Blog

What blind spots, and benefits, can therapists with avoidant attachment histories bring to the therapeutic relationship? Concluding her series about supporting highly defended clients, Attachment-based psychoanalytic psychotherapist Linda Cundy turns her attention to the ‘orchids’ among us – and wonders how therapist attachment patterns may play out as we start returning to face-to-face work.

What are our social responsibilities when working with survivors of sexual violence? If we don’t extend our attentions beyond the therapy space, are we in danger of compounding victim-blaming and perpetuating cultural silence? In the concluding part of her series, Erene Hadjiioannou encourages therapists to raise our voices – and step outside the room.

The connection between cooking and storytelling runs deep, and our personal narratives around food are rich with psychological information. In her fourth blog about her Kitchen Therapy practice, Charlotte Hastings considers the stories we tell ourselves at all stages of the cooking process, from selecting a recipe to ‘judging’ what we have produced.

From disturbed sleep through to physical pain, it is common for therapists to experience stress responses when working with survivors of sexual violence. In the fourth part of her series, Erene Hadjiioannou suggests ways to identify and manage vicarious trauma – helping us stay connected with ourselves, and with our clients.

The trauma of childhood sexual abuse leaves survivors with unique and complex needs. Ahead of a PESI UK live webcast this week, specialist, author and trainer Christiane Sanderson shares the core principles, models and frameworks that can support therapists of all modalities to practise safely and effectively, with understanding of the past and hope for the future.

The Tree of Life is a narrative therapy intervention that grounds people in their past and present communities. As we mark Refugee Week 2021, with its theme of ‘We Cannot Walk Alone’, Integrative Arts Psychotherapist Sheetal Amin talks us through this approach and explains how it has helped her refugee clients to reclaim their roots and grow new connections.

How can we sustain a safe relational connection with survivors of sexual violence? In the third part of her series about working with survivors, Erene Hadjiioannou, author of a forthcoming textbook, addresses the therapeutic challenges and opportunities – and shares her work with one client for whom playing cards was vital groundwork.

Flashbacks and recurrent nightmares are among the issues bringing those who have spent time in ICU during the Covid-19 crisis to therapy. Dr Christina Jones is a specialist in psychological recovery following critical illness, and the research manager for support group charity ICU Steps. To coincide with national Intensive Care Week, she explains why the pandemic led to the ‘perfect storm’ for patients and their distressed families.

Sexual violence can shrink our worlds and reconfigure our sense of self. In the second part of her series about working with survivors, Erene Hadjiioannou, author of a forthcoming textbook, discusses its impact on our ways of relating – and suggests how therapists might begin to support a search for the self amongst the trauma.

Our bodies are often way ahead when it comes to attuning with clients. How can we use mindfulness practice within sessions to consult our somatic awareness and connect with clients’ unspoken feelings? Margaret Landale, a specialist in stress-related and psychosomatic disorders, shares a moment of mindful attention as it unfolds…