Aideen Butler

My profile includes the following information (for quick reference):
What type of therapy do you offer?
What is Cognitive Behaviour Therapy?
What is Counselling?
What can I expect from my first session?
What can I expect from a typical session?
How long are the sessions?
How are the sessions offered?
What if I don't like you?
What if I am in crisis in between sessions?
Do I need to know anything else?
What made you want to become a therapist?

What type of therapy do you offer?
I offer therapeutic counselling and cognitive behavioural therapy but also draw upon multiple therapy models and techniques that play to your existing skills and strengths. The therapy approaches I use are based on the best evidence recommended by NICE Guidance - National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

What is cognitive behavioural therapy?
CBT is a simple and effective treatment for common mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. CBT treatment aims to identify and modify overly harsh or distorted thoughts, beliefs and attitudes that negatively impact how we feel and what we do. Often these thoughts and behaviours have developed over time and through no fault of our own but can cause lead to mental distress. CBT therapy helps you discover ways in which to understand your reactions.  One way is to examine a recent situation in which the problem occurred in and break it down into 5 areas. This will help you to identify any vicious patterns that maintain the problem. By establishing the following:
- The situation  
- Thoughts, beliefs, assumptions and attitudes toward the event or situation 
- Feelings and moods experienced as a result 
- Behaviour and how we act in response to the situation or event 
- Physical sensations 
Once we understand the vicious pattern, you will learn a number of evidence-based techniques and strategies which have been designed to help you think and behave in more helpful ways and are specifically aimed at helping you feel better.

What is counselling?
Counselling assumes that people have a core or natural self and that people have a natural tendency to want to be in harmony with themself. When someone develops psychological difficulties, counselling assumes that they have lost touch with this natural self in some way.

Counselling for depression follows the NICE guidelines and has been developed to help people suffering from depression, specifically. The type of counselling we offer typically suits those who present mild to moderate depression.

The aim of counselling for depression is to help patients access underlying feelings, make sense of them, and draw on the new meanings which emerge to make positive changes in their lives. Typically, people will receive 6-10 sessions, once a week, for 50-60 minutes.

This form of therapy tends to view depression primarily as an emotional problem along with interpersonal processes such as excessive self-criticism. Through the provision of a safe, confidential environment, counselling for depression helps people explore and understand the feelings underlying their depression how to express these feelings and then empowers them to develop new ways of looking at themselves and the world around them.

It has been reported that counselling has a significant impact on depression and anxiety and has also been found to be equally as effective as cognitive behavioural therapy. Counsellors have reported that they see noticeable changes in their patients perceptions of themselves and of their relationships.

What can I expect from my first session?
The first session will be spent introducing ourselves to each other. I will tell you a little bit about my role and how we can work together. I will ask you some questions about your safety and discuss the treatment and confidentiality agreement.  

There is no one size fits all therapy which is why I dedicate our first few sessions to developing a shared understanding of what the main problems are, how they are affecting you and how you would like things to be different. We will then formulate a problem statement and agree a personalised treatment plan that targets the specific problems we have identified.

What can I expect from a typical session?
The general structure of each subsequent session will be to review how you have been during the week. We will explore any techniques you may have practiced in between sessions, any problems you experienced and agree on what to focus on in the current session before discussing a plan for the forthcoming week. 

How long are the sessions?
50 minutes or 90 minutes dependent upon need.  For most problems 50 minutes is sufficient. 90 minutes sessions are offered for people undergoing exposure therapy for phobias and fears or trauma focused therapy where reliving is a core component.

How are the sessions offered?
- One to one 
- Secure online digital platforms using Teams or Zoom 
- Face to face where possible   
- Telephone  

What if I don't like you?
Finding a therapist that you feel safe and comfortable talking to is vitally important. I offer an initial, 30 minute, no obligation, free of charge consultation in which to briefly discuss what you would like to achieve from your therapy. This will give you the opportunity to consider if I am the right therapist for you.

What if I am in crisis in between sessions?
I am unable to and not insured to offer a crisis or emergency service. It is understandable that you may experience distress at times but if you need to speak to someone immediately, please contact your GP, NHS direct 111 or the Samaritans 116 123

Do I need to know anything else?
Therapy can be challenging because it requires us to confront difficult emotions and experiences. Attending sessions can feel tiring and the emotional effects can be felt for some time afterwards. It is important to make sure you are patient and kind to yourself afterwards. I can help you with self-care strategies if self-compassion is something you struggle with. 

What made you want to become a therapist?
From a young age, I have been curious about what makes people who they are. My interest started when I noticed how completely different my younger brother and I were when we were young. He was a laid back, content, quietly confident boy who rarely got into trouble while I was a rebellious, questioning child who was constantly on the move and frequently in trouble. We had two completely different ways of interacting with and coping with the world. I marvelled at how two people could share the same parents, the same home, the exact same experiences but have remarkably different ways of experiencing and responding to it. I had a lot of questions - what was it that made him content with the world as it is when all I wanted was work out what it was all about.

It was this curiosity that led me to becoming and therapist and I hold the same principles. I am not concerned with the difference so it doesn't matter to me whether a person is angry or calm, anxious or confident, happy or sad, accepting or rejecting, outgoing or avoidant. My interest was more around understanding the experiences that had led to those ways of being in the world. I think this non-judgemental, accepting and curious approach is good for people who come into therapy for a couple of reasons. Firstly, people who seek support, do so because they want to understand themselves better. Secondly, they want to understand their problems better and how it started in the first place and finally, they want to know what they can do to feel better. When I work with someone therapeutically, we are doing just that. We are working together to understand the problems.

Exploring the experiences that may have led to those problems, experiences that have shaped beliefs, how they influences their interaction with the world. We are teaming up to understand what skills and strengths they are currently using to cope, are they still helpful, is there any tinkering we can do to sharpen up the skills or discover new ones. On that note, I am able to use the training I have had to tailor evidence-based techniques to specific problems that are designed to alleviate suffering and promote a positive mood. By combining our resources in this way, the process of understanding, acceptance and meaningful change can occur. I look forward to working with you.

• 50 minute sessions are charged at £65.00
• 90 Minute sessions are charged £90.00