What happens in a session?

Psychotherapy is sometimes called the ‘Talking Cure’. But that’s a bit misleading.

True we will sit and talk. Sometimes sessions might be predominantly reflective – thinking together and talking things through. We are skilled active listeners and we will engage in thoughtful conversation together. We can help you get clarity on what you’re thinking and feeling, order your own mind, and prompt you to explore new approaches. 

However, often the transformations in therapy - and enhancing your core capacities - don’t come so much from the ‘talking’ itself, but from the ‘processing’ we can do together. Modern therapies tend to focus on this element, which is often the active ingredient behind ‘talking’.

The term ‘processing’ is jargon. But it points to something more ‘proactive’ than ‘just talking’. What it means is gently but actively turning towards and leaning into the things you want to change - the negative internal experiences (feelings, thoughts and states) - in order to dissolve, undo and rewire the old patterns causing them. 

We use a range of 'talking' therapies, so the precise nature of the processing will vary, depending on whatever therapeutic tool we use moment-by-moment. If you want to find out more about some of the elements of processing, here is a Processing roadmap.