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Types of therapies and how they can work for you

Explore the therapy styles I use and how they’re tailored to support your goals and wellbeing.

Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Core idea: You don’t have to eliminate difficult thoughts or feelings to live a meaningful life.

 

Focus:

  • Accepting emotions instead of fighting them

  • Reducing overthinking and emotional avoidance

  • Clarifying your values (what truly matters to you)

  • Taking action aligned with those values

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Helps with: anxiety, depression, trauma, burnout, identity issues, life transitions.

 

What sessions involve:

  • Learning how to “step back” from thoughts

  • Mindfulness exercises

  • Identifying personal values

  • Practical steps toward a meaningful life

 

Example: Instead of trying to eliminate anxiety, you learn how to live fully even when anxiety is present.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

Core idea: Thoughts, feelings, and behaviours are connected — change one, and you influence the others.

 

Focus:

  • Identifying negative or distorted thinking

  • Challenging unhelpful beliefs

  • Changing behavioural patterns

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Helps with: depression, anxiety, panic attacks, insomnia, OCD.

 

What sessions involve:

  • Identifying thought patterns

  • Testing whether thoughts are realistic

  • Behavioural experiments

  • Practical coping strategies

 

Example: Changing “I always fail” to a more balanced and accurate thought.

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)

Core idea: Learn skills to manage intense emotions and improve relationships.

 

Focus:

  • Emotional regulation

  • Distress tolerance

  • Interpersonal effectiveness

  • Mindfulness

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Helps with: emotional sensitivity, emotional dysregulation, trauma, ADHD and Autism, relationship difficulties.

 

What sessions involve:

  • Learning concrete coping skills

  • Managing emotional overwhelm

  • Reducing impulsive reactions

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Example: Learning how to calm yourself instead of reacting impulsively during conflict.

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)

Core idea: Trauma can get “stuck” in the nervous system. EMDR helps the brain safely reprocess it.

Find more about Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocressing Australia Home - EMDRAA 

 

Focus:

  • Processing trauma memories

  • Reducing emotional intensity linked to past events

  • Nervous system healing

  • Conquering fears

  • Addressing negative self beliefs 

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Helps with: trauma, PTSD, childhood trauma, anxiety, phobias, chronic pain, negative beliefs, first responder trauma.

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What sessions involve:

  • Recalling memories safely

  • Following eye movements or tapping

  • Allowing the brain to reprocess experiences​

  • Bilateral Stimulation: During the reprocessing phase, I guide the client through bilateral stimulation, such as following a moving object on the screen via a speciliased program, listening to alternating tones through headphones, or using self-tapping techniques.

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Result: Memories become less emotionally overwhelming.

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Somatic EMDR: Includes body awareness to release trauma stored physically (tight chest, tension, etc.)

Narrative Therapy

Core idea: You are not your problems. Your story can be rewritten.

 

Focus:

  • Separating your identity from your struggles

  • Understanding how past experiences shaped your beliefs

  • Re-authoring your personal story

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Helps with: trauma, low self-esteem, identity issues, shame.

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What sessions involve:

  • Exploring your life story

  • Identifying limiting beliefs

  • Creating empowering new perspectives

 

Example: Moving from “I am broken” to “I survived difficult experiences.”

Solution-Focused Therapy

Core idea: Focus on solutions, not problems.

 

Focus:

  • Strengths

  • Practical change

  • What’s already working

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Helps with: feeling stuck, life decisions, motivation, short-term support.

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What sessions involve:

  • Goal setting

  • Identifying small, achievable changes

  • Building momentum

 

Example: Identifying small steps that improve your week immediately.

Executive Function Coaching

Core idea: Strengthens brain skills needed for organisation, focus, and follow-through.

 

Focus:

  • Planning

  • Motivation

  • Time management

  • Emotional regulation

  • Autism and ADHD-related challenges

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Helps with: ADHD, burnout, overwhelm, procrastination.

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What sessions involve:

  • Practical systems

  • Habit building

  • Accountability

  • Simplifying tasks

 

Example: Creating routines that make life feel manageable instead of overwhelming.

Interoception & Somatic (Body-Based) Work

Core idea: The body holds emotional experiences — healing involves reconnecting with bodily awareness.

 

Focus:

  • Nervous system regulation

  • Body awareness

  • Stress release

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Helps with: trauma, anxiety, chronic stress, emotional numbness, chronic pain, burnout.

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What sessions involve:

  • Breathing exercises

  • Body awareness exercises

  • Grounding techniques

  • Learning to recognise internal signals

 

Example: Learning to notice early stress signs before becoming overwhelmed.

How they work together

Emma integrates these approaches depending on your needs:

  • CBT: change thoughts

  • ACT: accept emotions and move forward

  • DBT: manage emotional intensity

  • EMDR: processes traumatic memories via bilateral stimulation 

  • Somatic work: calm the nervous system

  • Narrative therapy: change identity story

  • Solution-focused: create forward movement

  • Executive coaching: improve daily functioning

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