Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

All of our CBT is provided by BABCP fully accredited CBT therapists, who can be found on the BABCP UK Register.

What is CBT?

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a highly effective, evidence-based form of psychological treatment that focuses on exploring the relationship between a person's thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. Unlike other forms of therapy, CBT is typically a short-term, goal-oriented therapy that takes a hands-on, practical approach to problem-solving. The goal of CBT is to help you change patterns of thinking or behaviour that make you feel anxious, depressed, or stuck.

What can CBT help with?

CBT is clinically proven to be effective in treating a wide range of difficulties, including:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Anger issues
• OCD
• Panic attacks
• Social Anxiety
• Low self-esteem
• Stress
• Phobias
• Sleep problems/insomnia
• Workplace burnout
• Clinical Perfectionism
• People-pleasing, and problems with setting boundaries
• Trauma
• Chronic pain

Blended Psychotherapy

Every person is unique, and sometimes CBT may not be the right fit for your needs. As multi-skilled clinicians, we work to create an individualised treatment plan for you, which may also involve working with other therapeutic approaches, such as Schema Therapy, Mindfulness based (M-CBT) Compassion focused therapy (CFT), and Acceptance and Commitment therapy (ACT). We will work to tailor your therapy to your needs, as we know from experience that this makes therapy much more personalised and effective.

Trauma Therapy & EMDR

Trauma therapy refers to a range of therapeutic approaches specifically designed to help you heal from the emotional and often physical (somatic) effects of experiencing traumatic events. Trauma symptoms can develop due to experiencing a range of overwhelming or life-threatening events, including, but not limited to: natural disasters, war, experiencing physical abuse or extreme violence, grief, serious illness, domestic abuse, and adverse childhood events.

Trauma therapy works by helping people to process traumatic memories, improve emotional regulation, and to rebuild a sense of safety and trust in the world and in the body.

We specialise in treating Trauma using the following therapy approaches:

• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR): EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It is a form of advanced psychotherapy designed to alleviate the distress associated with traumatic memories. It is recognized as an effective treatment for trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and C-PTSD by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE). At the Birch Therapy clinic, we are trained to provide EMDR online, in a safe and secure way using a Cloud EMDR tool.
• Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT): Alongside EMDR, we also work with trauma using Trauma-focused CBT, which involves applying CBT principles to help you manage the emotional, physical, and behavioural impact of trauma, and to allow emotional processing to occur in a safe and structured way.

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)

MBCT is an innovative form of cognitive therapy that incorporates mindfulness practices into therapy, including relaxation and breathing exercises. This therapeutic approach teaches individuals to disengage from self-critical or ruminative thought patterns, and to regulate the nervous system through the application of calming techniques.

Complex Trauma Service

At Birch Therapy Clinic, we specialise in the treatment of Complex Trauma (CPTSD) through adopting a three-phase, multi-modal approach that has been carefully curated by Elaine over many years, combining both experience and clinical practice, including time spent within NHS CPTSD Secondary care services.

‘The Morrow Method of Phased Trauma Recovery’ integrates IFS, EMDR, CBT, and Somatic Practice into a robust and clinically contained approach to working towards CPTSD recovery. Each EMDR practitioner at Birch has been trained using this method. As part of our CPTSD service, we also employ a ‘dual-therapist system’, ensuring that our clients benefit from working with a highly trained therapist who will also be receiving close CPTSD supervision, ensuring robust therapeutic processes that prioritise safety and clinical integrity.

BABCP Clinical Supervision

Here at the Birch Therapy Clinic, we also provide BABCP accredited Clinical Supervision to trainee CBT Therapists and also therapists who may require monthly supervision from a BABCP accredited therapist. We have extensive clinical experience providing clinical supervision on a one-to-one basis, and also small group supervision in both private clinics and the NHS.

Both Daria and Elaine provide BABCP Clinical Supervision. When it comes to clinical supervision, we seek to provide compassionate, yet rigorous supervision in line with BABCP’s standards of practice, ensuring you are able to effectively meet your accreditation requirements. We will therefore work with you to create an individualised plan, based on your supervision requirements/academic course requirements.