Assessment
What does therapy involve?
Formulation
Once the assessment has been completed I will start to map out with you how the difficulties you are encountering have developed, how they have been maintained and how psychological therapy can be used to address these concerns.
Because we lead complicated lives new events may unfold over the course of therapy. New information may become relevant and we may need to 'reformulated' the difficulties discussed, further broadening our understanding of what has been happening for you.
Your primary formulation may occur over the course of one session following you assessment, however it is not unusual that a formulation is revisited throughout therapy as a richer understanding of how you have been struggling, and why, is understood. This can help open up new avenues that could feel important to explore within therapy, or concerns you may which to address in a seperate piece of work at a later date.
The first session will be an assessment. These typically take one session, however sometimes depending on the complexity of the issues discussed, further assessment sessions may be needed. At the end of the assessment I will discuss with you how many sessions I anticipate you may need to address your concerns. Broadly speaking, I usually suggest a minimum of 10 sessions as standard, and if more sessions will be required this become apparent as sessions progress
During this session I will ask questions to get an understanding of what it is you are struggling with, how you understand the situation and what you would like to see change from engaging in therapy. I may ask about earlier life experiences in relation to the difficulties being explored and previous coping strategies used. If I am concerned about your ability to keep yourself safe I will also ask you about what support you have in place. ​​
Intervention
After we have mapped out the concerns you would like addressed we will start to look more closely at the patterns you have become caught up in, understanding these, and how you can approach these in a way that feels more in line with what is important to you. To aid this process I will pull upon a number if different psychological models, enabling me to tailor therapy to your specific needs.
Ending Therapy
Experiencing a planned ending of therapy is important, it gives you the opportunity to reflect on the progress you have made and consolidate the skills and learning you have developed over the course of therapy. Sometimes endings can be particularly meaningful for us, and they need to be considered as part of the process of therapy, thinking about how we have previously dealt with endings, and having the opportunity to explore and work through this in real time.