Different Forms of Psychological Therapy

Martin Hood is able to provide you with different forms of psychological therapy depending on the nature of the problem you are experiencing. The most effective therapy will be chosen in collaboration with you following an initial comprehensive clinical assessment session, lasting 50 minutes. At the end of this initial meeting, a provisional diagnosis will be provided, your goals for therapy will be discussed, and a tentative treatment plan developed, including discussion of the recommended type of therapy likely to produce the best outcome.


Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)

CBT is short term, focussed therapy which focussed on allowing clients to identify unhelpful thinking and behaviour patterns and to change these. CBT has been extensively investigated in rigorous clinical trials, focuses on immediate difficulties as well as long term strategies, and is tailored to each individual. The types of problems CBT addresses include anxiety (including panic, phobias, generalised anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder), depression, stress, anger management, low self-esteem, adjustment difficulties, managing and coping with the effects of health problems (e.g., fatigue, pain), eating disorders (e.g., bulimia), post-traumatic stress disorder, and bipolar disorder. 

CBT is an active and collaborative treatment, where the client does not adopt a passive role, but rather becomes an active partner in the treatment team with the therapist. In CBT treatment, clients are taught about the vicious cycles of thinking, behaviour, emotions and physical reactions that maintain the disorder they are suffering from. Then therapy moves onto learing strategies such as relaxation, lifestyle changes, identifying and challenging 'automatic' thinking patterns, making gradual changes in unhelpful behaviours, such as avoidance of feared situations, and learning how to maintain treatment gains without relapsing. In addition, therapy continues outside the scheduled sessions, as research has shown the importance of clients practicing strategies and attempting tasks in between sessions. CBT incorporates these 'homework' tasks.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

ACT differs from CBT in that ACT incorporates two broad approaches to overcoming common psychological disorders. The Acceptance approach means learning how to make room for painful emotions, thoughts and sensations, allowing them to be there without struggling against them. The second broad approach, Acceptance, focusses on channeling your energies into living your life in the way that is most important to you, rather than waiting until you have controlled or overcome difficult emotions and thoughts first. 

ACT is a more recently developed therapy, and its research base is building. Research evidence exists to date showing ACT to be effective in the treatment of smoking cessation, depression, anxiety, chronic pain, diabetes management, addictions, workplace stress, weight management, epilepsy control, self-harm, body dissatisfaction, and eating disorders.

Emotion Focussed Couple Therapy

Emotion Foucssed Therapy is a short term, evidence based therapy for the treatment of couples experiencing relationship problems. It focusses on the importance of emotions and attachment processes in the organisation of interactions between two partners, and uses emotions as the agent of change in these interactions. Research has shown that it produces a 70-73% recovery rate from marital distress, and a 90% rate of significant improvement after 10-12 sessions^1.

EFT works by the therapist expanding on each partners emotional responses, reframing the problem in terms of the negative interaction cycle itself, rather than any individual's fault, and finally creating new and more flexible interactions between the partners. The goal is that each partner feels a secure and trusting bond form between them.

1. Johnson, S.M. (2004). The practice of emotionally focused marital therapy: Creating Connection. New York: Bruner / Routledge. 

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