Individual therapy

INDIVIDUAL
THERAPY

Everyone is unique
and needs to be
understood
in their own
context

Individual Therapy

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Couple Counselling

COUPLE
COUNSELLING

When communication fails and
conflict prevails
professional help can make a difference.

Couple Counselling

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Group therapy

GROUP
PROCESS WORK

Group work is a ‘one for all and all for one’ approach to address individual aspirations and problems

Group Therapy

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Supervision psychotherapy

CLINICAL SUPERVISION

All therapists have an original project, which can be mastered by observing their work with perspective

Clinical Supervision

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THERAPEUTIC APPROACHES

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)by Mary Doran BSc, MBACP, MBPsS.
Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) has been shown to be effective in reducing levels of anxiety, depression, trauma and stress through increasing levels of psychological flexibility. It works through thought processes and metacognitive concepts, placing emphasis on the defusion of unhelpful thoughts, re-framing through context, acceptance through mindfulness and conscious taking of action towards an individual’s deeply held, intrinsic values. This sounds complicated but, simply put, ACT helps us because it acknowledges that some things in life are just very difficult and cause us pain. We cannot escape this fact, but what we can do about it is become more flexible in how we respond to physical and emotional pain. ACT helps us to identify what our deepest values and aims are in life and it creates a step-by-step action plan which enables small movements towards our ideal life despite the challenges which remain. These small steps will feel achievable and help you to
make choices which will take you towards a more flourishing life. ACT can help you to change your behaviour from self-sabotaging to more helpful actions.

Another outcome of ACT therapy is that it can help you to regulate your emotions better, which can help you to reduce your overall feelings of helplessness and overwhelm. ACT puts you back in charge of your life, instead of anxiety, depression and trauma being in control. It is tailored specifically to your own individual wants and needs, and so can be a very powerful therapy with differences often being felt in the first week of working. ACT can be very useful for anyone suffering from severe depression or trauma, but also for those who are already achieving well in their life and simply want to supercharge their achievements and hone in on a more flourishing and fulfilling life. Although the desired outcome is that we feel more accepting and live a more fulfilling life, a great bonus and side effect of this happening is that often levels of anxiety and depression reduce alongside this. ACT is a very practical and individually tailored therapy that anyone can try. Give it a try for yourself and
see if one session can start to make a difference.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is a form of talk therapy that allows you to manage your problems by changing the way you think and behave at the same time. It focuses on your thoughts and beliefs and how they affect the choices you make. Through CBT the therapist will help you identify negative thinking patterns and behaviours and help you shift them so that you are engaging with your world and the people within your world in a positive and constructive way. It provides you with a tool box of coping skills that you can draw upon at any time to deal with the challenges you may be facing in the moment. This tool box remains with you even after you complete your therapy and thus it can be used at any time. CBT can be a long- and short-term therapy.” By Muneeza Khimji >

A Counsellor has specific training in counselling theory and skills, as well as some clinical experience. This practitioner would usually conduct short- and medium-term work, either focusing on a particular aspect of the person’s life or acting as an active and empathetic listener to accompany someone undergoing trying times with patience and positive regard.

A Psychotherapist is concerned with the analysis (and the meaning) of life as it is experienced and managed by a person. This professional has trained at a post-graduate level for many years and would have had about three years practice experience prior to full qualification. As this work implies significant complexity and depth, a long-term process is usually required.

A Coach could have a background in a more dynamic milieu like the behavioral approaches to human psychology, business or sports, and it generally appeals to the working environment due to its pragmatic approach to resolve issues. It tends to be short-term and is directed toward particular outcomes.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is an integrative model of therapy. It allows you to reprocess traumatic memories through bilateral stimulation of the brain thereby allowing peace and closure for the traumas experienced. It is a highly effective method of treatment that can be used for mild traumas as well as extreme ones, such as those individuals suffering from PTSD. Its results can have profound changes for the individual for past traumas which subsequently allow them to shift in the way they engage with the world today.” By Muneeza Khimji >

The existential approach is first and foremost philosophical. It is concerned with the understanding of people’s position in the world and with the clarification of what it means to be alive.  It is also committed to exploring these questions with a receptive attitude, rather than a dogmatic one: the search for truth with an open mind and an attitude of wonder is the aim, not the fitting of the client into pre-established categories and interpretations.

The existential approach considers human nature to be open-ended, flexible and capable of an enormous range of experience. The person is in a constant process of becoming.  I create myself as I exist.  There is no essential, solid self, no given definition of one’s personality and abilities.

Havening refers to a newer alternative therapy technique that incorporates distraction, touch, and eye movements. Its goal is to reduce anxiety and distress associated with negative memories.

According to Dr. Steven Ruden and Dr. Ronald Ruden, the creators of the technique, the use of therapeutic touch can help treat mental health symptoms by changing pathways in the brain linked to emotional distress.

The theory rests on the idea that touch can help boost the production of serotonin in your brain. This, in turn, helps you relax and detach from an upsetting memory or experience.

The release of serotonin is said to have a soothing effect that helps relieve mental health symptoms and keep painful memories from troubling you further.

The practice focuses heavily on self-compassion, kindness, and self-care.

Mary Doran, Integrative Psychotherapy and Havening Therapist >

Internal Family Systems (IFS) is an approach to psychotherapy that identifies and addresses multiple sub-personalities or families within each person’s mental system. These sub-personalities consist of wounded parts and painful emotions such as anger and shame, and parts that try to control and protect the person from the pain of the wounded parts. The sub-personalities are often in conflict with each other and with one’s core Self, a concept that describes the confident, compassionate, whole person that is at the core of every individual. IFS focuses on healing the wounded parts and restoring mental balance and harmony by changing the dynamics that create discord among the sub-personalities and the Self.

Person-Centred therapy is an approach grounded in the belief that individuals have the innate capacity for self-actualisation and personal growth. It places an emphasis on the importance of creating a supportive and empathetic therapeutic relationship to facilitate growth. The key principles and elements include congruence (genuineness), unconditional positive regard whilst always remaining non-judgemental with kindness and empathy.

By Danny Zane, Person-Centred Therapist and Counsellor

Pluralistic Counselling and Psychotherapy has the thinking of wholeness at its core. It is a model that champions the collaboration of client and therapist when it comes to using approaches that suit the client best. With Person Centred as a solid base, Pluralistic therapy would tailor approaches to the client’s current life and situation. This means that while approaches on their own would insist on a certain way all through the therapy process, the pluralistic way would allow modalities to blend into the process. This means if a client started off therapy on the humanistic route for example, embracing their individuality and uniqueness, but then discovered their communication styles have not been healthy and productive, another model like Transactional analysis could be applied where their root and style of transacting would be explored, all the while maintaining a Person Centred position in the therapy space. With the ever-growing list of approaches, all within their rights, the Pluralistic Psychotherapist in partnership with their client, recognises the importance of being fluid. Pluralistic Psychotherapy flows and responds to the client through their therapy journey. Just like life itself, It is an approach that celebrates openness. So in choosing Pluralistic Psychotherapy, you are being open to really finding what’s best and would work for you – that, I imagine, is the very reason you are seeking therapy.

By Sophie Arthur-Uchendu, Psychotherapeutic Counsellor >

Psychodynamic therapy is the psychological interpretation of mental and emotional processes. Rooted in traditional psychoanalysis, it draws from object relations, ego psychology, and self psychology. It was developed as a simpler, less-lengthy alternative to psychoanalysis.

Psychodynamic therapy aims to address the foundation and formation of psychological processes. In this way, it seeks to reduce symptoms and improve people’s lives.

“Psychosensory therapy definition: a form of therapeutic treatment that uses sensory stimuli/experience to affect change or to understand psychological symptoms”

Psychosensory psychotherapists use the experience of the body alongside the experience of the mind to understand symptoms and issues and can also use physiological experiences to work with psychological issues.

Some of the common techniques used in psycho-sensory therapy include havening techniques, emotional freedom techniques, Callahan technique–thought field therapy (Callahan, 1985), and eye–movement desensitization and reprocessing, See-far CBT.

All of these somatic approaches value above all the importance of a feeling of safety for the client. The client feeling ‘in control’ safe and confident is of utmost importance so if you are at all unsure a psychosensory therapist will explain in detail how the intervention will work so that you feel entirely secure and happy before any technique. A good psychosensory therapist will make sure that you know what to expect, understand any potential reactions, and will feel in control of any of your responses in order to benefit from the experience.

The theory behind some of these processes is still being developed and understood yet there is much evidence emerging around the efficacy of this approach and many argue that it adds an additional dimension to therapy that can access some deep issues which otherwise can be very difficult to treat such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, developmental trauma, attachment issues, abuse as well as Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive-compulsive disorder, and Depression, Irritable Bowel Syndrome. What is known is that these sensory approaches are known as ‘bottom-up’ approaches, which means that by listening to the body and working with these experiences we can alter psychological processes, rather than expecting to alter our ways of thinking first, in the hope that this will alleviate physiological symptoms. There is a cyclical relationship between our body and mind, and we assume that our mind is in control when in actual fact, often we have a physiological response thousandths of a second before a psychological one. Understanding each of our unique responses can help us to hone in on repeating patterns that feel impossible to break. This can leave people saying ‘This is just how I am’…’ This is me, I can’t change’…’ and ‘I can’t control my reactions’. This is a sign that our body’s responses are kicking in subconsciously and that if we can slow down these gut reactions, we have a good chance of changing not just our body’s reaction but are emotional and psychological reactions as well.

Often clients who have tried therapy previously with unsatisfactory results find that this different, deep level of working can unlock something new and allow change to occur. Also, these psychosensory approaches can often be combined with more traditional approaches to be tailored to suit the individual.

If you are interested in understanding the psychosensory approach or would like to book a taster session please send an email expressing interest and we will follow this up for you with our psychosensory psychotherapist Dr Mary Doran

Psychosexual therapy is used to treat psychological sexual problems. Sex therapy is an integrative therapy which uses various modalities such as:

  • Behavioural: Sensate Focus (Masters & Johnsons)
  • Psychodymanic (childhood)
  • Medical (the physiology of sexual functioning)
  • Transactional Analysis (the relationship with ourselves and others)

Sex therapy involves a psychological exploration of problems in the consultations and also some home assignments in between consultations.

Sex therapy has a good success rate for both individuals and couples.

Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT) is a hybrid therapy based on neuroscience. It combines the most beneficial principles of Psychotherapy, Hypnotherapy, Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to get the root cause of a client’s issues and negative beliefs, ultimately allowing them to address the issues in depth and completely move past them.

RTT offers remarkable results. It works rapidly and removes the need for continuous therapy sessions. A single session can achieve powerful results for a range of issues. A maximum of 3 sessions is required for certain issues & conditions.

RTT rapidly rewires the neural pathways of the brain & replaces out-dated belief systems and negative patterns of behaviour. Once the process of eliminating the underlying issues (be it beliefs/events in the past/ feelings), a certain number of tools are used to ensure the client’s issue has healed and implements a positive mind set.

This powerful therapy allows you to address and understand every aspect of your issue in depth. Once a clear understanding is formed, steps are taken to completely erase the issue from your life.

Somatic hypnotherapy is a therapeutic approach that combines elements of somatic (body-centred) therapy with hypnotherapy techniques to promote healing and personal growth.

Let’s break down what somatic hypnotherapy involves:

1. **Somatic Therapy:** Somatic therapy focuses on connecting the body and the mind. It emphasises the role of bodily sensations, movements, and physical experiences in understanding and resolving emotional and psychological issues. Somatic therapy aims to help individuals release tension and trauma stored in the body, promoting a sense of well-being and emotional balance.

2. **Hypnotherapy:** Hypnotherapy is a therapeutic technique that uses guided relaxation, focused attention, and suggestion to help individuals reach a state of heightened awareness and deep relaxation. In this state, a person is more open to suggestions and can explore their thoughts, feelings, and memories in a focused and guided manner. Hypnotherapy often addresses various issues, such as anxiety, phobias, trauma and weight loss.

When combined, somatic hypnotherapy involves using hypnotherapy techniques to access and explore the body’s sensations, emotions, and memories. Here’s how somatic hypnotherapy typically works:

1. **Induction:** The therapist guides the individual into a state of deep relaxation and heightened awareness, similar to a trance or meditative state. This state is induced through relaxation techniques and focused attention.

2. **Somatic Exploration:** In this relaxed state, the individual is guided to pay attention to their bodily sensations, feelings, and emotions. The therapist may encourage the person to explore and express physical sensations associated with past traumas or emotional issues.

3. **Integration:** The therapist helps individuals process and integrate these somatic experiences with their conscious awareness. This may involve reframing or reinterpreting past events, releasing stored tension, and promoting healing.

4. **Suggestion:** Hypnotherapeutic suggestions may also be incorporated during the session to promote positive changes, enhance self-esteem, or address specific concerns.

Somatic hypnotherapy can be used to address a wide range of issues, including trauma, anxiety, chronic pain, and stress-related conditions. It aims to create a deeper understanding of the mind-body connection and facilitate healing by working with both the conscious and subconscious aspects of the individual’s experience.

It’s important to note that somatic hypnotherapy should be conducted by a qualified and trained therapist experienced in both somatic therapy and hypnotherapy techniques. This approach can be tailored to the unique needs and goals of each individual client.

By Emily Andrews >

Transactional analysis is a talking therapy developed from modern psychology which examines an individual’s relationship’s and interactions. The relationship between the therapist and client allows for exploration into self limiting behaviours and discovering the necessary growth needed for personal change and fulfilment. Research has proven TA’s effectiveness used in short term therapy in the NHS and also in long term therapy for deeper issues. The key concepts are that we are all capable of change, that we all hold the capacity to make different decisions and that we are all human beings of value and worth.” By Anoushka Beazley

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Psychotherapy, Counselling, Psychology and Coaching
at London Harley Street