Hi, I’m Luke and I am an experienced and empathetic BABCP accredited CBT/EMDR/ACT psychological therapist who wants to find the right therapeutic fit for you as an individual, working with you on a path towards your goals. The problem may be depression, low self-esteem, anxiety (health, panic, agoraphobia, social, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Body Dysmorphic Disorder) trauma, anger or chronic pain.
I enjoy working with a range of different issues (see Treatments) and practical therapy approaches. I am interested in all forms of psychological difficulties and especially OCD, obsessive thinking styles and body centric stresses such as panic attacks and health anxiety, whether that is worrying about physical sensations, the possibility of having a life threatening illness, or addressing the impact on mood and body which comes with a long term health condition or following an injury.
The Mind-Body (and Mood) connection/balance in its many facets is important. To have a healthy body one needs a healthy mind, and vice versa. So nutrition, exercise and sleep, understanding your body and what it needs, play as much of a role as psychological tools and techniques. Bringing it all together holistically is the way to wellness. Everything counts.
We can find out together what the particular tools and changes are that you need in your life to self manage and thrive. Therapy is a partnership where I listen carefully to you to make the sessions productive in your own circumstances and you move forward with your life in a new way, overcoming obstacles. We break down the issues maintaining problems as I use my skills and experience as a therapist and a person to help you find how to move in a direction that feels better.
What is CBT ?
CBT is about taking an active and practical approach to what you are going through. This means understanding what is causing and keeping a problem going, and then acting and thinking about it differently, using tools, techniques, exercises and new perspectives to make functional adjustments. Think like a mechanic!
What we do and how we think impacts our mood. If we can change what we do and how we think we can change our mood. Sessions are a springboard for experiments and creating your own therapy time as ‘learned experiences’ govern emotional, behavioural, physical and psychological change.
What is EMDR ?
EMDR, Eye Movement Desensitisation & Reprocessing addresses the cognitive, emotional and physiological aspects of distress, especially Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) through the processing of troubling memories and experiences that generally lead to someone feeling unable to overcome distressing past events. Like CBT, It is endorsed by NICE and the World Health Organisation as an effective psychological therapy.
What is ACT ?
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy encourages people to embrace their thoughts and feelings rather than fighting or feeling guilty for them. ACT develops psychological flexibility and is a form of behavioural therapy that combines mindfulness skills with the practice of self-acceptance.
Mind - Body Therapy 