Assessment and Therapy
Assessment and Therapy
Socrates clinicians can offer assessment and therapeutic interventions with children, young people and adults, including individuals with learning difficulties and/or autistic spectrum disorders. We offer assessment and therapy for a range of psychological and mental health difficulties such as (but not limited to) depression, anxiety, trauma, OCD, eating disorders, behaviour problems, relationship difficulties, psychological problems relating to chronic health conditions. If you are unsure that we could assist please don't hesitate to contact us to discuss further.
We accept self-referrals as well as referrals from General Practitioners and other health, insurance and legal professionals. Our therapists are registered with a variety of health insurance companies.
Our experienced multidisciplinary team of clinicians provide a range of therapeutic interventions based on an individual formulation of presenting difficulties and draw on a range of therapeutic models including but not limited to those below.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
This is an evidence based approach which uses mindfulness and behavioural interventions. The aim in ACT is to help people reconnect with aspects of life which are most important to them. It teaches new ways of responding to thoughts and feelings to build psychological resilience. ACT is widely used in the treatment of anxiety based problems and depression.
Behavioural Therapy
This is based on the idea that people can feel better by changing what they do. It may involve responding differently than usual to situations, or using rewards to reinforce positive actions and behaviours. Behavioural Therapy can be particularly useful with difficulties such as phobias and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). It can be combined with Cognitive Therapy to form CBT.
Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT)
As its name suggests, it brings together understandings from cognitive psychotherapies (such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) and from psychoanalytic approaches into one integrated, user-friendly and effective therapy. It is a collaborative programme of looking at the way you think, feel and act; a programme which is tailored to your individual needs and to your own manageable goals for change.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
A number of the members of our team have specialised qualifications in CBT and are accredited as CBT therapists in addition to their core profession. This is usually a short-term, structured therapy, whereby client and therapist work collaboratively to change difficult feelings and behaviours, by changing underlying thought patterns. In some cases, it can be used for longer-term work. CBT has a strong evidence-base, and is recommended by NICE (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) as the treatment of choice for a wide range of difficulties.
Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP)
Dyadic developmental psychotherapy (DDP) is a specialist therapeutic approach used with children and their family/carers who have had developmental trauma (attachment disruptions) through adoption or fostering, for example and are expressing emotional difficulty as a result of their early trauma. The approach involves exploring all aspects of the child’s life, but especially thinking about past trauma. DDP aim is to helping the child and family achieve security within their relationship through exploration of the trauma and through promoting effective communication of emotional needs. Therapy usually involves the child, parent and therapist working together, using the principles of PACE (be playful, accepting, curious and empathic).
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR)
This is a therapy focused on alleviating symptoms and distress that result from traumatic or disturbing life experiences. Sometimes there are blocks in the system of processing life experiences, and EMDR uses eye movements and related techniques to unblock the memories and allow them to be processed. EMDR has a sound and growing evidence base for a variety of difficulties and is recommended by NICE (paras 1.6.18 - 1.6.20 in particular) and the World Health Organisation for treatment of post-trauma symptoms. The EMDR Europe website provides further detailed information about this type of therapy.
Family, couple and systemic psychotherapy
Family, couple and systemic psychotherapy, or family therapy as it is also called, offers a safe supportive space for families, couples and individuals to talk together or separately, about some of the most important aspects of life; family and personal relationships. It offers the potential for significant change in longstanding difficulties. When faced with problems, relationships can come under great strain and patterns may develop which can create obstacles to their resolution. Family therapy is effective for a range of difficulties affecting all ages and stages of life. Research has shown that it can bring effective change in many areas including eating disorders, childhood depression, conduct problems, emotional problems and chronic physical illness. Systemic couple's therapy provides a safe and respectful space for couples who are seeking to resolve relationship or family problems either together or apart. It has also been shown to be an effective treatment in adult depression. Family and systemic therapists are particularly sensitive to issues of power and vulnerability in relationships and to the effects of abuse or hostility of any kind. Family therapists often, but not always, work in pairs to ensure that the understanding of different perspectives is maintained and that therapy remains focussed on what will be helpful for you and your partner or family.
Mindfulness Training
The mindfulness technique focuses on becoming aware of feelings and thoughts as they arise and accepting them without reacting to them. It is designed to interrupt automatic processes within the individual, which in turn helps break previous patterns that might have triggered difficulties such as depression and anxiety. This can be a stand-alone therapy, or can be used in conjunction with another therapeutic approach. This NHS webpage has some more detailed information about Mindfulness.
Motivational Interviewing
This is a directive, client-centred approach, which aims to facilitate behavioural change by exploring factors which impede this, such as ambivalence, and working towards resolving them. It can be used alone or in conjunction with other therapies.
Person Centred Therapy
This is a non-directive therapy, which takes place in a supportive, empathic environment, where the client takes the lead in determining the direction of the therapy. The goal is to increase insight and self-understanding, and to achieve personal growth.
Play and Creative Arts Therapy
Play and Creative Art Therapy is a form of psychotherapy which is based upon the fact that play is the child's natural medium of self-expression. A variety of activities are available which often include, sand tray and figures, puppets, home corner and play-doh. These provide an opportunity for the child to 'play out' their feelings and problems just as, in certain types of adult therapy, an individual 'talks out' their difficulties”. The therapist reflects the emotions and feelings the child is displaying in their play to enable them to express and process these mixed feelings more effectively.
Psychodynamic Therapy
Psychodynamic therapy aims to help clients become aware of, and experience their vulnerable feelings which have been pushed out of conscious awareness. The psychodynamic approach states that everyone has an unconscious, which can hold and harbour painful and vulnerable feelings which are too difficult for the person to be consciously aware of. In order to keep painful feelings, memories and experiences in the unconscious, people tend to develop defence mechanisms, such as denial, repression and rationalisation. According to psychodynamic theory, these defences cause more harm than good, and once the vulnerable or painful feelings are processed, the defence mechanisms reduce or resolve.
Therapeutic Life Story
This is a programme which includes parents and carers in the sessions. The programme enables children and adolescents to work through and reflect on their past, helping them move forward, gaining a better understanding of their early life experiences and enabling them to develop a sense of belonging. This is often helpful for children who are being fostered or adopted or those struggling with attachment issues.
Theraplay ®
Theraplay (a registered service mark of The Theraplay® Institute, Evanston, IL, USA) is a child and family therapy for building and enhancing attachment, self-esteem, trust in others and joyful engagement. It is based on the natural patterns of playful, healthy interaction between parent and child and is personal, physical, and fun. Theraplay interactions focus on four essential qualities found in parent-child relationships: Structure, Engagement, Nurture, and Challenge. Theraplay sessions create an active, emotional connection between the child and parent or caregiver, resulting in a changed view of the self as worthy and lovable and of relationships as positive and rewarding.
Trauma Therapy
We provide assessment and treatment for individuals experiencing symptoms or difficulties following trauma such as road accidents, accidents at work, assault, abuse, working with clients who have experienced birth trauma and complex post traumatic stress disorder. We routinely work with front-line emergency services personnel who experience trauma as part of their everyday job roles. We have a good understanding of the environment in which they work and the impact that this can have on them and on their working and personal lives. We can help them to process their traumatic experiences so that they can function better in their jobs and deal with things that occur on a regular basis in their working life but to which most people are not exposed. We offer individual and group therapy as appropriate. Therapy can be based on any of the models previously described, but often draws on CBT and/or EMDR as these approaches have the best evidence base for trauma.