Therapy Sessions

Therapy appointments last 50 minutes. These sessions offer the young person and/or family the space to be heard and to work on the goals they’ve set for therapy.

These sessions could be:

  • Individual with the young person

  • Parental support

  • Family sessions with all members or parts of the family

The number of sessions varies depending on the presentation and how the child/young person engages with therapy.

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Therapeutic Approaches

Clinical Psychologists are trained in multiple therapeutic modalities, and these approaches are often integrated based on an individual’s unique needs. The suitability of the therapeutic approach is informed by the initial assessment and individual goals. All therapeutic approaches are guided by scientific research and align with the recommendations set by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

Below you can find some of the approaches delivered by our clinic.

Therapies

  • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an evidence-based therapy that helps children process difficult and traumatic experiences as well as anxiety, phobias, grief, and more. By using guided eye movements, taps, or sounds, EMDR helps the brain reprocess distressing memories, reducing their emotional impact in a safe and supportive environment. EMDR is tailored to a child’s developmental needs, often incorporating play and creative activities. It’s an effective way to help children feel more secure, confident, and in control of their emotions.

  • CBT is a goal-orientated therapeutic approach, that helps individuals identify and understand how their thoughts influence their emotions and actions. And in turn, how behaviours can affect emotions and thoughts. It aims to break unhelpful thinking patterns and cycles. By teaching practical skills, CBT empowers individuals to manage challenges and improve how they cope with life stressors. CBT has a wide evidence-base for effectiveness in treating a range of difficulties, such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), depression, post-traumatic stress and many more.

  • CFT is a therapeutic approach that emphasizes self-compassion and kindness towards ourselves and others. It explores the role of the compassionate mind in alleviating emotional distress, particularly in individuals struggling with shame and self-criticism. These feelings can often arise following abuse, neglect or trauma. CFT integrates techniques to enhance emotional regulation, foster empathy and cultivate a supporting inner dialogue, aiming to promote emotional well-being and resilience. CFT has been shown to be effective across a range of emotional difficulties.

  • ACT is a therapeutic model focusing on developing psychological flexibility when encountering difficult thoughts and feelings. ACT emphasises the importance of clarifying personal values and committing to meaningful actions in line with those values. By fostering acceptance, mindfulness and commitment to values, ACT aims to empower individuals to lead more fulfilling lives, even in the presence of challenges or adversity. Rather than struggling against difficult thoughts and emotions, ACT focuses on changing the relationship to them, allowing for greater flexibility and resilience when facing life’s difficulties. ACT has been found to be effective in a range of difficulties, including dealing with physical health conditions and grief.

  • Narrative therapy is a collaborative and empowering approach that helps young people and families recount and reframe their life stories. Narrative therapy focuses on the stories we tell about ourselves and our lives. It helps us examine the origin of beliefs and behaviours as well as identify unhelpful or limiting stories. Narrative therapy fosters a process of re-authoring our own narratives, changing the way we understand and communicate our experiences. It promotes personal growth and resilience, focusing on how we use language and construct meaning. Narrative therapy has been shown to be effective in helping in a range of difficulties, including depression, anxiety, trauma and relationship problems.

  • Systemic therapy looks at individuals within the context of their relationships and the larger systems they are part of, such as family, work, or social networks. Instead of focusing on the individual, systemic therapy considers how the interactions and dynamics within systems contribute to issues and difficulties. Systemic therapy is known for its flexibility and adaptability to various cultural contexts and family structures. Your psychologist will work with the whole family or parts of the family to identify patterns of communication, behaviour and relationships that might be causing difficulties. The goal is to understand and address these patterns collaboratively, fostering positive changes within the system. Its aim is to improve overall wellbeing and create healthier, more functional relationships. Systemic therapy has extensive evidence base supporting its effectiveness for a range of mental health and relational difficulties.