Stylesheet

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is a form of therapy used to relieve psychological stress and is recognised as a first line treatment for trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

During therapy sessions you are supported to recall a traumatic event and at the same time receive bilateral stimulation. This means receiving stimuli in a rhythmic left-right pattern. The stimuli can be something you hear, see or feel. For example, bilateral stimulation could involve moving your eyes from side to side, tapping movements on different sides of your body or tones you hear through one ear then the other wearing headphones

EMDR is thought to be effective because recalling distressing events is often less emotionally upsetting when your attention is diverted. This allows you to be exposed to the memories or thoughts without having a strong psychological response.

Cognitive behavioural therapies, or CBT, are a range of talking therapies based on the theory that thoughts, feelings, what we do and how our body feels are all connected. If we change one of these we can alter the others.

When people feel worried or distressed we often fall into patterns of thinking and responding which can worsen how we feel. CBT works to help us notice and change problematic thinking styles or behaviour patterns so we can feel better. CBT has lots of strategies that can help you in the here and now.

CBT has a good evidence base for a wide range of mental health problems in adults, older adults, children and young people. This research has been carefully reviewed by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), who provide independent, evidence-based guidance for the NHS on the most effective ways to treat disease and ill health.

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is an approach to psychotherapy that helps clients to stop avoiding, denying, and struggling with their inner emotions and, instead, accept that these deeper feelings are appropriate responses to certain situations that should not prevent them from moving forward in their lives. With this understanding, clients begin to accept their issues and hardships and commit to making necessary changes regardless of what is going on in their lives, and how they feel about it.

ACT has been used effectively to help treat workplace stress, test anxiety, social anxiety disorder, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and psychosis. It has also been used to help treat medical conditions such as chronic pain, substance abuse, and diabetes.

Mindfulness is a method of becoming more aware of yourself and your environment. You notice your thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations in a non-judgmental way. Mindfulness is always set in the present moment because that is the only time when you can consciously direct your awareness moment by moment. Mindfulness is a type of psychotherapy that uses the practice of mindfulness to promote good mental and physical health. This approach is often used to help people with mental health issues like depression, addiction, anxiety, and other mental conditions.

Nearly any type of therapy can make use of mindfulness. Some types of therapy rely heavily on mindfulness techniques and these include Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy.

Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) is a type of cognitive behavioural therapy. Its main goals are to teach people how to live in the moment, cope healthily with stress, regulate emotions, and improve relationships with others. It was originally developed to treat people with borderline personality disorder but has since been adapted for other conditions where the patient exhibits self-destructive behaviour, such as eating disorders and substance abuse. It is also sometimes used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder.

DBT is derived from a philosophical process called dialectics which is based on the concept that everything is composed of opposites and that change occurs when one opposing force is stronger than the other. In DBT, the client and therapist work to resolve the seeming contradiction between self-acceptance and change in order to bring about positive changes in the patient.

Interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) is a time-limited, approach originally developed to treat mood disorders but can be used to treat other disorders. The main goal of IPT is to improve the quality of a client’s interpersonal relationships and social functioning to help reduce their distress. IPT provides strategies to resolve problems within four key areas. First, it addresses interpersonal deficits, including social isolation or involvement in unfulfilling relationships. Second, it can help patients manage unresolved grief—if the onset of distress is linked to the death of a loved one, either recent or past. Third, IPT can help with difficult life transitions like retirement, divorce, or moving to another city. Fourth, IPT is recommended for dealing with interpersonal disputes that emerge from conflicting expectations between partners, family members, close friends, or co-workers.

IPT differs from other traditional psychodynamic approaches to therapy because it examines current rather than past relationships and recognizes—but does not focus on—internal conflicts.

Counselling is a talking therapy that involves a trained therapist listening to you and helping you find ways to deal with emotional issues.

Counselling and psychotherapy are umbrella terms that cover a range of talking therapies.