Tailored psychological support to meet your needs.
Approach to therapy
I support adults suffering with a range of mental health and relationship difficulties. I specialise in treating adults who have experienced trauma, whether this be a single incident or multiple events either in childhood, adulthood, or both. Sometimes trauma occurs within the context of a childhood relationship. I support individuals with relational trauma, often who have long standing mental health, relational and/or emotional difficulties. I take a trauma informed and attachment-based approach to understanding the roots of these difficulties, which can often be traced back to childhood or previous experiences.
Sometimes people who have experienced trauma may have a diagnosis of PTSD and may have experiences such as nightmares or flashbacks. Others may struggle with the impact of their trauma in different ways, for example the impact it has on their emotions and relationships.
Do you find yourself repeating certain unhelpful patterns in your relationships? Perhaps you are someone who can often feel triggered in relationships and struggle with feelings of jealousy or insecurity. Relationship difficulties can trigger strong emotional reactions, and struggling to form fulfilling relationships can really impact on your mood.
Together we will work on understanding the roots of these patterns and how they continue to affect you in the here and now. Our work together will support you towards processing your trauma and making positive changes to improve both your relationships and your mental health.
Therapeutic Models
As a clinical psychologist, I am trained in many different models of therapy and skilled in adapting the approach to suit a wide range of presentations. This means that I provide a tailored approach to therapy, adapting the therapy to suit you, rather than applying a one size fits all approach. Below are the main models of therapy that I tend to draw from, however I also have training and experience in additional models not mentioned below such as; schema therapy, mindfulness based approaches, and cognitive analytic therapy.
Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy (DIT)
DIT is an approach that looks at the link between relationships, past and present, and mental health. It considers how early relationships with caregivers, lead towards the development of patterns in the way you relate to yourself and others. Where there have been challenges within early relationships, these patterns can become problematic and lead you to experiencing difficulties within your relationships and with how you feel. Some of these patterns may well be known to you, however there are often aspects of these patterns that are outside of your awareness. DIT helps you to increase your awareness and understanding of these patterns, and supports you in making changes that can improve both your relationships with others and your mental health.
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR)
When you have been through traumatic experiences in the past, elements of these experiences remain unprocessed and can continue to impact on you in the present. The effects of trauma are held in the body at an emotional and physiological level, along with impacting the beliefs you hold about yourself and others. EMDR is an approach that uses bilateral stimulation, usually in the form of eye movements or tapping, in order to facilitate the processing of traumatic or upsetting past experiences. This can help to reduce the impact that these experiences have on you in the present.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
CBT looks at patterns in thoughts, feelings, physical sensations, and emotions. It is a more practical form of therapy which focuses on making changes to patterns in behaviour, along with challenging unhelpful thinking, in order to improve the way you feel. CBT teaches you coping skills, and is focused around goal setting and problem solving. It is a present focused and more active form of therapy, where you will practice skills, work through exercises, and set yourself goals for doing things differently. Between sessions you and your therapist will agree on home tasks for you to complete. These may include things such as monitoring symptoms, completing behavioural goals, or practicing the skills and techniques you have learnt during therapy.
Trauma Informed & Attachment Based Approach
I take an attachment based and trauma informed approach to therapy, drawing from psychological and neurobiological models of trauma. At the core of my practice is a deep understanding of the complex and varied ways in which our past experiences continue to impact on us in the present. Where there have been traumatic relational experiences in childhood, children find themselves in the paradoxical position of needing to depend on and attach to the very people who are harming them. In order to survive, experiences and feelings become compartmentalized and split off into ‘parts’. In adulthood this may be experienced as strong emotional shifts, an ability to function well in one domain such as work, but feeling unable to cope in other areas, feeling like an ‘imposter’, intense relationships, difficulty forming relationships, self-destructive behaviours and so on. It may feel like an internal struggle between ‘parts’ of yourself that have different feelings and aims. I take an integrative approach to supporting people with these types of difficulties.
“At the heart of my approach is the provision of a warm and empathic environment, where you can talk about the difficulties you are having in a safe and non-judgmental environment. Together, we will work on understanding the issues you bring to therapy, and how changes can be made to improve the way you feel.”
— Dr. Cat
Contact today to book an initial consultation with Dr. Cat