Adult Therapy

Adult psychotherapy helps individuals with a wide range of problems and levels of functioning to receive effective assessment and treatment.

I see clients who are struggling to function at all, as well as clients who are functioning really well in their daily lives but are interested in self-growth and exploration. Life coaching offers individuals an opportunity to increase their skills in particular areas such as corporate communication or assertiveness in the context of romantic relationships.

Some of my clients require as few as eight sessions to find relief from common anxiety and mood disorders, while others find that they may require many months.

As a cognitive-behavioural therapist, I always begin with a thorough assessment, which allows me to create a diagnosis and a psychological formulation of the problem. A collaborative process ensues, during which the client and I review our working hypothesis, and agree on specific treatment goals. These are quantified and reviewed regularly in the therapeutic process so that we are both happy with the treatment progression and the current focus within the therapy.

A list of adult psychological problems is provided below for easy reference, although obviously, some clients discover that they do not fall quite so easily into a particular ‘box’. CBT is definitely not about placing clients in boxes, but rather about allowing them the freedom to completely unpack and explore their unique thoughts and belief systems in order to lead to greater freedom, flexibility and happiness.

ADULT PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS

Common psychological disorders

• Alcohol/drug abuse
• Alcohol/drug dependence
• Anorexia nervosa
• Anxiety disorders
• Attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD/ADD)
• Bipolar disorder
• Bulimia nervosa
• Depression
• Eating disorders
• Generalised anxiety disorder
• Major depressive disorder
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Panic disorder
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Schizophrenia
• Seasonal affective disorder(SAD)
• Social phobia (also known as social anxiety disorder)

Dissociative disorders

• Depersonalisation disorder
• Dissociative amnesia
• Dissociative fugue
• Dissociative identity disorder (MPD)
• Dissociative disorder not otherwise specified (NOS)

Sexual disorders

• Dyspareunia
• Erectile dysfunction
• Exhibitionism
• Female and male orgasmic disorders
• Female sexual arousal disorder
• Fetishism
• Frotteurism
• Gender identity disorder
• Hypoactive sexual desire disorder
• Male erectile disorder
• Premature ejaculation
• Sex addiction (not a recognised diagnostic category at this time)
• Sexual masochism and sadism
• Transvestic fetishism
• Vaginismus
• Voyeurism

Sleep disorders

• Circadian rhythm sleep disorder
• Hypersomnia, primary
• Insomnia
• Nightmare disorder
• Narcolepsy
• Sleep terror disorder
• Sleepwalking disorder

Other disorders

• Acute stress disorder
• Adjustment disorders
• Agoraphobia
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Bereavement
• Body dysmorphic disorder
• Brief psychotic disorder
• Conversion disorder
• Cyclothymic disorder
• Delusional disorder
• Dementia of the Alzheimer’s type
• Depression
• Hypochondriasis
• Intermittent explosive disorder
• Kleptomania
• Pain disorder
• Panic attack
• Panic disorder
• Pathological gambling
• Paedophilia
• Psychotic disorder NOS
• Pyromania
• Schizoaffective disorder
• Schizophreniform disorder
• Shared psychotic disorder
• Somatisation disorder
• Specific/simple phobia
• Trichotillomania

Here’s the list of specific articles within this category: