Ayesha Khaleel

Cognitive behavioural therapy looks at how thoughts, feelings and actions keep each other going. Together you notice the patterns that hold a problem in place and try out new ways of thinking and acting, often with small practical tasks between sessions. It is widely used for anxiety, low mood, stress and sleep problems.

Exposure therapy helps you face what you fear gradually and in a planned way, rather than avoiding it. Step by step, at a pace agreed together, the fear usually becomes smaller and easier to manage. Exposure and response prevention (ERP) is a form of it used for obsessions and compulsions.

Mindfulness-based therapy uses practices that train attention on the present moment, with openness rather than judgement. Noticing thoughts and feelings without being carried away by them can reduce stress and help break cycles of worry or low mood. Programmes such as MBSR and MBCT are well-known examples.

Emotion-focused therapy (EFT) sees emotions as important guides that can be understood and changed. It helps you notice, name and work with feelings, including painful ones, so they become less overwhelming. It is also widely used with couples, to understand the emotional cycles between partners and build a closer bond.

Integrative therapy combines ideas and methods from different therapeutic approaches, chosen to suit you and what you bring. Rather than following one model, the therapist adapts the work as it goes along. This flexibility can help when needs change over time.