Psychological Therapy

IFS starts with the idea that we all have different emotional or behavioural ‘parts’ — perhaps a part that worries about everything, a suicidal part, a part that lashes out at others, or a part that feels very sceptical about the idea of parts! Instead of treating these parts as symptoms to eliminate, IFS gets curious about why they’re there, what they might be protecting us from, and what they need from us now. Gen uses IFS to explore a range of concerns including trauma, perfectionism, self-harm, binge eating and shame.

EMDR is an evidence-based treatment for trauma-related difficulties, and can also be helpful for things like OCD, eating disorders and depression. It is particularly helpful when things are too hard to talk about out loud. Despite the rather complicated name, the process itself is fairly simple: you focus on a thought, memory or feeling and at the same time, move your eyes from side to side. This helps your brain process experiences that have become ‘stuck’, so they feel less intense. For those who don't like the idea of moving their eyes around, Gen may use tapping, repetitive arm/leg movements, audio or other activities that tax working memory.

CFT recognises that our brains can be pretty good at making life difficult for us. We evolved to notice threats, worry about what others think and be hard on ourselves when things go wrong — all because, at some point, these things helped us survive. Rather than trying to fight millions of years of evolution, CFT helps us understand where these responses come from, while also taking responsibility for how we respond to them. We may not have chosen the brain we ended up with, but we can learn to work with it in kinder, more helpful ways.

Narrative Therapy argues that “the person is not the problem; the problem is the problem.” The systems around us and the environments we find ourselves in can shape the ‘stories’ we come to tell about ourselves — and, in turn, how we see ourselves, other people and the world around us. Gen hopes to help make a little more room for the parts of your story that may have been overshadowed, including your culture, community, strengths, values and the things that matter to you.

MBT recognises that when emotions run high, our ability to think clearly about ourselves and other people can really go out the window. Rather than immediately reacting to a crisis or trying to solve it, MBT helps us slow things down, get curious about what might be happening in our own and others’ minds, and consider whether there might be another way of understanding the situation. It is particularly helpful when big emotions make relationships really challenging.

These approaches recognise that our bodies can continue to respond as though we’re in danger even when our thinking brain knows we’re safe. Rather than relying on talking alone, they pay attention to things like tension, movement, breathing, posture and the physical sensations that show up when our nervous system senses danger. Gen uses these approaches gently to help people notice what their body might be communicating, build a greater sense of safety, and explore new ways of responding when old survival patterns are no longer needed.

CBT is based on the idea that what we think, what we feel and what we do all influence each other. Sometimes our brains make predictions that aren’t particularly helpful — and sometimes the things we do to feel better in the short term accidentally keep us stuck. CBT gets curious about these patterns and experiments with doing things a little differently.