Psychological Therapy

Janis has extensive experience of working with a broad range of difficulties, and adapts his way of working to your needs by integrating a range of psychotherapeutic models and techniques.

He works on a short to long term basis, depending on the difficulties you present with and your expectations. This is usually discussed and collaboratively agreed with you at the initial sessions. Janis has a special interest in working with complex trauma, PTSD, relational challenges, shame-based difficulties, dissociation and ways in which trauma manifests in the body. His style as a therapist is active, engaged and collaborative, seeking balance between active listening and validation, and guiding you towards developing new patterns and resolving difficulties you feel stuck with.

Presenting Issues

Psychological help is offered for the following presenting issues:

Stress (including work-related stress)
Complex trauma with childhood origins and PTSD
Dissociation-related difficulties
Shame-based difficulties
Anxiety
Depression
Panic attacks
Social anxiety
Health Anxiety
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Obsessions and compulsions (including Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder)

Difficulties managing anger
Difficulties related to eating (bulimia, anorexia, binge-eating)
Low self-esteem
Difficulties related to body image
Relationship difficulties and family issues, past or present
Issues related to sexuality
Bereavement/losses
Life crisis or lack of meaning/direction in life
Substance use (drug & alcohol – past or present)

Therapeutic Models

A range of therapeutic models is used, including:
schema therapy, cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), eye-movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR), sensorimotor psychotherapy, internal family systems (IFS), compassion-focused (CFT), as well as acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), mindfulness, existential and psychodynamic approaches.

Schema Therapy

Focuses on working with schemas which are ‘lenses’ through which we grow to see the world, self and others, often based on negative or traumatic past experiences when our core emotional needs consistently were not met. Schema therapy is an integrative model which draws on psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioural and experiential therapeutic models, aiming to alter entrenched unhelpful patterns of thoughts, feelings, behaviours, physical sensations and relational styles which typically tend to confirm and reinforce these schemas. Schema therapy works with parts of self or modes that typically developed in one’s childhood or adolescence, helping bring harmony, friendliness and cooperation to the overall internal system.

Schema therapy is typically a long-term therapeutic model that can be adapted depending on the need.

Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

A well-established therapeutic model for the treatment of trauma and PTSD. EMDR can be brief or longer term, and focuses on problematic, usually trauma-related thought processes, feelings and bodily sensations through the use of specific treatment protocols and procedures, including bilateral stimulation using therapist’s hand, sound or taps.

EMDR can be very effective working with specific traumatic memories, flashbacks and nightmares.

Internal Family Systems (IFS)

The Internal Family Systems Model (IFS) is an integrative approach to individual psychotherapy developed by Richard C. Schwartz in the 1980s. It combines systems thinking with the view that the mind is made up of relatively discrete subpersonalities, each with its own unique viewpoint and qualities. IFS uses family systems theory to understand how these collections of subpersonalities are organized.

IFS posits that the mind is made up of multiple parts, and underlying them is a person's core or true Self. Like members of a family, a person's inner parts can take on extreme roles or subpersonalities. Each part has its own perspective, interests, memories, and viewpoint.

Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT)

A highly researched therapeutic model which is designed to address specific issues by identifying and changing unhelpful thought processes which lead to negative feelings and self-defeating behaviours. A cognitive-behavioural therapist tends to focus on the present rather than the past and helps the client learn strategies to manage and eventually overcome their particular difficulties.

A great emphasis is laid on the client learning to use these strategies independently so that they are later able to apply them without the help of the therapist.

Sensorimotor Psychotherapy

A body-based therapeutic model drawing on the Hakomi Method, aiming to address the effects of trauma in the body. Many clients with histories of trauma report physical sensations which are not always accompanied by words or a narrative. Trauma can manifest in the body on an implicit level, where access to traumatic material cannot be gained through just talking.

Sensorimotor psychotherapy offers ways of working directly with the body and processing somatic component of traumatic memories. Work with the body does not necessarily include touch but it adds the somatic dimension to psychotherapeutic work which is often omitted in traditional therapeutic models that rely mostly on language.

Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT)

Compassion focused therapy was developed by Prof Paul Gilbert and is a derivative of cognitive behavioural therapy and other approaches to work with shame-based difficulties. Many clients with strong internal critic struggle with intense feelings of shame which can get in the way of taking positive actions in their lives.

CFT focuses on helping people develop a strong internal compassion voice which is shown by research to alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety, and improves self-esteem and builds a more positive relationship with oneself. The goal of CFT is to build inner sense of safety, warmth and self-nurturing, which in turns allows oneself to improve capacity for self soothing, self-acceptance and resilience in stressful situations.

Highly specialised psychological therapy and clinical supervision