Gina Sanchez

Relaxation techniques, such as breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation and calming imagery, help the body and mind wind down. Practised regularly, they can lower tension and make stress, anxiety and sleep problems easier to manage. They are often taught as skills you can use on your own between sessions.

Coaching is goal-oriented support for personal or professional growth. It focuses on where you want to go and the steps to get there, drawing on your strengths and resources. Coaching is not psychotherapy and is not a treatment for mental health conditions.

Counselling gives you time to talk through what is on your mind with a trained professional who listens without judging. It can help you make sense of your feelings, see your options more clearly and find your own way forward. It is often used for life changes, stress, loss and relationship difficulties.

Solution-focused therapy puts the emphasis on what you want rather than on the problem. It looks for what is already working, even a little, and builds on your strengths and resources. The work is often short-term and practical, with clear, small steps.

Imagery and imaginative methods work with inner pictures: memories, dreams, imagined scenes or symbols. Images can make feelings easier to reach, and can be used to calm down, to strengthen inner resources or to rework a difficult experience. They are often part of trauma-focused, schema and hypnotherapeutic work.

Crisis intervention is short-term support in an acute crisis, such as a sudden loss, a shock or a situation that feels overwhelming. It focuses on steadying things, getting through the next days and finding support, rather than on longer-term therapy. In an emergency, always contact your local emergency number or a crisis line.

Existential therapy and logotherapy look at the big questions of life: meaning, freedom, choice, loss and mortality. Rather than treating difficulties only as symptoms, they explore how you want to live and what gives your life meaning. They can be helpful at turning points, in times of crisis or when life feels empty.