Areas of Interest

      Integrative Counselling & Psychotherapy

 

Integrative therapy is a progressive form of psychotherapy that combines different therapeutic tools and approaches to fit the needs of the individual client. With an understanding of normal human development, an integrative therapist modifies standard treatments to fill in development gaps that affect each client in different ways. By combining elements drawn from different schools of psychological theory and research, integrative therapy becomes a more flexible and inclusive approach to treatment than more traditional, singular forms of psychotherapy.

 

Integrative psychotherapists consider the individual characteristics, preferences, needs, physical abilities, spiritual beliefs, and motivation level of their clients and use their professional judgment to decide the best approach to therapy for each client. Different approaches may be used consecutively throughout different stages of the therapeutic process or they may be used as a single combined form of therapy throughout.

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There are more than 400 different types of psychotherapy, differentiated by their approach, the clients they serve, and how long and how often the therapist typically meets with clients. Research shows that even though each of these approaches vary somewhat, they can all result in similar outcomes. And because a single approach to psychotherapy does not always provide the best benefit to the client, therapists—who are trained in one particular therapeutic model, such as cognitive-behavioral, family, or gestalt therapy—often use tools borrowed from other therapies to come up with a unique and effective form of treatment that is suitable and effective for individual clients.

 

        Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

 

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a goal-directed, time-limited, structured, and collaborative therapy approach used to treat a variety of mental health disorders. CBT explores the links between thoughts, emotions, and behaviours and aims to alleviate distress by helping patients to develop more adaptive and helpful cognitions and behaviours.

 

In its simplest form, the cognitive model ‘hypothesises that people’s emotions and behaviours are influenced by their perceptions of events. It is not a situation in and of itself that determines what people feel but rather the way in which they construe a situation. ’In other words, how people feel is determined by the way in which they interpret situations rather than by the situations per se.

 

CBT is the most widely researched and empirically supported psychotherapeutic method. This strong evidence base is reflected in clinical guidelines (NICE), which recommend CBT as a first-line treatment for many common mental health disorders such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Panic Disorder etc.

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References

• ​Fenn, Kristina & Byrne, Majella. (2013). The key principles of cognitive behavioural therapy. InnovAiT: The RCGP Journal for Associates in Training. 6. 579-585. 10.1177/1755738012471029. 

• Zarbo C, Tasca GA, Cattafi F, Compare A. Integrative psychotherapy works. Frontiers in Psychology. 2015;6:2021 Institute for Integrative Psychotherapy  

• Norcross, J. Integrative therapy. American Psychological Association

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