Do you need therapy?

Be assured that if you are experiencing emotional difficulties, you are not alone. One in four adults experience a mental health problem each year according to The Mental Health Foundation, a UK charity.

You may be asking yourself whether what you are experiencing is normal, and whether you should just ‘get on with it’? Unfortunately we often live in a culture of people telling themselves, and each other, to ‘pull themselves together’, which means people spend years suffering in silence.

If you are experiencing emotional distress, I strongly urge you to take action! You do not need to continue living with these feelings in the long term.

Take stock

Talking to a trained professional can help you break your isolation and deal with your distress. However, booking therapy needn’t be your first step. I invite you to see wellness as part of a bigger picture: think about any physical and environmental factors that might be interfering with your wellbeing as well as emotional or psychological ones.

Self care

Consider whether you’ve given yourself time to sleep, eat healthily and get some exercise or fresh air. It may be that shifting your self-care habits can have an immediate impact on your emotional wellbeing. You can also try some self-care mental health exercises: the NHS lists a number of resources for helping with symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression, for example.

Seek therapy

It’s worth thinking about therapy if you have been experiencing intense thoughts and feelings for longer than two weeks. You may have also identified changes in your behaviour, such as how you are sleeping, eating or relating to others. You can speak to your GP or contact me directly.

What therapy do you need?

There’s a dizzying array of professionals offering therapy – psychiatrists, psychologists, psychotherapists, CBT therapists and counsellors to name a few.

I can help you identify what’s right for your situation. As a clinical psychologist and CBT therapist with personal experience of psychotherapy I draw on a range of models to tailor therapy for you and your situation. If I think you would be better off working with another therapist, I will be honest with you.

Next steps

If you feel that therapy is right for you please contact me with any questions or to book an appointment. I accept self-referrals or referrals from GP’s or Psychiatrists when taking on new clients.