Integrative and Nurturing Therapy Sessions
Our aim is to provide a safe, supportive and non-judgemental space where you can explore your thoughts, emotions and experiences at a pace that feels right for you. Together, we will develop a therapeutic relationship built on trust, compassion and understanding, allowing you to work towards meaningful and lasting change.
Our values are rooted in kindness, respect and genuine curiosity about each person's unique experiences. We believe there is no one-size-fits-all approach to therapy, which is why we draw on our specialist knowledge and clinical expertise to tailor therapy to your individual needs, strengths and goals.
If you would like to find out more about psychological therapy, please get in touch. We would be happy to answer any initial questions and discuss whether therapy may be the right form of support for you.
Psychological Therapy Sessions
Therapy sessions are usually held weekly and last 50 minutes. You will work consistently with the same therapist, allowing a trusting therapeutic relationship and shared understanding to develop over time.
Sessions focus on understanding the emotional and psychological difficulties you are experiencing, alongside developing strategies and ways of responding that support you to move towards your goals.
Therapy is reviewed collaboratively throughout so that we can consider what is helping and make changes where needed.
The content of sessions is confidential. The usual exception is where information indicates a significant risk of harm to you or another person. Where possible, we would discuss any need to share information with you first.
How Can Therapy Help?
People seek psychological therapy for many different reasons, including:
• Anxiety, worry, panic or social anxiety
• Depression and low mood
• Emotional regulation difficulties
• Low self-esteem and self-confidence
• Relationship and interpersonal difficulties
• Stress, overwhelm and burnout
• Trauma and difficult life experiences
• Difficulties associated with autism, ADHD or neurodivergence
Sometimes several of these experiences overlap. Therapy can help us develop a clearer understanding of the patterns that have developed and identify what may help you move forward.
Psychological Approaches
Therapy is individually formulated rather than following one standardised model.
Depending upon your needs, our work will draw upon a range of evidence-based psychological approaches. We will consider together which ways of working are likely to be most helpful for your individual experiences and goals.
Therapy with Dr Emma Rigby
Highly Specialist Clinical Psychologist & Clinical Director
Emma has extensive experience working with adults experiencing a wide range of emotional and psychological difficulties, with particular experience in trauma, neurodivergence and understanding complex or longstanding patterns of difficulty.
She works in an open, non-judgemental and collaborative way, developing a shared understanding of each person's experiences and tailoring therapy to their individual needs and goals.
Emma is registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and is trained in a range of evidence-based psychological approaches, including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Compassion Focused Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and EMDR.
Here is some further information about the therapeutic models I work with during sessions. Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) develops our ability to regulate our emotional world and has a specific focus on the impact of shame, self-blame, and self-criticism. The model looks at how early life experiences can shape the organisation of our emotions, which can increase our dispositions towards threat-based emotions that underpin a lot of mental health difficulties. Working compassionately can help us to regain a sense of internal and external safeness and foster our ability to be compassionate to ourselves and others. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) Working with this model will help you to understand how what we think affects how we feel and behave. Sometimes the ways in which we respond can be unhelpful, and we can get stuck in cycles of thinking and behaving, which can lead to distress. CBT can help notice these patterns and learn different ways to respond and cope so we can feel better and move forward. Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an evidence-based psychotherapy that helps people process and recover from the psychological impact of traumatic, distressing or overwhelming life experiences. Rather than simply managing symptoms, EMDR supports the brain's natural ability to process experiences that may have become 'stuck', reducing the emotional intensity associated with difficult memories. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is an evidence-based psychological therapy that helps individuals develop greater psychological flexibility. It combines mindfulness and acceptance-based approaches with practical behaviour change strategies, supporting people to respond more effectively to difficult thoughts and emotions rather than struggling against them. ACT encourages individuals to connect with what matters most to them and take meaningful actions that are guided by their personal values, even in the presence of life's challenges.
Neuroaffirming Psychological Therapy
Being, or suspecting you may be neurodivergent can influence how difficulties are experienced and what makes therapy helpful.
Traditional psychological strategies do not always take account of differences in executive functioning, sensory processing, communication, emotional regulation or the impact of masking.
The aim is not to teach you to appear less neurodivergent, but to understand how your individual neurodevelopmental profile interacts with your emotional wellbeing, relationships, experiences and environment.
Therapy or Focused Neurodivergence Support?
If your main goal is to understand your autism or ADHD, develop practical strategies or make sense of a recent diagnosis, one of our structured six-session Neurodivergence Support programmes may be more appropriate than ongoing therapy.
Psychological therapy may be more suitable when you would like to work in greater depth on emotional difficulties, trauma, relationships, longstanding patterns or mental health.
You do not need to know which option is right before contacting us. We can help you consider the most appropriate form of support.