Guided Self-help – How it Can Help and How it Differs From Counselling
Guided Self-help is an evidence based treatment for low mood, worry, anxiety, sleep problems, panic and other common mental health concerns. With Guided Self-help you are taught techniques to help you to become your own therapist and manage your own mental health. It is based on the principles of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, which identify links between our thoughts, feelings and behaviours. A Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner will work with you to identify what is causing and maintaining your problems and teach you strategies to practice between sessions.
Guided Self-help involves the patient and practitioner working in collaboration, to develop a shared understanding of the problem. The practitioner will make recommendations and give you information to empower you to help yourself. Unlike a counselling approach, it requires regular time, effort and practice between sessions to develop these skills.
Click on the boxes below to learn more about the specific interventions and what to expect.
Behavioural Activation is a tried and tested method that encourages you to increase motivation and activity. It is used to treat low mood and depression and involves gradually building up activity to regain motivation, enjoyment and interest for things.
Cognitive Restructuring is a technique that involves recognising unhelpful thoughts that may be contributing to low mood and anxiety. By recognising these patterns, we can then challenge these thoughts and create more realistic or helpful ones instead.
Exposure therapy is used for panic and avoidance and involves gradually facing up to feared situations. Your Practitioner will help you to identify avoidance and create a plan to gradually expose yourself to the feared situation. They will provide information and guidance on what panic is, as well as support whilst you undertake these activities.
Problem Solving is a technique that is often used in conjunction with others, to help solve problems that may feel overwhelming. When we are depressed or anxious, we tend to lack creative thinking processes and become paralysed to act. Problem Solving helps us to break a problem down into manageable steps and to be able to identify potential solutions and then enact them.
Worry Management involves identifying the nature of worries that we may experience and developing techniques to reduce their intrusiveness. Often worry disturbs sleep, so Worry Management techniques will also benefit insomnia.
Sleep Hygiene is a treatment for problematic sleep. If your sleep is disturbed a Practitioner will work with you to identify possible causes and give strategies and information to help overcome these problems.
I feel I have made a good deal of progress with Focus Counselling and continue to use strategies I have learned in my day-to-day life.
I’m so pleased I came to Focus, it has helped me so much. I feel I can cope now. My counsellor has been brilliant and so easy to talk to.
Very friendly, professional people who will listen, empathise and guide you in the right direction. You can’t go wrong.
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If you have any queries about Focus Counselling Services or would like to find out more about the services we offer, please do get in touch.
01482 891564
info@focuscounselling.co.uk