Therapies

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is generally referred to as CBT. Cognitive means 'thinking activity' and behavior is what you do, so in simple terms, this therapy is about the links between your mental activity and your physical behavior. While it originated with Albert Ellis' Rational Emotive Therapy back in the early 1950's, there are today many different approaches to CBT, possibly the most common being that developed by Aaron Beck in the 1960's.

Beck's Cognitive Behavior Therapy emerged as a treatment for depression however since that time it has been effectively applied to many different psychiatric disorders, general life problems and even physical issues.

The easiest way to think about CBT is in terms of how your thinking impacts on how you feel emotionally, which then impacts on what you feel physically, which then impacts on what you do. Often what you do involves some level of avoidance and results in a reinforcement of the original negative thinking styles. More recent advances in neuroscience help us to understand why this model works in the way it does. Our brain seems to love consistencey and operates largely on feedback loops. When it gets comfortable with a particular routine or habit your brain will advocate for you to do more of the same, regardless of whether what you are doing is good for you or not! CBT can help you to re-wire your brain, change old habits of behavior and do something different.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy:

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, commonly referred to as 'ACT' not A-C-T, is also a behavioral therapy. It is primarily concerned with understanding why you do the things you do, the 'function' of your behavior. There are six core concepts in ACT: being able to be present here and now; knowing your own values, that which gives your life a sense of meaning; committment, doing what you need to do; having a sense of your self as seperate from your mind, being aware of the 'observing self'; being able to seperate yourself from the content of your mind; accepting what is. 

Solution Focussed Brief Therapy:

Historically therapuetic models have tended to be 'problem' focussed, diagnosing people, labelling them, and maintaining a focus on problems. Solution Focussed Brief Therapy (SFBT) aims instead to focus on what is going right. SFBT looks at what is happening right now and what you would like your future to be about. Instead of focussing on what you are not doing or on what is going wrong, SFBT catalogues your strengths, skills and abilities to assist you to become more aware of these and apply them to achieve your desired outcomes.