Jo Gresham-Ord

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Accredited EMDR Consultant, Accred CBT, Psychologist
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This professional has no current availability for new clients. Please enquire with them directly to discuss availability.

Ely, Cambridgeshire, CB7
No current availability
No current availability

This professional has no current availability for new clients. Please enquire with them directly to discuss availability.

About me

I am currently unable to offer appointments for new clients.

As a specialist in treating Trauma, Anxiety and Depression, I use my training and experience to help people manage day to day living, sleep well and improve their quality of life. With a free half hour consultation we can explore how this can work for you.

I would describe my approach to treatment as compassionate, collaborative and evidence based. The therapeutic relationship is of the utmost importance and creating an atmosphere where my clients can feel safe, contained and respected is a top priority for me.

I offer  sessions virtually, at a clinic room in Ely and Walking in two locations close to Cambridge.

Some examples of the conditions that I have treated include:

Traumas - This could be a history of sexual abuse, terrorism, bullying, violent attack, traffic accident or simply something that happened to you that you didn't think was possible - something that just shouldn't have happened. You may be a veteran.

Depression - Consistent low mood, an inability to enjoy things, difficulty doing everyday tasks such as getting up and basic self care, sleep problems and irritability

Bereavement - Maybe you have lost a loved one, such as a relative or pet, or you have experienced some other kind of significant loss

Panic Attacks - A debilitating condition which leaves you thinking something terrible will happen to you

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder - Maybe you have checking routines, thinking routines or compulsions to do things frequently that impinge on your quality of life

Social Anxiety - Or extreme shyness. This can be such a barrier to getting on in life but there is hope and treatment available

Health Anxiety - Do you constantly seek reassurance from friends, relatives, the internet or your GP that there is not something seriously wrong with you? This is very common and can be addressed.

Low self Esteem: Maybe you have trouble standing up for yourself and don't really feel you deserve the good things in life. Perhaps you feel guilty a lot of the time and you don't really like yourself very much

It could be that your loved one is struggling with one of the above and that you need a bit of support.

I am trained to provide CBT, EMDR, and Counselling and can help you decide which is the best approach.

The following is a rough guide for you:

Counselling. CBT or EMDR?

Perhaps the most obvious difference between talking therapies is whether the treatment is:

  • directive (time limited, goal orientated, collaborative and structured approach)
  • non-directive (with the client taking the lead in what is discussed).

EMDR

In 1987, a respected American Clinical Psychologist and Researcher, Dr Francine Shapiro, made the chance observation that eye movements can reduce the intensity of disturbing thoughts and feelings under certain conditions. Dr Shapiro studied this scientifically. In the 1989 edition of The Journal of Traumatic Stress, she reported success using EMDR in treating victims of severe trauma. Since then EMDR has developed rapidly, and has been widely researched. It is now used by trained therapists all over the world.

How does EMDR work?
When an individual is traumatised, they experience such strong emotions that it is thought to overwhelm the brain. The brain consequently is unable to cope with, or process information as it does ordinarily. Distressing experiences become ‘frozen in time’. They are stored in the brain in the original ‘raw’ form and can recur as ‘action replays’ or intrusive memories. The person repeatedly relives the original unpleasant event/s. Remembering a trauma may feel as bad as experiencing it the first time because the images, sounds, smells, and feelings haven’t changed. Such memories have a lasting negative effect on the way a person sees themselves, the world and other people. It can affect parts or all of their lives, including their ability to work or study.

EMDR seems to directly influence the way that the brain functions. It helps to restore normal ways of dealing with problems (i.e. information processing). Following successful EMDR treatment, memories of the event are no longer painful when brought to mind. What happened can still be recalled, but it is less upsetting. EMDR appears to mimic what the brain does naturally on a daily basis during dreaming or REM (Rapid Eye Movements) sleep: EMDR can be thought of as an inherently natural therapy which assists the brain in working through distressing material.

Is EMDR effective?
Research studies have shown that EMDR can markedly accelerate the healing process after a traumatic experience and that the effects are long lasting. In fact, there are now more scientifically controlled studies on the treatment of post traumatic stress disorders with EMDR than with any other form of psychological treatment. EMDR is highly effective, often preferred by clients and generally of shorter duration than other treatment methods.

It is important to stress that EMDR is a highly effective treatment for any condition where you feel your reaction to situations is disproportionate or you are struggling to contain your emotions.

I offer therapy sessions virtually, at a clinic room in Ely and Walking in two locations close to Cambridge.

What does a Walking EMDR Therapy session look like?

You will have had at least one initial ‘assessment’ appointment and you will have discussed with your therapist whether EMDR is appropriate for you. You will also have talked about ways in which to self soothe or look after yourself between sessions. This is sometimes called resourcing.

A standard processing EMDR session looks something like this:

·         A disturbing memory or ‘target’ is chosen

·         You are asked to think of the worst part of the memory and bring up an image of it. Don't worry if you struggle to visualise.

·         You are asked to think about the words that best describe the negative belief that you hold about yourself now while thinking of the memory. For example: ‘I’m in danger’ or ‘I’m bad’

·         You are then asked what you would prefer to believe about yourself. For example: ‘I’m safe’ or ‘I’m OK’. This belief is then scored.

·         You will be asked to think of the image as best you can, say the negative words (I’m in danger’) to yourself and notice how you feel as you do that. For example: ‘scared’

·         You are then asked how disturbed you feel while you think of the memory on a scale of 0 to 10 where 10 is the most disturbed.

·         Finally, you will be asked where you feel this in your body. For example: ‘in the chest’

(Don’t worry if this sounds a lot. You can’t do it wrong. Your therapist will guide you and it’s OK to say I don’t know. If you can’t see an image or you can’t think of a belief, that’s completely fine. Your therapist will help you).

The processing then begins. This can be done by using eye movements (following the therapist’s fingers), holding tappers which vibrate gently in each hand or by using headphones which make a sound alternately in each ear. In walking therapy, the method used is Mindful walking. You will be asked while walking to simply notice without judging or analysing what is happening in your internal world. What thoughts, sensations, physical responses are happening.

It sounds as if a lot is going on and it is! However, you will be guided by your therapist at all times.

After each phase of walking there is a pause. Either you can determine when you stop walking or the therapist can simply say, let’s pause. You are then asked what you are noticing in that moment.

This can be a thought or a sensation or an emotion. Or it can be ‘nothing really’. The therapist will then say OK, just notice that and the walking resumes or the therapist may ask a question or make a comment if they feel processing has become stuck.

You are merely asked to be an observer of your inner world while walking along.

The goal is for you to be able to recall the memory/target without any feelings of disturbance and have updated your belief system to recognise the ‘preferred’ belief. For example, that you are now safe or OK and that what happened was in the past. The above process is repeated until this has been achieved. The therapist may check at intervals on how disturbing the memory feels to ensure this is shifting.

FAQ’s

What if I do it wrong?

There is no way of doing EMDR wrong. Whatever comes up is relevant and has come up for a reason. Even if it seems completely random. The therapist is not expecting any particular feedback and it is absolutely OK to say I’m not noticing anything at the moment or ‘I don’t know’ or I don’t really want to say. The therapist may ask you a question if they think processing has stalled.

What if I want to stop?

You can stop processing at any time. Just agree a signal with your therapist at the beginning. For example: you can just hold up your hand, stop walking or simply say you want to stop.

What if we see someone I or my therapist knows during the session?

You will agree with your therapist before you start how you will both handle this scenario.

What about confidentiality and being overheard?

Again, this is something your therapist will discuss with you in advance and manage during the session. It can be handled by just pausing in the talking until someone has passed or continue walking and taking a pause once the other pedestrian has passed by.

What if I dissociate while we are doing the processing?

Your therapist will be aware of the potential for this to happen if it applies and will have discussed Grounding techniques and a plan with you should it occur. Generally, the momentum of walking and being outdoors serves as a good deterrent to this happening.

What if I burst into tears and someone comes along?

Your therapist will have picked a route that allows for you to step aside or move to somewhere discrete. For example, there maybe woodland or benches that are available for seating away from the main paths.

Counselling or CBT?

What is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy? (Directive)

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a widely used time limited therapy that treats emotional problems. Cognitive refers to our thoughts and the meanings we give to our experiences. Behavioural refers to our actions and what we do. An important part of therapy is the idea that emotions and behaviour are influenced by perception of events or the way we think about them.

When people have emotional problems, such as depression or anxiety, our thinking patterns tend to change and we focus more on the negative side of things, or we can only imagine the worst scenario in any situation.  As a result, we feel worse. CBT helps to identify these unhelpful and often one-sided styles of thinking and teach techniques to overcome them.

What is Counselling?  (Non Directive)

Counselling provides a regular time and space for people to talk about their troubles and explore difficult feelings in an environment that is dependable, free from intrusion and confidential. People may seek counselling because of difficult experiences they have been going through, such as a relationship breakdown, bereavement or redundancy. Or they may want help dealing with feelings of sadness, depression or low self-worth that don’t seem to be connected to any particular event.

The following is a rough guide for deciding whether to consider EMDR, Counselling or CBT:

EMDR

  •       If you feel that you are being ‘hijacked’ by your emotions and that you know your reactions to situations aren’t ‘normal’.
  •       You know that you have been through something or things in the past that are affecting how you feel today in a negative way.
  •       You get ‘triggered’ by things like TV, smells, sounds, places, certain people.
  •       You are experiencing recurring dreams, night terrors, intrusive images.
  •       You are easily startled and extra jumpy.
  •       You have fears or phobias that are stopping you from doing everyday things or affecting your quality of life.
  •       You seem to be stuck in Grief
  •       You have OCD, Low self-esteem, low mood or any kind of anxiety (including Panic attacks)
  •       Things have happened to you that you don't necessarily want to disclose, you may not want to go into the detail but do want to recover. There is a protocol called Blind to Therapist for situations where people feel ashamed or humiliated by what has happened to them and don't necessarily want to share this.

CBT

  • You are willing to set yourself tasks to do between sessions in order to make change happen and improve your quality of life.
  • Anxiety disorders such as phobia, social anxiety, health anxiety, PTSD
  • Depression
  • You can identify a clear goal of therapy such as ‘overcome my fear of going out’, stop having panic attacks
  • You wish to change yourself in order to feel better and do more (and not expect others to change). Or maybe you know what needs to change but are unsure about how to do it.

Counselling

  • Suitable for relationship difficulties, bereavement, loss, adjustment difficulties (maybe your circumstances have changed and you are finding it difficult to adjust to them)
  • When you know that things are difficult and you are struggling but you are not quite sure what needs to change
  • When you struggle to identify a goal of the therapy
  • When you know you need someone neutral and professional to talk to or get emotional support through an ongoing situation such as a relative’s illness.




Training, qualifications & experience

Doctoral equivalent in Counselling Psychology
MSc Counselling Psychology
BSc Hons Psychology

EMDR Europe Accredited Clinical Supervisor/Consultant

BABCP Accredited Cognitive Behavioural Therapist

IPTUK Qualified Therapist

I have run a private practice since 2013 prior to which I spent  nine years working in the NHS as both psychologist and manager of a team of clinicians.

From 2004 to 2006 I ran the bereavement service at Arthur Rank House Hospice in Cambridge alongside psychological palliative care work in Oncology at Addenbrookes and at the Hospice.

From 2006 to 2007 I worked initially as a cognitive behavioural therapist in a primary care service in Norfolk specialising in treating Depression. I was then promoted to team leader which I continued to do until 2009 when I left to run a team of clinicians in Huntingdon.

From 2009 to 2013 I managed a team of therapists providing cognitive behavioural therapy to patients referred by their GP for conditions that include panic, phobias, depression, PTSD, sexual abuse, health anxiety, OCD and many more. In this role I supervised accredited staff and trainees, saw patients and managed the team.

I occasionally teach in addition to my clinical work.

Member organisations

Registered / Accredited

Registered / Accredited

Being registered/accredited with a professional body means an individual must have achieved a substantial level of training and experience approved by their member organisation.

EMDR Europe
EMDR Europe

EMDR Europe

BABCP
British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP)

The BABCP is the lead organisation for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy in the UK. Membership is open to anyone with an interest in the practice, theory or development of CBT. BABCP also provides accreditation for CBT therapists. BABCP accredited members adhere to the Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics in the Practice of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies, and are willing to be scrutinised in this adherence as required.

HCPC
Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)

The HCPC are an independent, UK-wide health regulator. They set standards of professional training, performance and conduct for 16 professions.

They keep a register of health professionals who meet their standards, and they take action if registered health professionals fall below those standards. They were created by a piece of legislation called the Health Professions Order 2001.

Registration means that a health professional meets national standards for their professional training, performance and conduct.

Accredited register membership

British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies
Accredited Register Scheme

The Accredited Register Scheme was set up in 2013 by the Department of Health (DoH) as a way to recognise organisations that hold voluntary registers which meet certain standards. These standards are set by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA).

This therapist has indicated that they belong to an Accredited Register.

British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies

Fees

£100.00 - £110.00
Free initial in-person, telephone or online session

Health Insurance/EAP

  • Aviva
  • Axa Health
  • WPA

Additional information

My fees are £100 per session

Free half hour initial consultation either face to face or over the telephone to help you decide whether you wish to work with me.

Further information

Ely - Central location. Free parking available.

Ely, Cambridgeshire, CB7

Type of session

In person

Types of client

Adults
Older adults

Key details

I'm afraid my room is situated on the second floor and there is no lift. I can offer sessions via a specialist EMDR platform for those with mobility issues.

Online platforms

Skype
VSee
Zoom
Jo Gresham-Ord
Jo Gresham-Ord