Dr Katrina Lake
Consultant Clinical Psychologist - Online - Edinburgh and Glasgow
Choice of psychological therapy
There are many talking therapies and some approaches are better suited to particular problems and appeal more to some people. I can work with you to help think about the approach, or combination of approaches, that are most likely to suit you. I have expertise in using the following approaches:
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
CBT is a talking therapy that helps you overcome your problems by changing the way you understand or think about them. It works by helping you to make sense of problems by initially breaking them down into smaller parts. This enables you to identify how your thoughts, feelings and actions are interconnected, and how particular patterns of thoughts and actions can trigger and maintain particular types of psychological difficulties. By changing these thoughts and behaviours, and testing our new ways of thinking and behaving, CBT helps you to overcome your difficulties.
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR)
EMDR has been demonstared to be effective in treating conditions like PTSD, anxiety, phobias, and depression. It focuses on alleviating symptoms by addressing the root cause of the distress rather than managing symptoms. EMDR helps you to activate your natural healing process by stimulating memory networks in the brain, helping to process and work through memories and experiences. You may be interested in this video explaining EMDR.
Psychodynamic Therapy
Psychodynamic therapy helps you to understand the connection between how you are feeling now and a pattern of relating to people that developed in childhood. Once the pattern is identified, therapy helps you to make sense of the difficulties that you may be having now. Therapy aims to recognise these relationship patterns and to make changes in your current relationships. Therapy will encourage you to reflect on how you think and feel, help you to understand yourself and others and to find better ways of coping with your life.
Clinical Hypnosis
Clinical hypnosis is a type of therapy that creates an altered state of consciousness characterised by a deep state of relaxation. Clinical hypnosis is used as a treatment for a variety of difficulties and for breaking unhelpful habits. In clinical practice, it is used to help people with a variety of difficulties such as anxiety and depression .as well as people struggling with physical health problems and for those experiencing pain.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is a mindfulness-based approach that encourages individuals to accept their thoughts and feelings rather than fighting against them, while also committing to actions that align with their values. It aims to enhance psychological flexibility by teaching skills to manage difficult emotions and thoughts, allowing individuals to live more fully in the present moment and take purposeful steps toward a meaningful life.
Ego State Therapy
Ego State Therapy is a psychotherapeutic approach that views the personality as consisting of various discrete ego states or parts, each with its own thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. These ego states represent different aspects of an individual's personality that have developed at different times in their life. Ego State Therapy draws from various therapeutic modalities to help individuals understand and navigate their internal experiences more effectively. It aims to create a more cohesive and balanced sense of self by integrating and harmonizing these different aspects of personality.