Why do people come to therapy?

People come to therapy for all kinds of reasons. Psychotherapy can help manage and address a wide range of emotional issues, difficulties and experiences. It’s not about being “crazy” or “mad”, but it is about making changes – both in your life, and in how you feel.

Psychotherapy comes under the broad heading of ‘talking therapies’. By talking about and exploring the things that you have experienced, how you are feeling, and the thoughts you are having, you are then able to make positive changes. It’s not possible for us to go back in time and change what has already happened, but it is possible to reduce or remove the negative impact that those things may still be having on you now.

Our Integrative approach

You can read more about our Integrative approach to psychotherapy here.

Problems and difficulties that clients want help with

Examples of the kinds of things people come to therapy for include:

• Stress and anxiety

• Anger

• Depression

• Relationship issues

• Workplace problems

• Family difficulties

• Issues relating to sexuality and identity

• Knowing that things ‘just don’t feel right’

Life events and experiences

People also choose to come to therapy having experienced significant or difficult events, for example:

• Bereavement

• Divorce or separation

• Sexual abuse or assault

• Harassment

• Bullying

Whatever apparent similarities there may be, your individual experience is inevitably unique. This means that your experience of coming to therapy will also be unique.

What you can expect

You can expect your psychotherapist to:

• provide a safe, confidential place where you can talk about yourself and your life, which may be painful or confusing and may make you feel uncomfortable, angry or unhappy

• give you the opportunity to think and talk about yourself and your concerns in a way that you often can’t do with family and friends

• offer a place and time which is just for you to talk about those things that bother you

• listen to the way you feel and how this affects you and others

• accept the way you are without judging you

• help you to make the changes you would like to happen

• work hard to create a good therapeutic relationship with you so that we can work well together

• understand that it is not always easy to talk about problems and to express your feelings

• work with you towards improving your well-being

Your psychotherapist will not:

• offer to ‘cure’ you

• judge you

• make decisions for you

• take advantage of you

• spend time talking about their problems inappropriately

Video / online psychotherapy sessions

We believe that Integrative psychotherapy has the greatest potential as an in-person service, which is our primary provision. This is not to say that working online can not be effective, but we recognise the significant limitation placed on a relational experience by working this way.

In some instances, it may not be possible for in-person sessions to take place (for example, due to Covid restrictions) so working online remains an option which you can discuss either through your referral or with your psychotherapist.

Ethical practice

All psychotherapists and supervisors at Therapy Nottingham work within the professional and ethical guidelines of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and/or the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP). You can read more about these expectations on the respective websites.