DR JESS RAYNER
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST
THERAPY APPROACHES
I work with a range of different therapy approaches which I often integrate. Every person is unique in what they bring to work on in therapy, so we will discuss what sort of therapy might be most useful during our initial session/s.
EMDR
EMDR is an effective therapy for trauma and can also be helpful for anxiety, grief, chronic pain and phobias. When we experience traumatic or distressing events, our brain and body can hold onto these experiences in ways that mean they continue to affect us.
After getting a picture of what is happening for you, we spend some time building skills to manage difficult thoughts and feelings, both in sessions and between them. We then focus on reprocessing specific memories using bilateral stimulation, such as eye movements, tapping or sounds.
This helps the brain process memories in a different way, so they can feel more like events from the past and have less impact on you now. It can also help us work with unhelpful beliefs about ourselves, such as feeling not good enough, unworthy or a burden.
ACCEPTANCE & COMMITMENT THERAPY
This approach recognises how easily we can lose sight of what truly matters when difficult thoughts and emotions take over. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps you manage these experiences without letting them dictate your actions. Through mindfulness, acceptance and taking action, ACT encourages you to observe your thoughts and feelings without being controlled by them, allowing you to focus on doing things that are important to you. This empowers you to take meaningful steps toward a more authentic and fulfilling life, even in the face of challenges.
COMPASSION FOCUSED THERAPY
Many of us have an inner critic that tells us we are not good enough, worries about what others think, or leaves us feeling anxious, ashamed, lacking confidence or down on ourselves.
We can find ourselves stuck on high alert, leaving us worried, tense or on edge. For others, it can feel more like shutting down, losing motivation or feeling low.
CFT helps us understand these patterns and develop a kinder relationship with ourselves. Through mindfulness, breathing, visualisation and compassion practices, we learn to reduce difficult thoughts and feelings, soothe the nervous system, and feel calmer and more confident.
The benefits of compassion are not new. Valued across cultures for centuries, there is now growing evidence from psychology and neuroscience supporting its benefits for our wellbeing.
COGNITIVE BEHAVIOURAL THERAPY
CBT explores how our thoughts, feelings, behaviours and physical sensations are connected, and how these patterns can sometimes keep difficulties going.
It can help you understand your experiences and develop practical skills to manage difficult thoughts and feelings, and make changes to patterns of behaviour.
I am trained in CBT and draw on it alongside other approaches, depending on what feels most helpful.