What is psychotherapy?
Psychotherapy (also known as “talk therapy”) is a term for a range of techniques used to treat various emotional problems and mental health conditions. If you are looking for psychotherapy in London, our private clinic offers clinically-effective psychotherapy with a range of highly-qualified mental health professionals.
Psychotherapy involves talking to a therapist about your problems and worries in a safe, supportive environment. Talking with a psychotherapist can help you heal emotionally, improve your mental health, overcome social or emotional challenges, improve your relationships and increase your overall well-being.
Psychotherapy teaches you how to take control of your life by developing healthy ways of coping with challenges. It is an effective treatment strategy for both adults and children.
Psychotherapists are objective and non-judgmental; they are also supportive and compassionate. A psychotherapist focuses on listening to and understanding you so that they can help you uncover the root cause of your problems. They then help you solve these problems by showing you how to develop new thoughts and behaviour patterns.
It is important that you find a psychotherapist that you can trust. At the Blue Tree Clinic, all of our psychotherapists in London will make you feel safe and comfortable during your private psychotherapy sessions.
Psychotherapy can be used in combination with medication and other forms of therapy. Often, individuals find that a combination of psychotherapy and medication is more helpful than just one treatment alone.
At our private therapy clinic in London, you can choose to attend your psychotherapy sessions alone (i.e., one-to-one) or with a partner or family member by your side.
Psychotherapy can be short-term (just a few sessions) to help you manage immediate challenges or long-term (regular sessions over several months or years) to help you work through and solve complex mental health problems.
Types of psychotherapy
There are many different types of psychotherapy and each has its own approach. The type of psychotherapy that’s right for you will depend on your specific situation and needs.
At the Blue Tree Clinic, we offer several types of psychotherapy in London, including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Psychodynamic Therapy, Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy, Family Therapy and Couples Therapy.
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy helps you change the way you think and behave. Sessions usually centre around a specific problem, fear or phobia.
- Psychodynamic Therapy helps you uncover the deeper thoughts and feelings of your unconscious mind. Your therapist will encourage you to talk freely in your session so that they can look for hidden meanings and patterns in the things that you say.
- Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy is a short-term, structured type of psychotherapy that allows you to work on mental health conditions that are derived from relationship issues. Your therapist will help you form connections between your current symptoms and your past experiences with others.
- Family Therapy helps family members improve their communication and resolve conflicts. Your therapist is an unbiased, third-party who will help you and your family members discuss issues and understand one another more.
- Couples Therapy helps couples work through challenges and gain more knowledge about their relationship. Your therapist is non-judgemental and will create a safe space for you and your partner to explore your thoughts and feelings openly. They will also give you tools to help you better communicate with one another and resolve conflict in a healthy way.
What happens in psychotherapy?
The Blue Tree Clinic offers private psychotherapy in London. During a psychotherapy session, your psychotherapist will listen to you with compassion and understanding as you talk through your problems and challenges. They will also ask you questions so that they can better understand your specific situation.
You do not have to talk about anything you do not want to during your appointment; however, the more open and honest you can be in a psychotherapy session, the more your therapist will be able to help you.
Some types of psychotherapy focus mostly on offering you the space to talk openly about your thoughts, feelings and behaviours. Other types of psychotherapy may involve specific exercises to help you process and manage your problems.
You may find you get quite emotional during your psychotherapy session – it is not uncommon for people to cry or get angry during psychotherapy. However, the goal of psychotherapy is to make you feel completely safe and relaxed no matter what emotions come up.
Remember that your psychotherapist is specifically there to help you cope with and process your emotions. Feeling emotions fully is a very powerful way to heal them.
Private psychotherapy sessions provide a safe environment in which to express emotion. All sessions are private and completely confidential.
The staff at our private clinic are some of the best psychotherapists in London. You can rest assured that you are in experienced and trusted hands when you book an appointment with us.
What issues might psychotherapy be used for?
You don’t need to have a diagnosed mental illness to benefit from psychotherapy. Although psychotherapy is often used to treat mental health conditions, it can help also help people experiencing all sorts of different life conflicts and challenges.
The Blue Tree Clinic offers psychotherapy in London to help people with a range of mental emotional and challenges.
Psychotherapy can help you manage mental health problems, including:
- Addiction, such as gambling, gaming or substance abuse
- Anxiety disorders and panic attacks
- Bipolar disorder
- Depression
- Eating disorders, such as anorexia, bulimia or binge eating
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Personality disorders, such as borderline personality disorder or dependent personality disorder
- Phobias
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Schizophrenia
You may also find psychotherapy helpful if you are dealing with life stresses such as:
- Conflict with your partner or someone else
- Coping with having been abused physically or sexually
- Difficulty forming or maintaining healthy relationships with others
- Extreme mood swings, including road rage
- Major health changes, including being diagnosed with cancer, diabetes or chronic pain
- Major life changes, especially those related to loss, such as bereavement, divorce or unemployment
- Sexual problems
- Sleep problems, including insomnia
- Social stresses, including a lack of confidence or extreme shyness
- Witnessing violence
- Work-related anxiety or stress
Sometimes, psychotherapy alone is enough to treat an individual’s problem. However, often psychotherapy is most effective when used in combination with medication.
What are the benefits of Psychotherapy?
Sometimes, it is easier to talk to a stranger than it is to open up to someone you know well.
Psychotherapy gives you the opportunity to look at your problems in a new way with someone who is neutral and non-judgmental. All of our psychotherapists in London will respect you and your opinions and listen to you with compassion and understanding.
There are many benefits to psychotherapy. For example, it can help you to:
- Manage your thoughts and emotions in a positive way. Psychotherapy teaches how to put the brakes on negative thought spirals. This can help you overcome challenges such as self-harm, eating disorders and suicidal thoughts.
- Heal your relationships. Psychotherapy can teach you new communication skills and strategies to resolve conflict so that your connections with others are more peaceful and harmonious.
- Identify what environmental triggers cause your negative thoughts, feelings or behaviours. Psychotherapy can help you learn how to recognise these triggers in your daily life and respond to future obstacles with new, healthy coping mechanisms.
- Boost your self-esteem, build your confidence and become more self-aware. Psychotherapy helps you become more self-reliant as it teaches you strategies that will enable you to manage your mental health in positive ways for the rest of your life.