Private psychology and therapy in Teesside.

CBT focuses on what is keeping a problem going now rather than digging into the past, and it is one of the most thoroughly researched talking therapies there is.

Both practitioners at our Teesside clinic offer it, Dr Carey Viala and Dr Charlotte Smith, so it is the quickest approach to arrange here. Both also work with post-traumatic stress, the effects of abuse, bereavement and self-esteem.

The clinic is on Grange Road, a short walk from the town centre, and we see people from across Teesside and Darlington. Sessions can move online for any week when getting in is harder.

ACT is less about getting rid of symptoms and more about building a life you value while they are still there.

Dr Carey Viala and Dr Charlotte Smith both offer ACT at Teesside. Dr Viala also works with chronic pain and with people coping with cancer, which is where it is most often suggested here, since the aim is usually a fuller life alongside a condition rather than the end of it.

EMDR treats the lasting effects of trauma by pairing a troubling memory with eye movements, taps or tones, which helps the memory settle rather than keep replaying.

It is available at Teesside with Dr Carey Viala, in person on Grange Road or online. That work covers post-traumatic stress, the effects of abuse and bereavement, and also anger, which often sits alongside trauma rather than separately from it.

CFT helps people who are hard on themselves learn a kinder, steadier way of responding to setbacks and mistakes.

Dr Charlotte Smith offers CFT at Teesside, alongside work with self-esteem and the effects of abuse, and also holds appointments at our Yarm clinic if that is easier to get to.

Psychosexual therapy helps with problems around sex and intimacy, looking at the psychological and relationship side alongside anything physical.

It is available at Teesside for individuals and for couples, with Dr Charlotte Smith, who works with sexual difficulties and relationship problems. Say so when you first call and the Pathway Team will check availability, as there are only a handful of appointments.

Psychodynamic therapy is rooted in the idea that what happened earlier in life still shapes how we feel and behave, and that understanding it loosens its hold.

Dr Smith offers psychodynamic therapy at Teesside too, open-ended rather than a set course. It tends to come up where the same difficulty has been returning for years rather than where something recent has happened.

DBT is a structured therapy built around four sets of skills: mindfulness, tolerating distress, managing emotions and getting on with other people.

Dr Carey Viala offers DBT at Teesside, and also works with anger and assertiveness. Those tend to come up together, and the Pathway Team will talk through which is the better starting point.

Motivational interviewing is a short, conversational approach for when part of you wants to change something, such as drinking, smoking or how you manage a health condition, and part of you does not.

Dr Carey Viala offers it at Teesside. It suits people who feel two ways about a change rather than people who are stuck on how to make one, and it is often used alongside work on a long-term health condition.