Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) is a therapy based on the idea that how you think and act affects how you feel. It can help in many different situations — with both mental and physical health problems. In CBT, you work with a therapist to recognise the patterns of thinking (cognition) and behaviour that cause you problems. CBT teaches you practical ways to learn or re-learn more helpful and healthy habits.

Professionals may use a range of techniques in CBT, examples include:

a) Encouraging you to recognise the difference between productive and unproductive worries

b) Teaching you how to challenge unhelpful thought patterns and solve problems.

c) Teaching relaxation and breathing techniques, particularly muscle relaxation, to control anxiety and the physical symptoms of tension.

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) is a psychotherapy that enables people to heal from the symptoms and emotional distress that are the result of disturbing life experiences.

Repeated studies show that by using EMDR therapy people can experience the benefits of psychotherapy that once took years to make a difference. It is widely assumed that severe emotional pain requires a long time to heal.

EMDR therapy shows that the mind can in fact heal from psychological trauma much as the body recovers from physical trauma. When you cut your hand, your body works to close the wound. If a foreign object or repeated injury irritates the wound, it festers and causes pain. Once the block is removed, healing resumes.

EMDR therapy demonstrates that a similar sequence of events occurs with mental processes. The brain’s information processing system naturally moves toward mental health. If the system is blocked or imbalanced by the impact of a disturbing event, the emotional wound festers and can cause intense suffering.

Once the block is removed, healing resumes. Using the detailed protocols and procedures learned in EMDR therapy training sessions, clinicians help clients activate their natural healing processes.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) gets its name from one of its core messages: accept what is out of your personal control and commit to action that improves and enriches your life.

The aim of ACT is to maximise human potential for a rich, full and meaningful life.

ACT (which is pronounced as the word ‘act’, not as the initials ‘A.C.T.’) does this by helping you to:

a) Develop psychological skills to deal more effectively with difficult thoughts and feelings, to reduce their impact and influence over you;

b) Clarify your values (your heart’s deepest desires for how you want to behave as a human being; how you want to treat yourself, others and the world around you). You then use these values to guide, inspire and motivate yourself to take action: to do what matters, face your fears, live meaningfully, and change your life for the better;

c) Focus your attention on what is important and engage fully in whatever you are doing.

DBT evolved from Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), and like CBT, it is a form of talking therapy designed to help manage a variety of mental health conditions and challenges.

DBT has a greater emphasis on managing extreme emotions and relationships.

There are four key aspects of DBT — often known as the four modules or skills. Two of these relate to acceptance, and two relate to behavioural change:

1. Mindfulness

Mindfulness is usually the first way a DBT therapist will help promote acceptance. This involves observing your thoughts, emotions and actions, without judgement.

2. Distress Tolerance

Behaviour change isn’t always possible immediately — especially in times of crisis. Distress tolerance is the second acceptance skill developed in DBT. It helps us cope with emotional pain and challenging situations, accepting them for what they are and letting go of what we think they ‘should’ be.

3. Emotional Regulation

Emotional regulation helps us work with intense emotions, developing strategies to regulate them. To start with, this involves learning how to identify emotions for what they are (e.g. anger, sadness, anxiety). Over time, the therapist will help you learn techniques to:

• Reduce your susceptibility to extreme emotions.

• Experience more positive emotions.

• Cope better when intense emotions do arise.

4. Interpersonal Effectiveness

The final way DBT works is by improving the way you communicate in relationships with others. This can help you be more assertive, communicate your needs clearly and set boundaries to protect your mental health.

Schema Therapy is an evidence-based approach for creating change in the personality dynamics of individuals with chronic emotional and relationship problems. While grounded in cognitive behavior therapy strategies, Schema Therapy is considered an integrative model because it draws on cognitive therapy, behaviorism, attachment theory, emotion-focused and relationship-based therapies, and other schools of thought.

While standard cognitive behavior therapy and dialectical behavior therapy are highly effective in reducing acute symptoms, schema therapy is effective in reducing chronic symptoms and:

• Identifying and resolving self-defeating life patterns and deeply rooted emotional themes.

• Building resiliency and productive responses to life challenges.

• Drawing out and enabling the strong parts of your personality.

We offer an assessment service for children and adults for the following concerns;

• Cognitive and academic assessment

• Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder

• Autism Spectrum Disorder

• Cognitive assessment for adults

There are three senior clinicians with experience in various areas of psychology working at Synapse who are Psychology Board/AHPRA approved supervisors and able to provide supervision either via Zoom or in-person for clinicians working towards registration or mental health professionals seeking supervision as part of their CPD:

• Dee Cooper (also offers EMDR consultation for practitioners seeking accreditation as an EMDR therapist or wanting to become an EMDR consultant).

• Paul Bertoia

• Claire Goulston