ESTUARY PSYCHOTHERAPY Exeter
Providing Psychotherapy in a safe, confidential and supportive environment.WHAT IS PSYCHOTHERAPY?
There are many schools of psychotherapy and psychotherapeutic counselling which are predominantly talking therapies.
They are used to treat a wide variety of psychological and emotional problems as well as mental health issues. In addition to talking, the therapy could use a range of methods including mindfulness, art, music, drama and movement.
Here at Estuary Clinic, Topsham Exeter we provide Core Process Psychotherapy (please see below).
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COUNSELLING AND PSYCHOTHERAPY?
Psychotherapy and Counselling have a lot of common ground and often overlap in numerous ways. Counselling, in specific situations, is offered as part of the psychotherapy process; whereas a counsellor may work with clients in a psychotherapeutic manner.
Counselling usually refers treatment that centres around behaviour patterns. Psychotherapy focuses more on the habitual patterns that shape our sense of self and the world we live in. Such depth therapy usually involves working for the medium to longer-term and draws from insight into developmental trauma and emotional problems and difficulties.
MEET THE PSYCHOTHERAPIST

MA, UKCP Accredited Psychotherapist
"You are welcome to contact me directly for a free introductory consultation before booking."
WHAT IS CORE PSYCHOTHERAPY?
Core process psychotherapy (CPP) has a long-established history, being founded in 1982 by Maura and Franklin Sills and becoming one of the founding members of the UKCP. It offers a mindfulness-based approach to therapy which emphasizes a deep, ongoing awareness of one's body and mental processes for self-exploration and healing.
In this, CPP views awareness itself as curative and this approach works on the premise that at the core of every human being is an intrinsic state of health, awareness, compassion, and wisdom. This "core state" is believed to be unconditioned and ever-present, regardless of the situation we find ourselves in.
This approach integrates western psychodynamic theories with Buddhist psychology to hold an understanding of the way in which our sense of self and the world around us are shaped, both historically and in each moment. From the beginnings of life, our sense of self is formed through our interactions with the conditions we meet and our inherent health can become obscured.
We begin to relate to ourselves and the world in habitual and largely unconscious ways, repeating set patterns, attitudes, and tendencies. Through the development of awareness in the present moment, individuals are more likely to notice much more about themselves than they would in ordinary consciousness. They notice their thoughts, feelings, sensations, beliefs, images, and memories and begin to discover for themselves how they are in each moment.
More recent research from the field of neuroscience has begun to offer more concrete evidence of how our brains are shaped early in life and also the neuroplasticity that enables change.
Therapy is seen as a joint undertaking in which the therapist accompanies the individual on a journey into the deepest levels of his or her experiences. The therapist serves as a facilitator, helping the individual focus attention inward and become aware of what he or she is experiencing in the present moment.
Through this contemplative process, individuals may dis
cover the historical roots of their problems and achieve a clearer sense of who they are. As they process this information in the present, they will hopefully begin to shift from their habitual egoic identification, soften and release old habits and approach life with greater creativity and flexibility.
This is not a quick fix therapy and clients usually come for an initial trial period of six weeks before deciding whether to stay for the medium to long term.