Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a debillitating psychological condition folowing trauma. Increasingly evidence indicates that cogntiive behavioural therapy can help alleviate its symptoms and it has recently been endorsed as the frontline treatment for PTSD. This is the type of therapy Catherine has been using over the past thirteen years in treament of PTSD. For more information regarding PTSD please see the links page.
Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder, characterised by episodes of major depression interspersed with periods of hypomania or mania and periods of relative wellness, sometimes termed ‘euthymia’.
Frequently people with bipolar disorder present to psychiatrists or doctors in a depressed state and unless a good mood history is taken, may be misdiagnosed as suffering from depression.
Medication is often an important component of treatment but in addition, psychological therapy provides important skills to assist in managing mood swings and increasing ability to regulate mood and emotion. Treatment of bipolar disorder using psychological methods is under investigation across the world and many different therapeutic techniques are used.
The approach Catherine takes for the treatment of bipolar disorder uses elements of Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therpay, Family Focused Therapy and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.
Prolonged or Complicated Grief is increasingly recognised as a disorder where many people 'suffer in silence'. For many people grief following loss resolves naturally, but for some grief persists and can feel as if it doesn't improve or is never fully expressed. The good news is that treatment can help and trials from the US indicate significant improvement in grief symptoms following psychological treatment.
Catherine has been involved in some of the research that is at the forefront of investigating effective treatment for grieving or prolonged grief.