Our Counselling Modalities
A counselling modality is simply the theory and techniques associated with any particular style of counselling; of which there are many! We employ an integrative humanistic approach which enables the counsellor to adapt and tailor their interaction, thus allowing the therapy to best suit the needs of the individual client and the issues they bring. In our integrative counselling we draw from four distinct modalities: Person Centred, Gestalt, TA and CBT.
Person-centred Counselling
Person-centred is a form of psychotherapy developed by psychologist Carl Rogers beginning in the 1940s and extending into the 1980s. Person-centred therapy seeks to facilitate a client's self-actualizing tendency, "an inbuilt proclivity toward growth and fulfilment", via acceptance (unconditional positive regard), therapist congruence (genuineness), and an empathic understanding of the clients world.
Gestalt Therapy
Gestalt therapy is a form of psychotherapy which emphasizes personal responsibility, and focuses upon the individual's experience in the present moment, the therapist–client relationship, the environmental and social contexts of a person's life, and the self-regulating adjustments people make as a result of their overall situation. It was developed by Fritz Perls, Laura Perls and Paul Goodman in the 1940s and 1950s, and was first described in the 1951 book Gestalt Therapy.
Transactional Analysis (TA)
TA is a psychoanalytic theory and method of therapy wherein social transactions are
analysed to determine the ego state of the communicator (whether parent-like, childlike, or adult-like) as a basis for understanding
behaviour. In Transactional Analysis, the communicator is taught to alter the ego state as a way to solve emotional problems. The method deviates from Freudian psychoanalysis which focuses on increasing awareness of the contents of unconsciously held ideas. Eric Berne developed the concept and paradigm of Transactional Analysis in the late 1950s.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
CBT is a psycho-social intervention that aims to improve mental wellbeing. CBT focuses on challenging and changing unhelpful cognitive distortions (e.g. thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes) and
behaviours, improving emotional regulation, and the development of personal coping strategies that target solving current problems. Originally, it was designed to treat depression, but its uses have been expanded to include treatment of a number of mental health conditions, including anxiety. CBT includes a number of cognitive or
behaviour psychotherapies that treat defined psychopathologies using evidence-based techniques and strategies.
Gestalt Therapy
Gestalt therapy is a form of psychotherapy which emphasizes personal responsibility, and focuses upon the individual's experience in the present moment, the therapist–client relationship, the environmental and social contexts of a person's life, and the self-regulating adjustments people make as a result of their overall situation. It was developed by Fritz Perls, Laura Perls and Paul Goodman in the 1940s and 1950s, and was first described in the 1951 book Gestalt Therapy.
Transactional Analysis (TA)
TA is a psychoanalytic theory and method of therapy wherein social transactions are
analysed to determine the ego state of the communicator (whether parent-like, childlike, or adult-like) as a basis for understanding
behaviour. In Transactional Analysis, the communicator is taught to alter the ego state as a way to solve emotional problems. The method deviates from Freudian psychoanalysis which focuses on increasing awareness of the contents of unconsciously held ideas. Eric Berne developed the concept and paradigm of Transactional Analysis in the late 1950s.
Source: All the above statements are drawn from Wikipedia