Treatment Approaches

Brigid places an emphasis on using evidence based treatments. She has completed training and regularly practises using the following therapies:

Schema Therapy was first developed to help treat personality disorders, however has since been found to be an effective treatment approach for a wide range of mental health concerns, such as emotion regulation difficulties or relationship difficulties. Schema is especially helpful in treating long-standing problems, even when other therapies haven't been effective. 

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, commonly known as DBT, is a treatment used to help people change unhelpful patterns of behaviour. DBT can be particularly helpful for people who are engaging in self-harm, substance misuse, binge eating, or who are experiencing instability in their relationships. DBT focuses on helping clients build awareness into their patterns of behaviour, and teaching them new strategies they can use to manage their emotions more effectively. 

This highly structured treatment is one of the most effective treatments in treating eating disorders. It is designed to assist people overcome all forms of eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder. 

CBT is a therapy approach aimed at helping people reduce their emotional problems by changing their thinking patterns and their behaviour. CBT has been shown to be an effective treatment for treating a range of mental health difficulties, including depression, anxiety, and panic attacks. 

CBT has also been shown to be an effective treatment for post traumatic stress disorder. Specific CBT treatments, such as Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE) and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT). are highly structured treatments, designed to help reduce symptoms related to past trauma.

ACT is a newer form of CBT, that focuses on helping the client stay focused in the present moment. One of the key goals of ACT is to help clients work towards allowing their uncomfortable emotions and thoughts to be present, as opposed to trying to avoid or control them. ACT can be a helpful treatment for those who find themselves in difficult situations over which they feel they have no/ limited control over (e.g. dealing with the death of a loved one, living with a family member with mental health difficulties). 

Gottman therapy is a form of couples-based treatment that is based on years of observational research of real couples. The therapy focuses on helping partners develop skills and understanding to get their needs met, to manage conflict, and repair old wounds. Gottman therapy helps foster more positive interactions between couples, as well as to reduce unhelpful communication patterns.