Wendy Pezzani Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
My Professional Background and Qualifications
I have worked in the Health and Social Care sector for many years and over that period of time I worked along side adults on the Autistic Spectrum and Mental Health concerns. I have always loved working face to face with clients and wanted to take my skills and knowledge to new levels. I began studying to be a Therapist in 2017 and I feel this is definitely the place I want to be.
I have a Certificate in Counselling Skills, a Post Graduate Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. I undertook a Certificate level course in Schema Therapy and later studied a short Diploma course in Guided Mindfulness Meditation.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
CBT is a psychological intervention that aims to improve mental wellbeing. CBT focuses on challenging and changing negative thoughts and behaviours, so improving emotional stability, and the development of personal positive coping skills that target solving current problems. Priced at £45 per session.
Schema Therapy
Schema Therapy was developed for the treatment of personality disorders and chronic mental health disorders like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Eating Disorders, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Acute Depression among other chronic conditions. This approach allows a person to observe and confront their fears and gradually move forward into a healthier way of being. Priced at £50 per session.
"It's incredibly liberating to spend an hour talking to someone and not caring about what you sound like. It's about getting to understand yourself much better".
Anonymous
Psychological Symptoms to Look Out For -
Depression
Symptoms of depression can manifest in behavioural problems such as being socially withdrawn and sensitive to rejection. Changes in eating, or sleeping habits. Feeling sad, or hopeless. Lack of interest in fun activities, or doing things with family and friends. Low energy, or general tiredness. Mood changes, irritability, easily triggered into angry outbursts. Having vocal outbursts, or crying.
Depression can develop after going through a stressful, traumatic event either in childhood, or later in life. For children that could look like living with someone with depression, or experiencing long term trauma. Other events that could trigger depression are a relationship breakdown, losing a job, experiencing money worries, or losing a loved one.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
OCD is a mental and behavioural disorder in which an individual has intrusive thoughts and feels the need to act out certain routines, or rituals repeatedly on a daily basis to relieve the distress caused by the obsession.
The exact cause of OCD is not completely understood, however, there are some findings that it could be caused by trauma, or intense stress. OCD can be managed by targeting the negative thought patterns and then gradually changing the behavioural patterns.
Anxiety Disorder
Anxiety can be described by excessive apprehensiveness about real and perceived threats, typically leading someone to behave in an avoidant way, with physical symptoms such as increased heart rate and muscle tension.
Anxiety can develop early on in childhood, by either living with an anxious parent/parents, or experiencing stressful situations, either in the home, or outside the home. Many children who experience trauma in childhood are more likely to become adults with anxiety.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
PTSD is a mental condition that develops following a traumatic event characterised by intrusive thoughts about the incident/accident/situation, with feelings of recurrent distress/anxiety, flashbacks and subsequently avoiding similar situations, or anything that reminds a person of what happened.
Situations that can cause PTSD are, sexual abuse, child abuse, being involved, or witnessing a road traffic accident, domestic violence, living in a war zone, witnessing a natural disaster, and more...