Here’s a bit about how we work

The most important thing is to develop a clear, trusting, listening relationship with the client. The therapeutic approach chosen follows and is informed by a thorough assessment and understanding of the main issues for which clients are seeking help. This will then lead to a clear personalised plan of action. At all times in this process we will elicit the clients perspective and involvement. It needs to be a truly collaborative endeavour.

We begin with a free telephone consultation (ie: about 15 mins) to help establish the reasons for seeking help and whether proceeding with some sessions would be feasible and productive.

If so the initial face to face meetings (ie: 2 or 3 sessions) would focus on gaining a thorough account of the persons difficulties (ie: Assessment) culminating in a shared understanding (ie: Formulation). This should help us understand how and why problems have developed and provide a rationale for how we move forward.

The initial assessment sessions are usually in themselves helpful to clients, allowing self expression; a great understanding; and a sense of hope for the future.

The next step, where appropriate, is the negotiation of some therapeutic sessions (usually 6 to 12 sessions). The aim is to help the client find ways of managing their situation, alleviate problems and improve their quality of life. We would always aim to do this in as few sessions as possible.

Specific therapeutic approaches:

Most clinical psychologists tailor their therapeutic interventions to specific problems using the most evidence based psychological approaches (ie: proven to be clinically effective). What is the most relevant will vary from case to case. Sometimes this may involve using more than one approach in combination (where using a single approach may be less effective).

The main psychological therapies and approaches used at Arise Psychology include:

  • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
  • Behavioural approaches including Behavioural Activation
  • Schema Therapy
  • EMDR for PTSD type problems
  • Mindfulness based approaches – including mindfulness training in a group
  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
  • Compassion Focussed Therapy