A guide to the types of therapy available at harry's pals
If you’ve never had counselling or therapy before, understanding the different options can feel a little overwhelming. There are different approaches, and you may be wondering which one is right for you, what will happen during a session or what might be most helpful for what you’re experiencing.
You don’t need to work this out on your own.
At Harry’s Pals, we’ll talk to you about how you’re feeling, what you’d like support with and what you hope to get from therapy. We can then help match you with a practitioner whose experience and way of working feels right for you.
Our counsellors and psychotherapists are trained in a range of different therapeutic approaches. Some specialise in a particular approach, while others combine different methods depending on the needs of the person they are supporting.
Here’s a guide to the main approaches currently offered by our practitioners.
Counselling
Often used for: Stress, grief, anxiety, relationship difficulties, low self-esteem, difficult life experiences and emotional distress.
How it works:
Counselling gives you a confidential, non-judgemental space to talk openly about how you’re feeling.
Your counsellor will listen and support you to explore your thoughts, feelings and experiences, helping you make sense of what’s happening and find your own way forward.
Counselling is generally less structured than approaches such as CBT and is often guided by what feels most important to you at each session.
What to expect:
A confidential space to talk openly
Sessions guided by what you need to explore
Support to understand your emotions and experiences
A focus on feeling heard, understood and supported
It might suit you if: You want a safe space to talk things through, process difficult emotions and better understand how you’re feeling.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Often used for: Anxiety, depression, OCD, phobias and symptoms associated with trauma or PTSD.
How it works:
CBT explores the connection between your thoughts, feelings and behaviours. It can help you recognise patterns of thinking or behaviour that may be contributing to how you feel and develop practical ways of responding differently.
CBT tends to focus more on what’s happening in your life now rather than spending a lot of time exploring your past.
What to expect:
A structured and practical approach
A focus on current difficulties and goals
Strategies or exercises to try between sessions
Often a defined number of sessions
It might suit you if: You’d like practical tools and strategies to help you manage difficult thoughts, feelings or behaviours.
Person-Centred Therapy
Often used for: Grief, low self-esteem, identity, emotional difficulties, major life changes and personal growth.
How it works:
Person-centred therapy is based on empathy, acceptance and creating a relationship in which you feel genuinely heard and understood.
You lead the conversation while your therapist supports you to explore your feelings and experiences without judgement. Rather than telling you what to do, they help you develop your own understanding and find your own way forward.
What to expect:
A warm, accepting and non-judgemental environment
Space to explore whatever feels important to you
No pressure to follow a particular agenda
Support to understand yourself and your feelings at your own pace
It might suit you if: You want to feel listened to and understood and would value having the freedom to explore what you’re going through.
Integrative Therapy
Often used for: A wide range of emotional difficulties, particularly when several things are going on at once or you’re unsure which type of therapy you need.
How it works:
Integrative therapists draw upon different therapeutic approaches and tailor the way they work to you.
Rather than expecting you to fit into one particular model of therapy, your practitioner can adapt their approach as they get to know you and understand what you need.
What to expect:
A flexible and personalised approach
A combination of therapeutic techniques where appropriate
Sessions that can adapt as your needs change
Emotional exploration alongside practical strategies when helpful
It might suit you if: You’d like therapy that can be adapted around you rather than following one particular method.
Psychodynamic Therapy
Often used for: Relationship difficulties, recurring patterns, trauma and longstanding or complex emotional difficulties.
How it works:
Psychodynamic therapy explores how previous experiences and relationships may influence the way you think, feel and behave today.
By recognising patterns and understanding where they may have come from, you can develop a deeper understanding of yourself and how you relate to other people.
What to expect:
Reflective conversations
Exploration of past and present relationships and experiences
Identifying recurring emotional or behavioural patterns
An opportunity to understand some of the deeper reasons behind how you’re feeling
It might suit you if: You want to understand yourself more deeply and explore some of the underlying experiences and patterns influencing your life today.
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Often used for: PTSD and distress associated with traumatic experiences.
How it works:
EMDR is a structured psychological therapy designed to help people process traumatic or distressing memories.
During EMDR, you’ll be supported to focus on aspects of a difficult memory while experiencing what is known as bilateral stimulation. This commonly involves moving your eyes from side to side, although other methods may also be used.
The aim is to help reduce the distress associated with the memory.
What to expect:
An initial period of assessment and preparation
Techniques to help you manage distress
Working with particular memories in a structured and supported way
Bilateral stimulation, commonly involving eye movements
Sessions with a practitioner specifically trained in EMDR
It might suit you if: Traumatic memories, flashbacks or reminders of something that has happened continue to cause significant distress.
Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT)
EFT is sometimes known as tapping.
Often used for: Emotional distress, stress and anxiety. Some practitioners also use EFT when supporting people who have experienced trauma.
How it works:
EFT combines talking about particular thoughts, feelings or experiences with gentle tapping on specific points on the body.
What to expect:
Talking about a particular feeling, thought or experience
Gentle tapping on specific points on the face and body
Paying attention to how you feel during the process
Techniques that may also be practised outside your sessions
It might suit you if: You’re comfortable trying an approach that combines talking with a physical technique such as tapping.
SMART Trauma Technique
Some of our practitioners have additional training in specialist trauma approaches, including SMART Trauma Technique.
Your practitioner will explain the particular technique they are trained in, how it works and what you can expect before you begin.
They will also discuss whether this approach is appropriate for what you’re experiencing.
Trauma Support
Several of our practitioners have particular training or experience in supporting people affected by trauma.
Trauma can affect people in many different ways, so there isn’t one single type of therapy that is right for everyone. Depending on your individual circumstances and your practitioner’s training, support may draw on approaches such as CBT, EMDR, psychodynamic or person-centred therapy.
A practitioner experienced in trauma will work with you carefully and at a pace that feels manageable.
It might suit you if: You have experienced something traumatic or distressing and would particularly like to work with someone who has experience of supporting people affected by trauma.
What does ‘Psychotherapist’ mean?
Some practitioners describe themselves as psychotherapists, while others describe themselves as counsellors or counsellors and psychotherapists.
Psychotherapy is a broad term covering different forms of talking therapy. A psychotherapist may be trained in one or several therapeutic approaches, so it’s their individual training, qualifications and way of working that will help determine whether they are the right match for you.
What if my therapist uses more than one approach?
That’s very common.
Some of our practitioners, for example, combine person-centred therapy with CBT, while others work integratively and draw upon several different approaches.
You don’t need to decide between every type of therapy before you start. Your practitioner will explain how they work and how they can tailor their approach to your individual needs.
Neurodivergence and therapy
Some of our practitioners also have a particular interest or experience in supporting neurodivergent people.
Neurodivergence isn’t a type of therapy. Instead, we can take this into consideration when matching you with a practitioner, particularly if you would value working with someone who understands neurodivergence and can adapt their approach accordingly.
Please let us know if this is important to you.
Still not sure which therapy is right for you?
Please don’t worry – you don’t have to choose on your own.
At Harry’s Pals, our priority is finding the right person and the right kind of support for you.
We’ll talk to you about what you’re going through, how you’re feeling and what you’d like help with. We can then use this to help match you with one of our practitioners.
Before your therapy starts, your practitioner will contact you to introduce themselves, explain how they work and give you the opportunity to ask any questions.
You don’t need to know the name of the therapy you need. We’ll help you find someone you feel comfortable talking to and the support that feels right for you.