Choosing a therapist: why professional accreditation matters

Choosing a therapist can feel quite personal. You may be looking for someone who understands the difficulty you are facing, but also someone you feel you could talk to openly and trust. Alongside that personal fit, it is also worth looking at a therapist’s training, experience and professional accreditation, as these give you some reassurance about the standards they work to.

I am accredited with the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP), the main professional body for CBT in the UK, and I am also a Senior Accredited Registered Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). These professional memberships and accreditations involve recognised standards of training, practice, supervision, ongoing professional development and ethical conduct. I also have more than 25 years of clinical experience and work with approaches including CBT, Metacognitive Therapy, ACT, EMDR and Deep Brain Reorienting.

For me, good therapy is not simply about applying a particular technique. It is about understanding the individual person, working collaboratively and using the right approach at the right time. Feeling comfortable with your therapist matters, but so does knowing that the person you are working with has the training, experience and professional framework needed to offer safe and effective psychological therapy.

EMDR and Chronic Pain

Living with chronic pain can be a long journey. Over time, people may have tried different treatments, learned a great deal about pain and about themselves, and found ways of doing things that once seemed impossible. And yet there can still be a quiet question: is there anything else that might help?

That question is one of the reasons I continue to develop my work using EMDR with chronic pain. What particularly interests me is that EMDR gives us additional ways of working not only with pain itself, but with the sensations, emotions, memories and experiences that can become connected with living in pain.

Sometimes the therapeutic work may involve a particular memory or experience. At other times the starting point may be the pain itself, a bodily sensation, fear associated with the pain, or the effect that living with pain has had on someone's life. And sometimes something new emerges during therapy — a change in sensation, an unexpected association, a different understanding or a new felt sense of oneself — which we can stay with and work with further.

I recently had the opportunity to attend the second part of Australian psychologist Mark Grant's training on using EMDR with chronic pain. What I particularly valued was the breadth and flexibility of the approach. Rather than treating EMDR as a single technique to be applied in the same way to everybody, the training explored different ways of working according to the person, their pain and what is happening for them at that moment.

The training has broadened the range of approaches and techniques I can draw upon in my existing work with chronic pain. It has also left me wanting to explore further. Mark brings considerable experience to this field, together with a strong sense of what may be possible. I found that genuinely energising — not simply learning more but coming away feeling increasingly confident about putting that learning into practice.

New Perspectives on EMDR and Chronic Pain

One of the things I value about being a therapist is that the learning never really stops. Our understanding of the brain, trauma, pain and psychological therapy continues to develop, creating new possibilities not only for therapists, but ultimately for the people who come to us for help.

I first had the opportunity to learn from Australian psychologist Mark Grant when he came to London in 2012. Mark has specialised for many years in the use of EMDR with chronic pain, and I am delighted that, fourteen years later, I have the opportunity to learn from him again. This time, rather than Mark travelling to London, I am joining a series of live webinars he is delivering from Australia, timed to enable therapists in Europe to participate.

My own learning about pain, trauma and their treatment has continued throughout those intervening years, through different areas of training and clinical practice. What feels particularly valuable now is the opportunity to return to Mark's work and discover how his own thinking and clinical approach have evolved. It allows me to look again at chronic pain specifically through his perspective, while bringing to that learning the knowledge and experience I have developed since we first met in 2012.

For me, continuing professional development is about remaining curious. However experienced we become, there is always more to understand and another perspective from which to look at something familiar. I feel very fortunate to have this opportunity to deepen my understanding of chronic pain from Mark's particular perspective and to consider how his developing work may further inform my own.

Trauma-focused CBT or EMDR – does having a choice matter?

Trauma-focused CBT or EMDR – does having a choice matter?

When people seek therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), they may be offered different evidence-based treatments. Two of the main approaches recommended by NICE are trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR). A new study from a South London NHS Talking Therapies service has looked at how these two approaches compare in everyday clinical practice.

The researchers found that both EMDR and trauma-focused CBT produced similarly good outcomes across different types of trauma and different groups of clients. There was no clear indication that one treatment was consistently better than the other. This supports the idea that, when both treatments are suitable and available, the individual’s own preference can reasonably play an important part in deciding which approach to use.

The study also highlighted something equally important: some people stopped therapy around the point at which treatment began to focus more directly on traumatic memories. Trauma therapy can understandably feel daunting, and the researchers suggest that careful preparation and discussion about what memory-focused work involves may help people remain engaged with treatment. Sarah has found over many years of clinical work that good preparation often makes a real difference, helping people feel more able to engage with trauma-focused therapy when they are ready to do so.

For someone considering therapy for trauma, the question therefore may not simply be “Which treatment is best?” A more useful discussion may be about how the different therapies work, what feels acceptable to the individual, and which approach they feel most able to engage with. Good trauma therapy should be collaborative rather than something that is simply done to a person.

At Symmetry CBT, Sarah works with both CBT and EMDR when helping people with traumatic experiences and PTSD. Having experience in more than one trauma-focused therapy allows the treatment discussion to take account of the individual person, their difficulties and their preferences, rather than starting from the assumption that one approach will suit everybody.

Using Music in EMDR 🎶

In early May 2026, I attended a workshop presented by Cassandra Manning MA, MSc on her EMDR+Music Integrated Model©: Using Music as an Interweave in EMDR©.

EMDR is already a powerful and well-established therapy approach, and many people benefit greatly from it.

At times, though, some people can find themselves worrying during EMDR:

• “Am I processing properly?”
• “Am I getting it right?”
• “Am I failing because nothing seems to be happening?”

As a practitioner, I already try to create a therapeutic space where there is less pressure to perform or force experience. What interested me about the use of music was the possibility that it might help people who become stuck, overthink the process, or go round in circles during therapy.

During the workshop, we practised experiencing EMDR ourselves in the role of client, which is an important part of learning any therapy approach as a practitioner.

I chose to work on a recent loss. What surprised me was the sense of spaciousness that emerged when music was introduced. I felt at ease with the loss in a grounded way. I noticed something had gently shifted in the way I was holding it.

As someone who has always loved music, I came away feeling genuinely interested in the possibilities this approach may offer for some people, particularly those who feel drawn to music, who become stuck in overthinking during therapy, or who feel apprehensive about EMDR itself.

I am introducing EMDR+Music into my practice for clients who feel it may be helpful for them.

Sarah 

Metacognitive Therapy (MCT), EMDR and DBR for health anxiety

I came to therapy struggling with overwhelming health anxiety that was affecting nearly every part of my life. I was stuck in worry, fear and always assuming the worst.

Working with Sarah has been life changing. We started with metacognitive therapy (MCT) which helped me control my worrying. It was really powerful when we explored and weakened my metacognitive beliefs about my health. The techniques and tools that I learned from these sessions opened my eyes to a new way of thinking and being. We did some Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR), which I found fascinating. 

My therapy also touched on other areas other than health anxiety, and I liked the way we worked together to decide what each session would look like. I now have a stronger sense of self. I just feel wiser, more resilient and hopeful. I am really grateful for Sarah’s expertise, compassion and patience throughout my journey. 

 (Online, female, aged 39, September 2025)

CBT (Metacognitive Therapy), EMDR and DBR for fear of contamination from asbestos

Sarah was recommended to me when I was struggling with a dread of being contaminated by asbestos. It had reached a point that I didn’t even want to leave the house. I wouldn’t even go into the garden. I couldn’t say the word “asbestos” and if I ever heard the word, I felt sick in the pit of my stomach. I knew I needed to do something, but I didn’t want to. Finally, my family convinced me to phone Sarah. 

The CBT was effective and I made some good progress with that.  The DBR was really powerful and helped with deeper issues that were associated with my fear of asbestos, that I wasn’t aware of. I felt really comfortable with Sarah and at ease each time.  She actually listened to me and never made me feel like I was silly.

I would encourage anyone who is struggling with a fear like this to seek help as I am glad I did.

(In person, male, aged 31, Dec 2024)

The treatment of PTSD using EMDR following a traumatic event.

 I was hit by a truck whilst riding my bike. I had been riding on busy roads for over twenty years and regarded myself as a competent and careful cyclist. I found this incident to be particularly traumatic. Along with physical injuries, I also experienced some psychological symptoms which affected my day-to-day life. I have always thought of myself as a headstrong and determined person, so I was taken by complete surprise, and this affected my belief in myself. 

I was a bit sceptical of EMDR at first and thought “is this really going to work?” Having completed the treatment, I think it is amazing and has totally changed my life. Before starting the therapy, I thought my love of riding a bike had passed and I would never get it back. Now, I am as passionate as ever about riding. I found Sarah to be very approachable and trustworthy. Even though EMDR seemed unusual, I felt safe in her hands.

(Female, aged 46, virtual sessions, March 2022)

MCT, EMDR and DBR for emetophobia and health anxiety

I suffered from emetophobia and health anxiety from the age of 13 following a traumatic experience. This affected my social life and my IBS. My preoccupation with this controlled a lot of my thoughts and my behaviours.  Throughout the sessions with Sarah I have learned how to control my worry about this using metacognitive therapy (MCT). 

EMDR helped me to unpick the traumatic experience in a subtle way and it didn’t feel overwhelming. I had initially felt hesitant about doing it for fears that it would rip a plaster off and open up lots of unpleasant memories in the session, which didn’t actually happen. The DBR was fascinating, gentle and calming. It helped me to process things in a subtle way.  I want to say it felt “non-invasive” and unconscious. 

Throughout the time I saw progress in my ability to travel, see friends and go out for meals. As I controlled my worry and managed my anxiety, my IBS symptoms eased. 

 (Female, aged 22, in person therapy, April 23)

Testimonial for CBT and EMDR for a re-occurrence of panic attacks.

Due to a combination of life events, and restrictive living due to the Pandemic, I unfortunately experienced a relapse in my panic and anxiety disorder.

I did not hesitate to contact Sarah, who once again was able to help me.

We explored what was currently maintaining my panic disorder and heightened anxiety.  We then processed some deep-rooted traumatic memories that were also contributing to the maintenance of my panic and anxiety. With a combination of talking, and lots of engaging exercises in order to not only compliment the fantastic work we had done in the my previous sessions, (when first diagnosed), but we went even further and explored new techniques and tools to help me normalise my feelings and thoughts, train myself to control activating the CAS – if you know, you know! – and turn a corner into believing that I truly do have the ability to control my thinking patterns, beliefs and behaviours which have been fuelling my problems.

(Female age 34, virtual sessions)