This approach addresses regards psychological problems as arising from maladaptive beliefs, thought processes and behaviours. It is a goal-oriented therapy, in which the therapist offers education and coaching in procedures for understanding and changing problematic patterns of thought, action and emotion. It is a collaborative therapy, in which the client is expected to take an active role in and between therapy sessions. For more information click here

This is a philosophical method that assumes that personal inner conflict arises from an individual’s confrontation with the givens of existence. In this approach, these givens, or ‘ultimate concerns’, are: the inevitability of death; freedom and its attendant responsibility; existential isolation (referring to phenomenology); and meaninglessness. These four givens form the framework for conceptualising clients’ problems. Existential therapy encourages clients to engage in honest self-reflection to: evaluate their situation, values and beliefs; acknowledge their limitations as well as the possibilities for their lives; find meaning and purpose; and develop more effective ways of communicating. Existential therapy can be highly effective for youth and adults who are struggling to make healthy life choices and accept the consequences of these choices. For more information click here

Person-centred therapy provides clients with a space and relationship in which to explore their experiences, attitudes, feelings and behaviour and find their own solutions to their problems. Therapists provide non-judgmental, empathic listening stance, and offer genuine responses characterised by an attitude of warmth and unconditional positive regard for the client. For more information click here

Psychodynamic psychotherapy draws on theories and practices of analytical psychology and psychoanalysis. It is a therapeutic process that helps patients understand and resolve their problems by increasing awareness of their inner world and its influence over relationships both past and present. It differs from many therapies in aiming for emotional development and deep-seated change in personality. The relationship with the therapist is a crucial element in the therapy. The therapist offers a setting that facilitates a process in which unconscious patterns of the patient’s inner world, especially their past, become reflected in the patient’s relationship with the therapist. This includes talking about unresolved issues and conflicts, important people and relationships, which all may have formed unconscious patterns. This process helps patients gradually to identify these patterns and, in becoming conscious of them, to develop the capacity to understand and change them. For more information and research on psychodynamic psychotherapy click here

Schema Therapy combines elements of cognitive-behavioural, experiential and interpersonal therapies into one unified model. It understands psychological problems in terms of emotion-laden themes of belief and behaviour, or ‘schemas’, and schema modes. In schema therapy, clients identify these themes and explore their origins, which typically lie in childhood. These themes point to unmet emotional and relational needs (such as safety or sense of worth). Once identified, the therapist and client work together to have these needs met and the impact of past experiences healed, drawing on the client’s relationship with God where appropriate. This occurs through experiential work within therapy sessions, and through practices in everyday life. Schema Therapy is effective for a range of problems but was developed particularly to address longstanding, complex problems and has good evidence for its effectiveness with these. For more information click here

Cognitive processing therapy (CPT) is a specific type of cognitive behavioural therapy that has been effective in reducing symptoms of PTSD that have developed after experiencing a variety of traumatic events including child abuse, combat, rape and natural disasters. CPT is generally delivered over 12 sessions and helps patients learn how to challenge and modify unhelpful beliefs related to the trauma. In so doing, the patient creates a new understanding and conceptualization of the traumatic event so that it reduces its ongoing negative effects on current life. This treatment is strongly recommended for the treatment of PTSD. For more information click here