Articles
Practical, evidence-based writing on mental health and therapy, from a clinical psychologist in Tunbridge Wells.
ACT, and the psychologist who froze in a meeting
How a panic attack in 1978 led Steven Hayes to create ACT, and what acceptance and commitment therapy looks like with a Tunbridge Wells psychologist.
Clinical psychologist, counsellor or therapist: what's the difference?
Anyone can call themselves a therapist. A Tunbridge Wells clinical psychologist explains the protected titles, the training behind them, and why it matters.
Curiosity as a clinical tool: the questions systemic therapists ask
Circular questions, curiosity and the reflecting team: what makes a systemic conversation different, from a Tunbridge Wells psychologist.
Private psychologist or NHS Talking Therapies?
An honest guide to NHS Talking Therapies in Kent and when seeing a private clinical psychologist in Tunbridge Wells makes more sense.
Stop fighting your thoughts: the happiness trap
A Tunbridge Wells clinical psychologist on Russ Harris's happiness trap, and why trying to feel good all the time can make stress worse.
The person is not the problem
How narrative therapy, developed by Michael White and David Epston, helps people separate who they are from the problems they face.
The inner critic: why being hard on yourself doesn't work
Why harsh self-criticism keeps you stuck, why self-compassion doesn't make you lazy, and how compassion focused therapy helps.
How to Find a Private Psychologist in Tunbridge Wells
What to check before you book a private psychologist in Tunbridge Wells, from HCPC registration to fees, so you can choose the right person with confidence.
OCD and the two theories
Intrusive thoughts are almost universal. A Tunbridge Wells clinical psychologist explains why they become OCD and how CBT helps you test them.
The spotlight you turn on yourself: understanding social anxiety
Why social anxiety makes you rehearse, replay and avoid eye contact, and the CBT approach with the strongest evidence behind it.
Your brain's three emotional systems
Paul Gilbert's three emotional systems explained by a Tunbridge Wells clinical psychologist, and why so many of us are stuck in threat.
The Tree of Life: talking about hard things from solid ground
The story of the Tree of Life, created for children affected by HIV in Zimbabwe, and how it helps people talk about difficulty from a place of strength.
When a teenager is struggling
Why involving the family often helps when a teenager is struggling, and what parents in Tunbridge Wells can do while they wait for support.
CBT, ACT, CFT or family therapy: which one fits?
A plain-English guide from a Tunbridge Wells clinical psychologist to which therapy suits which kind of problem.
Why family work looks at the whole family
Why a systemic approach looks at patterns between people rather than one person's problem, explained by a Tunbridge Wells clinical psychologist.
Worrying about worrying
Why overthinking feels uncontrollable, and how Adrian Wells's metacognitive work changed how anxiety is understood and treated.
Values are not goals
Why ACT treats values as a direction rather than a destination, and how that changes what progress in therapy looks like.
When the past feels like it's happening now: trauma and PTSD
Why trauma memories feel present, and how cognitive therapy for PTSD, developed at Oxford, helps memories feel like the past again.
What actually happens in CBT, and where it came from
A clinical psychologist in Tunbridge Wells explains what CBT involves session by session, and the discovery by Aaron Beck that started it.
Why avoiding things keeps anxiety alive
Why the things you do to feel safe can keep anxiety going, explained by a Tunbridge Wells clinical psychologist through David Clark's research.
Why a good therapist asks more than tells
What happens in a first session, and why good therapy feels more like discovery than advice, based on Christine Padesky's work.