About Sharp Wellbeing
Introduction
Hello my name is Kirsty, I am a BABCP qualified/accredited/insured/DBS checked Cognitive Behavioural Therapist (CBT). I am also currently studying a BACP accredited Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling and Psychotherapy course at university.
I am passionate about providing therapy to individuals struggling with mental health difficulties and/or with those looking for a confidential space to share what is on their mind.
I utilise my CBT training to provide evidence-based techniques, in conjunction with person-centred counselling to help clients overcome barriers in their lives. Therapy is not about 'fixing' individuals, but instead empowering clients to become their own therapist to help them achieve their goals, and to improve their overall quality of life.
Background
I have over 10 years of experience working in various therapeutic roles in both the public and private sector, from CAMHS to NHS Talking Therapies, to Charities, and Education.
Initially starting out in community and youth work, then venturing into the world of mental health. It inspired me to complete a MSc in Psychology, then go on to study a PG Dip in CBT, and current PG Dip in Counselling and Psychotherapy. I am committed to ongoing continual professional development. This enables me to stay up-to-date on the latest research and techniques, which supports in the delivery of effective therapy with clients.
Why Integrative Therapy?
CBT tends to be a structured, solution focused 'here and now' mode of therapy compared to others, and whilst this is great for some, it doesn't work for everyone. Taking that into consideration, I think it can be helpful to provide clients with the opportunity to share a bit more of their story before delving into practical tasks and techniques. It can be beneficial to look at the past and think of the origins of our difficulties as a means to understand ourselves and gain self-awareness, before then taking steps to work through them. This is where I believe counselling provides the opportunity to do just that and the reason why I decided to retrain. Therefore, I am of the opinion that a combination of the two can have a positive influence on treatment outcomes, which also happens to be supported by research too:
BACP (2021) Person-Centred Experiential Therapy Is as Effective as CBT, Research Shows [Online]. www.bacp.co.uk. Available from: <https://www.bacp.co.uk/news/news-from-bacp/2021/14-may-person-centred-experiential-therapy-is-as-effective-as-cbt/>.
Holtforth, M. G., Martín, J., Locher, C., Blease, C. & Castonguay, L. G. (2021) Psychotherapy Integration as an Ethical Practice. Oxford University Press, pp. 606–622.
Josefowitz, N. & Myran, D. (2005) Towards a Person-Centred Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 18 (4) December, pp. 329–336.
Pybis, J., Saxon, D., Hill, A. & Barkham, M. (2017) The Comparative Effectiveness and Efficiency of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and Generic Counselling in the Treatment of Depression: Evidence from the 2nd UK National Audit of Psychological Therapies. BMC Psychiatry [Online], 17 (1) June. Available from: <https://bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-017-1370-7>.
Zarbo, C., Tasca, G. A., Cattafi, F. & Compare, A. (2016) Integrative Psychotherapy Works. Frontiers in Psychology [Online], 6 (6) January. Available from: <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4707273/>.