Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or CBT, is the approach most people have heard of. It starts with a simple observation: the way you interpret a situation shapes how you feel about it, and how you feel shapes what you do. When those interpretations are consistently harsh, catastrophic, or distorted, they generate real distress even when circumstances are manageable. In sessions, CBT means working together to catch those patterns as they happen, examine the evidence for and against them, and build more accurate and flexible ways of thinking. It's structured, it's practical, and it tends to produce noticeable change relatively quickly. I find it particularly useful for anxiety, low mood, sleep difficulties, and the kind of self-critical thinking that has been running quietly in the background for years.
Emotionally Focused Therapy, or EFT, works at a different level. Rather than focusing primarily on thoughts, it goes to the emotional experience underneath them, and particularly to how early attachment relationships have shaped the way you connect with others and with yourself. If you grew up in a family where emotional needs were consistently unmet, dismissed, or punished, you learned to manage those needs in ways that made sense then but cause problems now. Those patterns show up in adult relationships as cycles of distance, conflict, over-functioning, or shutdown. In couples work, EFT helps both people understand what's actually driving the cycle rather than just arguing about the surface content. In individual work, it helps you access and process emotions that have been pushed down for a long time.
Internal Family Systems, or IFS, is built on the idea that the mind isn't a single unified voice. It's a collection of different parts, each carrying its own perspective, motivation, and history. You might recognise this from moments when part of you wants to set a boundary and another part insists you can't. The inner critic that sounds nothing like how you'd speak to a friend. The part that shuts down completely under pressure. In IFS, we don't try to silence or override these parts. We get curious about them. Often the parts that cause the most trouble are protecting something, usually an older wound. IFS is particularly useful for trauma, complex self-criticism, and for anyone who has tried to change a pattern by willpower alone and found it doesn't work.
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, or DBT, developed originally from CBT and was designed specifically for people experiencing intense emotional swings, difficulty in relationships, and urges toward self-harm. At its core, it holds two things together at once: you're doing the best you can given your history, and you also need to build new skills to change your experience. DBT offers concrete tools for managing overwhelming emotions, tolerating distress without making it worse, communicating more effectively, and building a life that feels worth living. I draw on DBT skills work particularly with clients navigating emotional intensity, borderline patterns, or chronic feelings of emptiness. All of these approaches sit alongside psychodynamic, narrative, solution-focused, and trauma-focused work. I integrate mindfulness throughout, and I always begin from a person-centred foundation, which means I follow your lead on what matters and what pace feels right.
