Different approaches offer different ways to understand your experiences and work towards change.
Adlerian therapy looks at how early relationships, family experiences and a person's sense of belonging can shape the way they understand themselves and respond to life. It is collaborative and encouraging, helping people recognise patterns, develop a stronger sense of purpose and make practical changes in how they relate to themselves and others.
Animal-assisted therapy thoughtfully includes contact with a trained animal alongside therapeutic conversation or activities. The animal can help create a calmer, more engaging environment and may offer a different way to explore trust, connection, emotions and communication. The therapist remains responsible for the therapeutic work and adapts sessions to the person's needs.
Art therapy uses creative activities such as drawing, painting, photography, sculpture or collage to help people express and explore experiences that may be difficult to put into words. No artistic skill is required: the focus is on the process, personal meaning and relationship with the therapist, rather than producing a particular kind of artwork.
Behavioural therapy focuses on the connection between what people do, what happens around them and how those patterns affect their wellbeing. By identifying habits that maintain distress and practising new responses in manageable steps, people can develop healthier routines and reduce behaviours that are keeping them stuck.
Brief therapy is a focused form of support that works within a smaller number of sessions and concentrates on the change a person wants to make now. Sessions often identify strengths, clarify a goal and agree practical steps, while still making space to understand the concern and what has already helped.
Coaching is a collaborative, future-focused process that helps a person clarify goals, build self-awareness and turn intentions into achievable actions. A coach supports reflection, accountability and use of existing strengths, while the client remains the expert in their objectives. Coaching is different from clinical therapy and is not intended to replace mental-health treatment.
Cognitive analytic therapy combines attention to thoughts, emotions and behaviour with an exploration of the relationship patterns that shape them. The therapist and client work together to map repeating cycles, understand how they developed and identify new ways of responding. CAT is structured, time-limited and highly collaborative.
Cognitive behavioural therapy explores how thoughts, feelings, physical sensations and actions influence one another. With a therapist, people learn to notice unhelpful thinking patterns, test assumptions and practise different behaviours between sessions. CBT is usually structured and goal-focused, with techniques tailored to the person's situation.
Cognitive therapy focuses on the way interpretations and beliefs can influence mood and behaviour. It helps people identify automatic thoughts, consider evidence and develop more balanced perspectives without dismissing genuine difficulties. The work is usually practical and collaborative, supporting changes in both understanding and day-to-day responses.
Creative therapy uses forms such as music, drama, movement, writing or visual art to support emotional expression and reflection. Creative work can offer a less direct route into feelings, memories and relationships, especially when talking feels difficult. The therapist helps the person decide what the creative activity means for them and how it connects with their goals.
Eclectic counselling draws on more than one therapeutic approach instead of following a single model in every session. The therapist selects methods that fit the person's needs, preferences and goals, which may include exploring emotions, challenging thoughts or practising new skills. A clear therapeutic relationship and shared understanding guide which techniques are used.
Emotionally focused therapy helps people recognise, understand and work with the emotions that influence their choices and relationships. It views emotions as meaningful signals that can become difficult when they are avoided, overwhelming or shaped by painful experiences. Therapy supports safer emotional expression and more secure ways of relating, for individuals or couples.
Existential therapy explores questions about meaning, freedom, responsibility, identity, choice and the realities of being human. It offers a thoughtful space to consider how a person wants to live and what may be getting in the way of an authentic life. The work is open and reflective, grounded in the person's present experience and values.
EMDR is a structured therapy that helps people process distressing memories and experiences that still feel present or threatening. With careful preparation and guidance, the person briefly attends to aspects of a memory while using bilateral stimulation, such as guided eye movements or alternating taps. The aim is to support the brain's natural processing so the memory becomes less disruptive.
Family therapy considers difficulties in the context of relationships and the wider family system rather than placing blame on one person. Family members are supported to hear one another, understand recurring interaction patterns and find more constructive ways to communicate. Sessions can involve the whole family or selected members, depending on the agreed goals.
Gestalt therapy pays close attention to what a person is experiencing in the present moment, including feelings, body sensations, thoughts and the way they relate to others. Through an active, respectful conversation, people can become more aware of unfinished experiences and habitual responses. That awareness can create room for choice, responsibility and change.
Humanistic therapy places the person's lived experience, values and capacity for growth at the centre of the work. The therapist aims to offer empathy, honesty and acceptance so the client can explore feelings without being judged or reduced to a diagnosis. Greater self-understanding and self-acceptance can support more confident, meaningful choices.
Integrative counselling brings together ideas and techniques from different therapeutic traditions in a coherent way. The therapist works with the whole person and adapts the balance of exploration, practical tools and relational work as the client's needs become clearer. The approach aims to be flexible without losing a clear shared direction for therapy.
Internal Family Systems views the mind as containing different parts that have developed to manage experiences and protect the person. Therapy helps clients approach these parts with curiosity and compassion, understand what each is trying to do and build a calmer relationship with inner conflict. The aim is not to reject parts of the self, but to create greater balance and choice.
Interpersonal therapy focuses on the connection between mood and important relationships or life changes. Together, the therapist and client may explore grief, conflict, role transitions or isolation, then practise clearer communication and ways to strengthen support. It is a focused approach that links emotional wellbeing with the person's current social world.
Jungian therapy explores the conscious and less conscious influences that shape a person's inner life, relationships and sense of identity. Dreams, symbols, memories and recurring themes may be considered alongside everyday concerns. The work supports a deeper understanding of the self and can help a person move towards a more integrated and purposeful way of living.
Narrative therapy looks at the stories people have developed about themselves and their lives, including stories shaped by problems, culture and other people's expectations. The therapist helps the person separate themselves from the problem, notice overlooked strengths and develop a fuller account of who they are. This can open up new possibilities for action and identity.
Neuro-linguistic programming focuses on the relationship between communication, patterns of thinking and behaviour. Practitioners may use structured exercises to help a person notice how they represent experiences, communicate and respond to situations, then experiment with different strategies. People considering NLP should discuss the therapist's training and the evidence for any proposed technique.
Person-centred therapy offers a warm, non-judgemental relationship in which the client can explore their experience at their own pace. The therapist brings empathy, respect and genuineness rather than directing the person towards a fixed interpretation. Over time, feeling understood can support self-acceptance, clearer choices and trust in the client's own ability to grow.
Phenomenological therapy is interested in how a person experiences the world from their own point of view. Rather than assuming what an experience means, the therapist stays curious about the client's feelings, perceptions, body and language in the present moment. This careful exploration can bring clarity to experiences that previously felt confusing or hard to describe.
Play therapy gives children a safe, developmentally appropriate way to communicate and work through feelings, experiences and relationships. With carefully chosen play materials and a trained therapist, a child can express themes that may be difficult to explain directly. The therapist observes, joins and responds in ways that support emotional regulation, understanding and new coping skills.
Primal therapy explores the possibility that intense present-day feelings can be connected with painful early experiences. In a carefully held setting, a person may be supported to recognise and express emotions that have been held back, while making sense of their impact on current life. Anyone considering this approach should discuss the therapist's training, safety planning and how the work will be paced.
Psychoanalysis is an in-depth therapy that explores unconscious feelings, conflicts, wishes and relationship patterns. Through regular sessions and open conversation, a person can examine how past experiences influence the present, including what emerges in the therapeutic relationship. It is often a longer-term process that values gradual insight and a detailed understanding of the self.
Psychodynamic psychotherapy considers how past relationships, emotional experiences and unconscious patterns may influence current difficulties. The therapist offers a consistent relationship in which these patterns can be noticed and understood, while also focusing on the concerns bringing the person to therapy now. Greater insight can help create more freedom in feelings, relationships and choices.
Psychosynthesis takes a broad view of personal development, bringing together emotional, psychological, physical and spiritual aspects of experience where these are meaningful to the client. Therapy may explore inner conflict, values, purpose and the different parts of a person's identity. The focus is on integration and growth while respecting the client's own beliefs and worldview.
Relationship therapy helps people understand and change recurring patterns of conflict, distance or misunderstanding in an important relationship. Partners, family members or other people may be supported to express needs, listen differently and work with differences without assigning blame. The therapist creates a balanced space in which each person's experience can be heard.
Solution-focused brief therapy concentrates on the changes a person wants and the occasions when the problem has been less powerful. Rather than analysing every cause, the therapist helps identify strengths, useful exceptions and small next steps that move life towards a preferred future. The approach is practical, hopeful and usually delivered over a focused course.
Systemic therapy examines how people are influenced by the relationships, families, communities and wider systems around them. Difficulties are understood as patterns between people rather than as the fault of one individual. Therapy can help those involved communicate differently, recognise their mutual influence and make changes that support the whole system.
Transactional analysis explores how people communicate and how different states of mind can influence interactions. A therapist may use the Parent, Adult and Child model to help a person recognise familiar exchanges, beliefs and roles that repeat in relationships. The work supports more conscious communication, personal responsibility and the ability to choose different responses.
Transpersonal therapy explores experiences of identity, meaning, spirituality and human potential alongside emotional and psychological wellbeing. It can include reflection on values, connection, creativity or states of awareness when these are relevant and welcomed by the client. The therapist works within the person's worldview and keeps the work grounded, respectful and choice-led.