CBT and EMDR for Social Anxiety

I was a nervous person who would avoid social situations and new experiences due to uncontrollable worry and a fear of embarrassment. I wouldn’t do anything that I had not done a multitude of times already, even that was still a struggle at times. I hated anything that was a break from my normal routine. Truth be told I was reluctant at first to see Sarah. However, after lockdown it became apparent that I needed to sort myself out and seek help.

Working with Sarah I learnt various techniques to help me manage my nervousness and social anxiety. I liked the fact that the sessions were structured and there was a plan. When I started, I had a bit of doubt and wondered if anything could help me.

 I have come back today to see Sarah for a final time after a break. I no longer feel excessively nervous in social situations and new experiences. I feel like a new and improved person. I don’t think I would have done half the stuff I’ve done in the last few months If I had not done CBT and EMDR.

 Virtual sessions, male client aged 22, February 2023

CBT and Flash Technique for OCD

It used to take me half an hour to leave the house because of all my checking. Sometimes I would leave the house only to come back a few minutes later and check everything again. I felt embarrassed and it was such a big hindrance in my life. I believed I would always have to rely on other people - for example, my husband to lock the door or to be there to make sure I had done it. 

Through working with Sarah, I learned what was maintaining my problem. I learned appropriate strategies so that I could make proactive changes. We also used the Flash Technique. This helped to reduce the intensity of some of my intrusive thoughts and helped me to manage my compulsions. It enhanced my belief in myself.

Additionally, I experienced a traumatic event during the time we were working together. Flash Technique helped me to deal with this.

(Female, age 34)

“Promoting wellbeing in and out of the Clinic”, 21st July 2022 at the BABCP Annual Conference

One of the highlights of the conference for me was this keynote address on promoting wellbeing in and out of the clinic by Andrew Gloster. There was plenty of useful information for my clinical work as a therapist which I have already started to implement and the feedback has been positive.

Professor Gloster works in the Faculty of Psychology at the University of Basel, Switzerland.

CBT for Social Anxiety and Self-esteem

Before I met Sarah I was struggling with a very stressful new job, also a move to another part of the country. I felt very upset, but Sarah was very easy to talk to and she helped me to understand I had symptoms of social anxiety, causing me to excessively worry about and avoid social situations.

We used a variety of techniques, including CBT, ACT and EMDR, to help me deal with my social anxiety.  Sarah also helped me to work on identifying and stepping back from my emotions, rather than getting too wound up in them. This, along with meditation and techniques like RAIN, gave me really useful tools to help me understand and live with my emotions rather than fighting against them.

I now feel like I have a much healthier relationship with my own thoughts and emotions, and am much more confident to face everyday troubles and to deal with stressful situations. I’m very grateful for Sarah’s help!

(Female, age 37)

CBT and EMDR following a relationship break-up

I came across Sarah on the counselling directory and chose to contact her because she looked warm and friendly which is exactly what you want when you are feeling a bit low. I had experienced a break up which was unexpected and caused me a lot of hurt and left me feeling confused and wanting to know answers.

Sarah used a combination of CBT and EMDR. After the first session of EMDR I no longer felt the pain and hurt that I was originally feeling and during the following week between our sessions the whole situation no longer felt as bad. I never imagined that I would feel OK again so quickly and I can't thank Sarah enough for this. I now feel that I would be ready to face another relationship without the fear of hurt or rejection. Thank you Sarah!

(Female, age 26)

CBT for Anger and Anxiety

I was looking for some help with anger and anxiety. I was feeling really overwhelmed during lockdown and it was starting to really affect my relationship with my partner. I’ve never seen myself or been seen by others as an angry person and I felt really defeated and scared by these sudden and seemingly uncontrolled outbursts and felt unable to try and control and manage them.

In our first session, Sarah really took the time and patience to understand what my issues were. To my surprise, the anger was rooted in anxiety and some hurt. Sarah carefully explained some of the psychology behind how my moods were affected and so changeable. From there we devised a plan, including a series of weekly exercises that really helped me feel like I could meet the stresses and strains of life again without letting myself or others down.

(Male, aged 32, October 2021, online sessions)

CBT for Depression and Stress

I started seeing Sarah when I was at a very low point.  I was suffering from depression, and I was struggling with chronic work stress. It reached a point where it had affected my relationships. I had lost my direction. 

Through CBT and trying a range of tools and techniques, I was able to find some methods that worked for me.  I have been able to build some of these techniques into my daily life, which has helped with the stress, and I no longer have depression. I have also been able to gain a much better perspective of wider issues. 

I felt comfortable with Sarah and was able to relate to the structure of the sessions, where we would have a bit of a catchup, practice techniques in the session which I could use in my life. She built the sessions around what worked for me.  I liked the clear explanations and processes.

(Male, age 49, October 2021)

CBT and EMDR for Health Anxiety

I saw Sarah after a bout of dizziness that brought on an episode of health anxiety that had started to impact my day-to-day life. In fact, the health anxiety was making my physical symptoms worse.

Over my seven sessions, we covered a combination of CBT and EMDR. I learned some very helpful techniques which I could easily practice at home. As a result, I am no longer experiencing health anxiety and I have a plan in place if something like this were to happen again. I am very grateful to Sarah.

(Female, age 39, May 2021)

Misophonia

I attended an excellent presentation on Saturday 11th September 2021 on using CBT to help clients understand and manage misophonia by Dr Jane Gregory and Dr Tom Graham.

Misophonia is a disorder in which certain sounds trigger emotional or physiological responses that some might perceive as unreasonable given the circumstance. Those who have misophonia might describe it as when a sound “drives you crazy.” Their reactions can range from anger and annoyance to panic and the need to flee.  The disorder is sometimes called selective sound sensitivity syndrome.

Individuals with misophonia often report they are triggered by oral sounds  -- the noise someone makes when they eat, breathe, or even chew. Other adverse sounds include. keyboard or finger tapping or the sound of windshield wipers. Sometimes a small repetitive motion is the cause -- someone fidgets, jostles you, or wiggles their foot.

For more information about Misophonia, see her misophonia website

Dr Jane Gregory is a clinical psychologist and doctoral research fellow at the University of Oxford.

Dr Tom Graham is a counselling psychologist who works at the Centre for Anxiety Disorders & Trauma (CADAT), Kings College, London.

Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

I attended a fascinating workshop with Prof Eni Becker on 8th September 2021 while attending the Annual Congress of the European Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies in Belfast. It was good to learn about new developments for working with Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD). 

Prof Becker investigates the development and treatment of anxiety disorders as well as affective disorders. She mainly focuses on cognitive processes (memory, attention, interpretation), considering these appear to play an important role in the development of anxiety disorders. She is the chair of Clinical Psychology at Radboud University in Nijmegen.