Art therapy

Art therapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses art materials as a form of communication. You do not have to have expertise or skills in art to do this therapy! The therapist is mostly concerned with providing a safe space in which you can explore your thoughts, feelings and experiences with the aim of helping you to make positive changes and grow on a personal level. Art therapy has been shown to be effective in helping people with a wide range of mental health difficulties.

Clinical psychology

Clinical psychologists are trained to doctoral level (which is a three-year postgraduate training programme), and are often also trained in delivering specific therapies too. They aim to work with you to reduce psychological distress and enhance wellbeing through assessing your difficulties, delivering therapy, and regularly reviewing your progress. Clinical psychology is appropriate for a range of psychological difficulties. It is an especially appropriate option to consider when the nature of a problem is unclear or if a problem has not responded to psychological therapy. You may also be referred to a psychologist for assessment and advice about what approaches might be helpful for you.

Cognitive analytic therapy (CAT)

CAT is a form of individual therapy. It can be helpful for people with a range of mental health problems, and is perhaps particularly helpful for people with complex relationship difficulties, abusive or traumatic past experiences and for people with personality disorders, including those who self-harm. CAT therapy can help you to understand how problems started and how they can affect your relationships, feelings, choices and actions today. Positive change becomes possible with new understanding.

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)

CBT can help you to identify and understand the relationship between your thoughts, feelings and behaviour. The approach focuses on how your past experiences may influence your current difficulties. It relies on you and your therapist developing a shared understanding of your difficulties so you can both work towards making positive changes. The National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommends CBT for the treatment of a range of mental health problems including:

• Obsessive compulsive disorder
• Body dysmorphic disorder
• Generalised anxiety disorder
• Social anxiety
• Panic disorder (with and without agoraphobia)
• Post traumatic stress disorder
• Depression
• Bipolar disorder
• Schizophrenia
• Psychosis
• Eating disorders.

Eye movement desensitisation reprocessing (EMDR)

EMDR is a one-to-one therapeutic approach that is found to be effective for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In therapy, clients first identify a specific image, thoughts, feelings and sensations associated with a traumatic event. Then, while holding these in their awareness, they repeatedly watch the therapists hand move quickly from side to side. Using this approach within a structured framework can lead to an improvement in symptoms.

Group therapy

Group therapies can involve a range of different approaches. However, they all have the benefit of providing a space where you have a shared experience of talking about difficulties, learning new ways of understanding problems and connecting with others who may have had similar experiences.

Systemic family therapy

Family therapy is a way of working with families so that they can understand and deal more effectively with problems that family members may be experiencing. The idea of family therapy is to draw upon the strengths and commitment that exist within families to help and support them tackle these problems. It’s an approach which has been shown to be effective in helping people with a wide range of mental health difficulties. Working with families can take a number of forms, but generally involves two or more therapists meeting with a family.

Dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT)

Dialectical behavioural therapy skills groups are available, but you can only access these through the personality disorder service  please click here (link to PD Service webpage) for more information.

Psychological support

Psychological support can also be provided by our talking therapies service.