivating self-compassion and emotional regulation.
CBT was developed by Andrew Beck and is a popular, structured and goal-focussed intervention that helps people change unhelpful patterns of thoughts and behaviours that maintain mental health issues.
ACT was developed by Steven Hayes as an action-orientated approach to help people accepting difficult emotions rather than fighting them. It helps increase psychological flexibility, focusing on committing to actions that align with personal values to live a meaningful life, even when experiencing challenges.
CAT was developed by Anthony Ryle and focusses on relational patterns that are causing problems for you in the present while taking into account influences and relationships in your past. It helps you understand how your difficulties came about and what keeps them going within a relational context.
The number and frequency of therapy sessions, and the approach used will be agreed following completion of an initial assessment. This is called a therapy contract. We will always be working towards fostering some form of meaningful change with a therapeutic ending in mind.