As we develop our visibility as providers of virtual therapy we are becoming listed in a number of online directories. Sometimes the process of completing the profiles required is time consuming. I recently completed a directory entry that required detailed descriptions of how I approach particular problems.
I thought it would be useful to share my approach with you. I emphasise that these are not descriptions of diagnostic categories, but simply responses to common problems.
Addictions and Substance Abuse
I have been working in the field of alcohol and other drug abuse for 35 years. I deliver a custom-designed program to meet the individual’s needs and means.
Anger Management
In my experience anger is not acontextual. The complexity of an individual’s anger needs to be deconstructed and addressed. I design individual programs for individual problems.
Anxiety
One fix does not suit all. I want to know the source of your anxiety and fears, either real or imagined, and then provide you with a path to healing.
Autism and Asperger’s
The first step I recommend is a thorough diagnostic procedure. If it is the case that an individual is on this spectrum, it is important to know where on the spectrum she or he is, and to design an individual intervention. I find this a particularly rewarding area in which to work as in my experience I can really make a difference in my clients’ lives.
Bipolar Affective Disorder
I believe that the most important first step is to conduct a thorough diagnostic procedure. I have come across many individuals who carry this diagnosis when in fact other psychological explanations are a better fit. Once a diagnosis is made, the most important factor is to design a program for the individual’s circumstances.
Borderline Personality Disorder
I specialise in all forms of personality disorder, but I always emphasise the difference between disordered personality traits and a full-blown personality disorder. The main feature of Borderline personality disorder is that in order to repair the fractured sense of self an individual adopts a reality that is somewhat different than that experienced by others: the goal of therapy is to reintegrate the individual’s experienced reality with others.
Career Counselling
In addition to being a Clinical Psychologist I am also an Occupational Psychologist. My experience ranges from helping individuals decide on a course of study in order to launch a career to acting as a coach for chief officers of Fortune 500 companies internationally. It almost goes without saying that whilst this is not rocket science, the importance is in identifying the fit between an individual and a career.
Chronic Pain
My question is if you break your leg, where is the pain? Actually, it’s in your mind. The nerve receptors around the injury send messages to your brain, and your brain sends out pain messages. I really do not mean this to be facile, but all pain is interpreted by the mind. Even though pain is a real physical event, competent psychological therapy can help you process pain in such a way that you can still live your life in the way you would wish.
Codependency
Relationships are difficult. Sometimes our need for a relationship undermines our ability to function. This is made more complex when the significant other experiences a similar dysfunctional drive. The good news: this can be fixed. It is possible to have healthy, mutually respectful, and supportive relationships.
Depression
The father of all psychotherapeutic intervention, Sigmund Freud, made a clear distinction between ‘neurotic anxiety’ (depression) and normal human unhappiness. Depression is not normal human unhappiness: it is the mind turning upon itself and undermining the possibility of fulfilled existence. There are different approaches to treating depression. My path in therapy is to harness the power of the mind to enable it to heal itself.
Dissociative Disorders
Sometimes reality is so painful that we separate ourselves from ourselves. This can occur in many different psychological conditions and for many different reasons. My approach to treatment is to find the reason, to heal the injury, and to reintegrate the self.
Divorce
The breakdown of a once loving relationship is listed in the top five life events associated with suicide. Divorce is painful, but sometimes separation is not only necessary, but inevitable. I work with couples going through this difficult transition and with individuals experiencing the pain. My objective is to enable those I work with to move forward to a better life.
Domestic Violence and Abuse
I work with many life difficulties. I have never understood how any individual, male or female, can believe that it is acceptable to behave in a physically or emotionally abusive manner towards someone whom they purport to love. The distortion of reality is that abusers often use the term ‘love’ to justify their abhorrent behaviour. My role as a psychological counsellor is to help anyone in an abusive situation break free from the cycle of abuse and discover a fulfilled future. Such a future may be independence, or it may be in a loving relationship that is truly healthy.
Eating Disorders
Eating disorders are one of the most challenging conditions for psychologists to treat. There are many causes and many manifestations. I take an individual approach based upon the history, the client’s circumstances, and the way in which the disorder presents itself.
Emotional Abuse
I believe that emotional abuse is ‘invisible violence’. The perpetrators can be parents, intimate partners, work colleagues, or so-called friends. The outcome is devastating. Nobody should suffer this violence in silence. I will work with you to change it.
Forgiveness
Forgiveness has its place. Sometimes it is appropriate; sometimes it is not. In fact I think it is fair to say that forgiveness per se is overrated. Forgiveness is not a statement, but an experience. Sometimes forgiveness is a healing experience for the individual. My counselling would aim to identify whether forgiveness is appropriate in relation to your individual circumstances, and if so to enable you to achieve it as a form of healing; and if not, to help you find another path to fulfillment.
Gambling Addiction
Addictive behaviour is destructive in any aspect of our lives. The difficulty with gambling is that it undermines our ability to provide for ourselves and our family. I have worked with addictive behaviours for nearly 40 years.
Hypnotherapy
I am a member of the British Society of Clinical & Academic Hypnosis (BSCAH). My approach is to make a thorough assessment of an individual’s difficulties and decide whether hypnosis is an appropriate therapy. If it is, I am happy to treat the individual by this means, but there are occasions in which I can identify more effective treatments.
Impulse Control Disorders
A hallmark of healthy psychological behaviour is that we are in control of what we do and when we do it; someone suffering from this disorder is not. I am happy to design individual treatment approaches based upon individual circumstances.
Infidelity
Infidelity is simply a form of dishonesty and betrayal, but the devastation and hurt that it leaves in its wake is almost indescribable. However, infidelity is not always an inevitable end of a relationship. It is important to identify what can be salvaged, and what cannot be salvaged.
Life Coaching
Psychologists are very well placed to be life coaches. Essentially, clinical psychologists are no more and no less than behaviour change specialists. My approach to life coaching is to begin at the end: identify where you want to go. Next we need to understand where we are, and then all we need to do is to define the steps between where we are and where we want to go. Easy, really. I would love to accompany you on the journey.
Loss and Grief
The loss of a loved one is in the top three life events associated with suicide, yet loss and grief are not only a normal but almost an inevitable part of the human experience. Competent psychological counselling can truly assist with these difficult but normal life experiences.
Men’s Issues
In terms of psychological distress both men and women suffer many problems in common. However, each gender role has its own challenges. For every problem there is a solution. This is an area in which I am very happy to assist.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
We all strive for perfection, but for some of us perfection becomes an end in itself. When our thinking overtakes our ability to act we cannot function. Fortunately there are clear pathways to solving this extremely difficult dilemma.
Parenting
There’s no right way to do it but oh my goodness, there are many wrong ways to do it. What you do now is most likely to determine what happens to your offspring for the rest of their lives. Let’s try to get it right.
Personality Disorders
As is the case with many psychological difficulties the first essential step is a rigorous diagnosis. In order to be diagnosed with a personality disorder a spread of personality traits must be disordered above the diagnostic threshold. The world standard in the diagnosis of personality disorder is the International Personality Disorder Examination (IPDE) published by the World Health Organization. If a diagnosis is made there are treatments available that can be successful, but there are no easy fixes.
Postpartum Depression
As with any form of depression we can understand its cause and its manifestation at many levels. In the case of postpartum depression there is a combination of a chemical malfunction in the brain probably caused by hormonal imbalance and the overwhelming experience of bonding with and being responsible for a new and helpless human being. I know from working with patients suffering from this horrible condition that the level of despair is immense. I can only say that this is a condition that responds well to treatment. Seeing patients respond to this treatment and becoming loving functional parents is one of the most rewarding experiences a psychologist can have.
Psychosis
Many people think that psychosis can only be treated by psychiatric medication. But many of the most distressing aspects of psychosis can be managed by psychological intervention. I believe that the most effective treatment program for these distressing conditions includes both psychiatric and psychological interventions.
Relationship and Marriage Counselling
He said, she said– but did either of them listen? It is an oft-repeated truism that many relationships fail because of flawed communication. But many relationships fail for other reasons. My approach to couple counselling is to start at the end. Is there truly a prospect for these two people to experience a loving and enduring relationship? If there is, we can work out the details over the next few sessions. If there is not, we can find a way for two mature adults to part in such a way that they can both move forward to a better life.
Schizophrenia
Many people think that schizophrenia can only be treated by psychiatric medication. But many of the most distressing aspects of schizophrenia can be managed by psychological intervention. I believe that the most effective treatment program for these distressing conditions includes both psychiatric and psychological interventions.
Self-Esteem
All of us are a unique combination of things we do well, and things we do not do well. People with low self-esteem have a flawed understanding of themselves. My objective in psychological counselling is to help my clients engage in a realistic appraisal of their strengths and weaknesses, and truly celebrate themselves. Many of us have endured experiences sometimes at the hands of family and/or at the hands of peers that have damaged our ability to achieve an objective understanding of what we do well. I believe the goal of counselling is to correct this.
Sex Therapy
Sexual dysfunction in men and in women falls into very specific categories. The good news is that for each category there is a clear treatment path. The first step is assessment. Is this truly a sexual dysfunction, or a relationship dysfunction? Whichever it turns out to be, there is a way forward.
Sexual Abuse
Sexual abuse is a specific form of trauma. It often threatens not only our ability to maintain control over our lives, but our sense of self. The result of this is that the trauma radiates into every aspect of our lives. The goal of therapy is to understand the damage and to regain control. Reflexively, regaining control over our lives is a way of rebuilding our sense of self.
Sexual Addiction
Sometimes we like doing things a lot; if this brings us pleasure, it is a positive thing in our lives. However, there are times when liking things a lot gets out of control– be it gambling, ingesting substances, playing video games, or having sex. The term ‘life balance’ is almost tautological. To have a fulfilled life, it should be in balance. The good news is that sex is a behaviour, and psychologists are well versed in helping you change your behaviour. You can regain control of your choices.
Sleep Disorders
Sleep disorders are usually (but not always) a secondary symptom of other problems. My approach is to conduct a thorough assessment of the underlying cause and provide treatment accordingly.
Social Anxiety
Human beings are not the only social animal, but our ability to interact with other people is a critical factor in our lives and thereby our sense of wellbeing. Social anxiety arises for many different reasons– sometimes as a result of difficult experiences during our upbringing, resulting in low self-esteem, for example. In recent times the temptation to compare ourselves to others has been distorted by cultural phenomena such as social media. We are constantly bombarded by images of success, beauty, attainment, wealth, and so on that we can never hope to achieve. This creates an unrealistic sense of worth and worthlessness that sometimes causes us to isolate ourselves even further. Psychological counselling can help evaluate who we really are, what we want to achieve, and how we can do this. In my experience the most effective treatment is an evaluation of the root causes of social anxiety in my clients. I then design a specific coaching program to enable my clients to engage with the social world.
Social Isolation
Human beings are eminently social animals. In order to survive we need oxygen, we need water and nutrition, and we need social interaction. Sometimes social isolation occurs as a result of circumstances and sometimes as a result of psychological difficulties such as social anxiety. Whatever the reasons for social isolation, it does not have to be endured; competent psychological counselling can help in reintegrating an individual with the world around him or her.
Stopping Smoking
As with any addiction, the task of stopping smoking often appears to be overwhelming. The good news is that many thousands of people give up smoking every day. The most effective way to give up smoking is with the help of a competent counsellor.
Stress
Stress is a normal life event. The difficulty arises because our minds force us to remain in a stressful situation without processing the stressors. We are ‘fight and flight’ animals. What this means is that we are biologically programmed to respond to a stressful situation by lashing out and running away. Although it may be tempting to do so, this is not a strategy that most of us can enact in, for example, the workplace. Competent therapy is designed to enable individuals to understand the stressors around them, develop effective strategies for dealing with these stressors, and to make appropriate changes in order to reduce stressful situations.
Suicidal Thoughts
Probably many more people have suicidal thoughts than we generally recognise. For most people, these thoughts are fleeting moments easily dismissed; but for some people, these thoughts become intrusive and the temptation to act upon them increases. My approach is to understand why an individual is experiencing suicidal ideation and to design an individual course of treatment to remove these thoughts.
Trauma and PTSD
Sometimes human beings are faced with truly horrible situations: threat, a fear of death, or witnessing such events. A normal response to these situations is severe psychological disturbance. However, such disturbance usually remits within weeks. Unfortunately for some people the psychological disturbance lasts months, years, and sometimes a lifetime. These disturbances include nightmares, intrusive thoughts, avoidance of situations that resemble the trauma, difficulty relating to other people, withdrawal from social life, and in extreme cases dissociation from reality. The two most common psychological conditions associated with this disturbed response are Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Adjustment Disorder. Psychologists have had more than a hundred years of experience in dealing with these difficulties. In the First World War it was described as shell shock. In the Second World War it was known as combat fatigue. We now know that it is not only those who engage in combat who suffer from these disorders. What we are increasingly understanding is that posttraumatic experiences are a disturbance of memory: the disturbance is that we simply cannot forget the horror we have experienced. Psychologists have developed clear treatment pathways to assist the victims of trauma.
Weight Loss
We should be able to make choices in our lives. Sometimes we engage in behaviours such as overeating that strip us of our sense of control. Psychological counselling can help enable us to regain control.
Women’s Issues
In terms of psychological distress both men and women suffer many problems in common. However, each gender role has its own challenges. For every problem there is a solution. This is an area in which I am very happy to assist.