Therapy:

Specialising in:

Anxiety

• panic attacks
• specific phobia
• obsessive compulsive
• generalised anxiety
• social anxiety
• posttraumatic stress
• acute and chronic stress

Depression

• Adolescent depression
  • Self esteem, self identity, academic performance

• Adult depression
  • Grief & loss (work, pet, family, partner, spouse, health)
  • Personality disorder

• • Relationship conflict/separation  

• Psychotic depression

• Bipolar depression Type I & II

• Prodromal Schizophrenia and Schizophrenia with prominent negative symptoms

What you can expect from the process of counselling delivered by Dr Annie Curtis:

Evidenced-based Treatment Interventions

a)    Psycho-education (including motivational interviewing)

b)    Cognitive behaviour therapy, including: 

•    Behavioural interventions - behaviour modification;
•    Exposure techniques; ERP, activity scheduling
•    Cognitive interventions - mindfulness/acceptance/ACT

c)     Relaxation strategies - progressive muscle relaxation; controlled breathing

d)    Skills training - problem solving skills and training; anger management; social skills training; communication training; stress management; parent management training

e)    Interpersonal therapy (especially for depression), narrative, psychodynamic therapy

The first appointment is arranged over the phone, with subsequent appointments decided on at the end of each session.

• The first few sessions focus mainly on assessment when time is spent exploring what brings you to counselling, what your goals are, and how I can best work with you to meet these goals.  This will include decisions about the frequency with which we meet and the possible number of sessions required to reach these goals.  Goals can include feeling less depressed or anxious, feeling more comfortable in social situations, changing specific behaviours, drinking less alcohol, improving self-identity, or increasing self-esteem. 

• Subsequent sessions then focus on working towards achieving these goals using strategies drawn from a range of therapeutic approaches including psychoeducation, cognitive behavioural therapy, solution focused strategies/problem solving, psychodynamic-based counselling, and relationship counselling. 

• At regular intervals, we then review things to ensure that we are working effectively together to reach your goals and to achieve the best possible outcome for you.