About Psychotherapy (talking therapy)

Jeni Nelson Therapies offers talking therapy based on two forms of psychotherapy;

Solution Focused Brief Therapy

Compassion Focused Therapy

The Solution Focused Approach

Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) is a strengths-based approach that concentrates on helping you find ways in which you can impact your life by identifying strategies you are already using to be successful. It may not always feel like it, but you carry with you many skills and strengths that you can use to change your life for the better. Together we can explore these skills and strengths to help you achieve whatever goal it is you’ve set your mind on.

Sessions tend to be very positive and future focused. I meet you where you are now, and we go forward together. We'll focus on the future and where you want to go and what you are already doing that fits that future. I take a respectful and not knowing stance, recognising you as the expert on your life.

What this looks like in practice is being asked questions and being listened to very carefully. What you say is important to me; you are the expert in your life and I am the expert in asking questions and listening! So if the future if not yet clear to you, that's ok as a big part of my role is helping you gain that clarity.

You're completely in control, including the number of sessions and what you choose to share.

Compassion Focused Therapy

Just like it would seem to make sense that all therapies have a solution in mind, you'd like to think that all therapies are compassionate, so what's Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT)?

Whilst Solution Focused Therapy uses your solutions to bring about positive change in your life, Compassion Focused Therapy harnesses compassion as your super power to bring about an end to shame, guilt and your inner (overly vocal) self-critic.

CFT arose when Professor Paul Gilbert, working with patients using CBT, noted that clients with chronic depressions, high shame and self-criticism would often say things such as “ I get it, but I just don't feel it”. This is often termed the head-heart mismatch. He developed a suite of tried and tested (and very well researched) tools in order to build compassion with the aim of cultivating awareness of what is difficult, developing the courage to stay with that difficulty and to meet it with the commitment and skills to alleviate your suffering.

I meant it when I said that compassion is a super power. It has strength and courage and wisdom, and this is what CFT develops.

A CFT session with Jeni Nelson Therapies is more likely that a purely solution focused session to involve structured exercises and practice as well as positive, future focused, solution oriented discussion.

How to choose which therapy?

All sessions start with an initial consultation, and there we can talk about what it is you'd like your sessions to do for you, so you don't have to decide anything before then. All my sessions are solution oriented, and all my expertise is always to hand, so if it emerges that one therapy is particularly indicated, we can use it, and always borrow from the others if it's useful.

You can book your initial consultation with the online booking tool, or feel free to get in touch if you have any questions. I'd be happy to help.