The Way I Work

I work collaboratively with my clients. I believe that each client is unique therefore I place an emphasis on finding the right techniques for each person. I qualified as a chartered psychologist in 1999 so I have years of experience to draw upon in finding what is right for each client. In my sessions the client is an active participant. Some clients have described this as feeling like they have a personal life trainer.

While CBT focuses on the "here and now" I believe that recognising how past experiences are related to the current issue is important. So I do ask questions about the past to help piece together what factors are part of the current issue. This helps to build a clearer picture of the client's issue but it is not the focus of the therapy. As a chartered psychologist, I also draw upon relevant psychological theories and incorporate these into my CBT practice.

The number of sessions required varies from person to person. After one to three sessions, I tend to agree the goals with the clients then I can give a better idea about the required amount of sessions.

About CBT

Catherine uses a therapy called Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or CBT for short. This therapy is a way of talking about:

• How people think about themselves, the world and other people.
• How what people do affects their thoughts and feelings.

CBT can help people to change how they think ("Cognitive") and what they do ("Behaviour)". These changes can help them to feel better and gain more control.

CBT can help you to make sense of overwhelming problems by breaking them down into smaller parts. This makes it easier to see how they are connected and how they affect you. These parts are:

A Situation - a problem, event or difficult situation

From this can follow:

• Thoughts
• Emotions
• Physical feelings
• Actions

Each of these areas can affect the others. How you think about a problem can affect how you feel physically and emotionally. It can also alter what you do about it. In CBT you explore your options and identify which options are helpful and unhelpful ways of reacting to the situation. CBT aims to empower clients by ultimately teaching them to be their own therapist.

Areas of Expertise

Dr Catherine Sykes is a Chartered Psychologist with experience of working with a range of people with a range of issues including anxiety, depression, caring for people with dementia, phobias and bulimia.

Catherine has an expertise in working with people with chronic illness. After several years of working in the NHS she has seen that the psychological aspect of experiencing a chronic illness is often not a priority. However it is the psychological aspects of a chronic illness that is often very important to patients. Catherine is a chartered health psychologist and keeps up to date with the literature on dealing with a chronic illness.

After having her daughter Catherine became interested in the psychology of motherhood. After talking with numerous mothers, she realised that mothers often need a space to discuss their personal journey without judgement or a need to live up to expectations. She has experience of working with both mothers and fathers who are experiencing post-natal depression and trauma. She constantly keeps up to date with child psychology research. She has completed a post-graduate certificate in child psychology and developed a special interest in parenting in partcular in helping parents with toddlers who have issues with food and eating.

Catherine understands the pressure and politics of the workplace and modern living. She has years of experience of working with professionals to help them deal with stress in the workplace and the stress of public speaking.