Category Archives: counselling

Expanding range of Eastern and Western modals of therapy

An ever increasing diversity of models modalities of psychoanalysis

As a psychotherapist, psychoanalyst and hypnotherapist with over 25 years experience, I am of course bound to pick up more modals and methods over time simply because therapists have to do 25 hours or so continuous professional training each year.  For me though, it is about far more. Right from the start of my career I was trained in being multi-modal: being competent in more than one modal alone or in combination. So for me continuing to add modals at competence level or above is a natural thing to do.

Eastern and Western Modals, and in between

Although I started off very much with western based modals with Level 5 Diploma (Graduate level) training in Cognitive Behavioural, Hypnosis based, humanistic and Psychoanalytic, by the time I completed by second set of accreditation (post graduate) with the NACHP I was fascinated by using mindfulness and Eastern Psychology in psychotherapy.

Since then I have revived my long time interest in eastern psychology, Buddhism and Taoism (which goes back to my teens!) and completed a variety of competence and CPD courses in forms of eastern psychology, Buddhism, mindfulness and Zen based mindfulness.

I have also studied Hygge as a northern European alternative, and am currently (Nov 2018) studying Chabbad based Jewish mindfulness.

Fitting the “faith” models into clinical psychotherapy

In the west we had the process of enlightenment, which included something called reductionism. This meant reducing topic areas down into labels.  It is also referred to with similar related terms of Atomism and Positivism.  Before this happened mental health was part of Theology and Philosophy. Later it became psychology.

In other parts of the world, especially the far East, this process never occurred and therefore within Taoism, Kabbalah, Buddhism and other faiths there are also entire psychological theories which do not require faith adherence to use in therapy.

Lets be clear here: you do not have to have any faith at all to benefit from psychology principles taken from Eastern faiths.

Using different models in a clinically effective way

I believe in being holistic, caring and not over medicalised. Treating a label like “depression” is only treating how the person’s overall problem is showing up. It is like giving a head ache pill for a head ache without asking why it happened.

However when working with clients it makes sense to use methods that together BOTH treat the label, AND help the long term well being of the client. Therefore I base my work around research evidenced and NICE recommended core therapies (to address the labels) with psychodynamic and humanistic deeper processes to address the person!

Ironically when I started using mindfulness and other methods they were considered rather alternative, but now they are some of the best research evidenced methods around today.

 

Key words
Mindfulness, faith, multi modal psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, counselling. eastern psychology, western psychology, philosophy of the mind, depression, anxiety, mental health, personal development, disorders, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Falkirk, Scotland, Skype, psychotherapist, psychoanalyst, counsellor

 

NACHP

National Association of Counsellors Hypnotherapists and Psychotherapists. Accredited clinical psychotherapist. Counselling Hypnotherapy Psychotherapy
Psychoanalysis
CBT

National Council of Psychotherapists. Psychotherapy, Counselling, Psychoanalysis, Life Coaching, Hypnotherapy, Psychology, Mental Health

 

New emphasis on clinical mindfulness

Clinical mindfulness, back to basics

Stuart has been involved in mindfulness since his teens. Beginning with transcendental meditation and self hypnosis, he then studied Taoist meditation and yoga alongside Japanese and Chinese martial arts.

For Stuart, mindfulness is a natural way of life, and in recent years he has studied formally a range of additional courses and CPD certificates to refresh areas of competence.

Stuart has completed clinical mindfulness training for groups, CBT and mindfulness for depression and practical meditation training, as well as certification courses in additional theory. His clinical training has been with NHS and private practice clinicians at courses here in Scotland.

Stuart has run training courses at levels 4 and 5 in mindfulness and uses both active and passive mindfulness in clinical practice in Edinburgh, Falkirk and Glasgow. Methods include MBSR, MBCT, teaching mindfulness and hypnosis based mindfulness.

Key words
Mindfulness, MBSR, MBCT, Teaching mindfulness, meditation, mindfulness for depression, mindfulness for stress, mindfulness for anxiety, psychotherapy, counselling, hypnotherapy, psychoanalysis, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Falkirk, Scotland

Contact via the contact us page HERE

Mindfulness CPD

More mindfulness training for CPD

As part of our commitment to CPD training, we both carry out far more than the required continuous professional development levels each year.

Stuart has just completed a CPD short diploma in Mindfulness based cognitive behavioural therapy (August 2017), just to stay up to date with the area. He has already trained extensively in psychotherapy, hypnotherapy, training and meditation based mindfulness.

Key words

Mindfulness, meditation, CBT, cognitive behavioural therapy, ongoing training, CPD, psychotherapy, hypnotherapy, counselling, meditation, MBCT, MBSR, mindfulness training.

Contact via the contact us page HERE

Ongoing Continuous Professional Development

Ongoing professional development and improvement

Stuart is dedicated to ongoing professional development and improvement. As part of his professional registrations he is required to complete around 20 hours a year of CPD training. Stuart however regularly completes far more than this.

For example this year (2017) so far:

By June 2017 over 14 hours face to face CPD, over 100 hours university learning (Open University), Over 10 hours nutrition CPD learning, over 20 hours mindfulness refresher CPD learning.

Short courses in MBCT, Buddhism, Shamanism, Gestalt, Mindfulness, Hyge and meditation have all been completed.

Later in the year a complete post qualification Compassion based therapy course is booked and another 100 plus university hours expected.

This is a fairly typical year, and should demonstrate the level of service improvement Stuart expects from himself.

Key words

Ongoing professional development, continuous professional development, service improvement, CPD, OPD, additional training, post qualification training, standards and qualification.

Contact via the contact us page HERE

Back in Glasgow

Psychotherapy in Glasgow

Glad to announce that after an absence of running clinic in Glasgow for a couple of years due to other commitments, Stuart is now back from the 15th June 2017.

Psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, counselling, hypnotherapy, mindfulness in Glasgow

A full range of therapy models and integrative multi modal therapy work is available again in Glasgow.

Glasgow City Centre Therapy

Therapy is provided from the Consulting Rooms in Glasgow City Centre, near the Queen Street rail station.

 

Key words

Glasgow, psychotherapy, psychotherapist, hypnotherapy, hypnotherapist, counselling, counsellor, hypnosis, hypnotist, mindfulness, MBSR, MBCT, CBT, CBASP, depression, anxiety, psychoanalysis, psychoanalyst, NLP, analysis, psychoanalyst, bipolar, eating disorders, holistic therapy.

Contact via the contact us page HERE

New voluntary regulator gathering support

New voluntary regulator gathering support and now launched

The field of complementary and psychological therapies has been complicated in terms of regulation for some time. The Alliance for Counselling and Psychotherapy, of which the author is a member, helped to block statutory regulation of counselling and psychotherapy with a judicial review. This was primarily because the proposed regulation was not fit for purpose and was based on false assumptions. There simply is no evidence of mass abuse or danger to clients, and most professional bodies already took appropriate action. Also statutory regulation would not prevent continued practice under a different job title.

The Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council was set up with Government support and funding and became the voluntary regulator of choice for complementary therapies, including confusingly hypnotherapy, which is of course a psychological therapy (psychotherapy).

Next the Government set up the Professional Standards Authority Accredited Register scheme, essentially letting any professional body with the quality (and large amounts of money) to gain accreditation from the PSA, who incidentally also oversee statutory regulators. It should be noted that PSA AR status can only be given to existing registers, so any new organisation can not gain accreditation immediately, it has to set up first, gain members and have a “register” and then apply for accreditation.

Various professional bodies now have PSA AR status, including the CNHC voluntary regulator.

New organisation on the block

The Register of Health Care Practitioners (ROHCP) is a new voluntary regulator set up by actual therapists, and seeking to have a more profession driven approach than the CNHC which is sometimes seen as rather bureaucratic and imposed on the profession.  The ROHCP covers essentially all complementary and psychological therapies, and does have the long term goal of PSA AR status once the finance and numbers are there.

it should be interesting to see if the ROHCP can provide a true alternative and competition to the CNHC, and how this will play out.

Stuart’s involvement

I support any organisation hoping to improve the standards of the profession in an appropriate way.  I have been a volunteer promoting the CNHC and I am registered already with them and the FHT (also a PSA AR). I am published on the topic of regulation and am known to be a critic of dividing types of psychotherapy up into different types and having registers for each. I am also in the process of assisting another professional body (hopefully) gain AR status.

In the long run I think it would be healthy for some specialist PSA AR accredited bodies to exist, and also however some integrated umbrella organisations to be voluntary regulators too, preferably with AR status, and I would welcome it if ROCHP was such a body.

Key words
Regulation, standards, professional standards, industry, PSA AR, Professional standards authority, voluntary regulator, voluntary regulation, complementary therapy, psychological therapy, counselling and psychotherapy, statutory regulation, client safety, patient safety, psychotherapy, counselling, hypnotherapy, mindfulness, life coaching

Contact via the contact us page HERE

Ongoing Mindfulness and philosophy service expansion

Development of existing service continues….

Both Stuart and his colleague and Scotlandtherapy partner Denise are dedicated to ongoing learning and development, and therefore complete additional university based and practical Ongoing Professional Development training each and every year. This is all on top of existing professional qualification training.

Mindfulness and Philosophy

Stuart in particular has completed additional trainings this year in MBCT (mindfulness based cognitive therapy), CBT (cognitive behaviour therapy) for depression and additional training in general mindfulness. He is booked to attend additional specialist training in the use of philosophical models in psychotherapy later in the year, which should nicely complement his nearly completed BA (Hons) in Psychology and philosophy of the mind. This is on pause at the moment since the last university model will not become available until late 2017.

Additional University based learning

Both Stuart and Denise has multiple university awards. Stuart has two University Certificates of Education (Undergraduate) from Lampeter and Edinburgh Universities, Bachelor degrees from City of Birmingham University and the Open University, and a Masters Degree from the Open University. He is about to begin a new degree alongside completing a Psychology and Philosophy of the Mind degree, this time in International Relations, specialising in the effect of ecology and politics on people, with specific regard to mental health issues and disability issues. This ties in with his work writing a regular political column for Self and Society professional journal and other publications and articles.

Denise has completed an undergraduate certificate of Education from Edinburgh University and two bachelor degrees from the Open University. She is about to embark on a third degree, focusing on Business, in particular human resources.

Keywords
Business studies, psychology, psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, mindfulness, MBCT, CBT, politics, human resources, mental health, disability issues, social studies, social policy, social environment, depression, anxiety, bipolar, environmental psychology, Edinburgh, Falkirk, psychotherapist, hypnotherapist, counsellor, psychoanalyst

Contact via the contact us page HERE

Book Review published, critical psychotherapy

 

Critical psychotherapy, psychoanalysis and counselling: implications for practice

Edited by Del Lowental and contributed to by leading writers in the field of psychoanalysis and psychotherapy, including some colleagues, this book is a major contribution to critical thinking in the psychological therapies.

 

My review is available to those with university / Taylor and Francis access HERE

 

Key words
Critical psychotherapy, critical psychology, critical thinking, counselling, psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, psychology, ideology, politics, scientific terminology, reasoning, therapy

Contact via the contact us page HERE

New Book Launched

New publication on future of psychological therapy

 

Colleagues and clients alike are recommended to take a look at the new book Edited by my colleague John Lees. It has contributions from several other colleagues of mine, and I wrote Chapter 3. It looks at the future of the profession through a critical lens from several perspectives and would be very useful for a student therapist or new graduate.

 

The Future of Psychological Therapy: From Managed Care to Transformational Practice

Prelaunch order at Amazon HERE

Contact via the contact us page HERE

Political Diary in Self and Society

Political Diary

From this current issue I will be writing a political diary in Self and Society, a professional Journal for a major professional body.

The diary covers the events of the day, focused around the effects politics have on the psychology professions and our clients.

Accessing the diary

Self and Society is a Routledge published journal via their Taylor and Francis section and if you have academic access via your university then you should be able to log in.

Direct link: HERE

Key words
Psychology, politics, psychology profession, psychotherapy, psychotherapy clients, politics in the UK, UK Politics, social science, philosophy, counselling professions, regulation and standards in psychotherapy, humanistic psychology

Contact via the contact us page HERE