As a Clinical Psychologist and EMDR therapist, I specialize in trauma and perinatal mental health.
Experience Change with Cope Psychology
Learn about my methods
As a Clinical Psychologist I am trained and experienced in a variety of psychological models. I work in an integrative manner, drawing upon these models to create a individualised plan specific to your wants and needs.
Main models I use include Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Compassion Focussed Therapy (CFT), and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). These are all recognised evidence based treatments for a wide range of presenting difficulties.
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing Therapy
"Changing the memories that form the way we see ourselves also changes the way we view others. Therefore, our relationships, job performance, what we are willing to do or are able to resist, all move in a positive direction" - Francine Shapiro
EMDR s a therapy used to help people recover from distressing events and the problems they have caused, like flashbacks, upsetting thoughts or images, depression, anxiety and phobias.
The theory behind EMDR is that many psychological difficulties are the result of distressing life experiences which have not been stored in memory properly and are said to be unprocessed or blocked. These traumatic memories may need some help to become processed, and EMDR is one way to do this. EMDR uses side-to-side motion called bilateral stimulation to enhance memory processing.
There is very good evidence that EMDR is an effective treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and is recommended by NICE. EMDR may also be an effective treatment for other conditions, such as anxiety, phobias and self-esteem, particularly if they involve trauma memories or other distressing memories.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
“In ACT, our main interest in a thought is not whether it’s true or false, but whether it’s helpful; that is, if we pay attention to this thought, will it help us create the life we want?” ― Russ Harris
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is an action-oriented approach to therapy that stems from traditional behaviour therapy and CBT.
In ACT, clients learn 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.
A = Accept your thoughts and feelings and be present. C = Connect with your values. T = Take effective action based on your values
Compassion Focussed Therapy
“The compassionate mind is the mind that transforms”― Paul Gilbert
Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) was originally developed to work with shame and self-loathing (self-criticism). CFT proposes that human beings have three systems for managing their emotional states - the threat system, drive system, and soothing system. We are all born with threat systems that are ready for action. If our other emotion systems are well developed we have choices about which system we use at any particular time. Through no fault of their own some people’s soothing systems are under-developed. This means they have fewer ways of coping with the stresses that everyone faces in life. People in the threat mindset are more likely to try and cope by fight or flight – avoiding things (flight) or being self-critical (self-fight).
The goal of CFT is to alleviate suffering by developing your soothing (compassion) system – allowing you to live more comfortably in your own mind. CFT is used to treat problems associated with shame, self-criticism and self-hate, which can be features of anxiety, depression, psychosis and strongly associated with trauma.
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
"By correcting erroneous beliefs, we can lower excessive reactions" - Aaron T. Beck
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a short-term form of behavioural treatment. CBT reveals the relationship between beliefs, thoughts, and feelings, and the behaviours that follow.
In CBT, it is proposed that it is not events themselves that bother us. Instead, it is the way that we interpret events – the meaning that we give to them – that gives rise to our feelings. In CBT your therapist will work with you to examine your beliefs, to help you change unhelpful thinking patterns and behaviours.
CBT has been extensively researched and is NICE recommended for a range of difficulties including anxiety, depression, phobias, OCD and trauma.