Claire Mackintosh

I am qualified in both psychodynamic counselling and in CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy), this allows me to tailor treatment to your specific needs.

I hold a strong belief that we should all have the opportunity to experience peace and balance in our lives, much of this begins with ourselves and our perceptions.  

As part of this, however, evolution has thrown us a few curve balls in terms of our brain development and we need to be able to know an understand those in order to support ourselves to live in a calm and balanced way.

Whatever you present with, we would take time to understand this together, with me sharing ways and us exploring together how you can understand and regulate your emotions more effectively.

After this, depending on what you feel you need support with, we collaboratively decide on the best next steps for our work.  

Working psychodynamically, means we can look  at current 'ways of being' and be curious about their origins, challenging some of those long held beliefs if they are causing difficulty day to day.

My CBT background means we can treat disorders such as depression, GAD (generalised anxiety disorder), social phobia, health anxiety, OCD & PTSD.

Beginning therapy can often seem incredibly daunting, some of us may have tried previously with no positive effect, its imperative you have a 'good fit' with your therapist; for this reason I offer an initial 15 minute consultation which is free of charge to get an idea if I feel I can support you effectively, for you to decide if you feel we would be a good fit for one another and if now is the right time for you to being therapy.

Client testimonials can be found on my website.

I work both online via Teams and in person.

I offer in person sessions from The Self Center in Bury St. Edmunds.

After your initial 15 minute consultation, we will begin 50 minute sessions.  The first session will be an assessment session and will involve me asking you lots of questions, and likely making lots of notes.  This will be to ensure I capture as much information as I can to most effectively formulate a treatment plan.  

Prior to our first session, I will send you a set of questionnaires, a therapy agreement and a personal information form.  If you would prefer to complete these in session with me, I am happy to do so and I can complete them with you. 

You will form an essential part of your therapy each week, if attending for CBT therapy there will be agreed (achievable and agreed) home practice in between sessions to support and strengthen new behaviors and patterns where needed.

We will take 'measures' by use of questionnaires to monitor your progress at the beginning and end of therapy and at every 6 weeks, to check the work we are doing is proving effective for you. 

My name is Claire, I am a qualified Cognitive Behavioural Therapist (CBT) and Counsellor.

I work with depression and anxiety disorders such as Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Health Anxiety, Social Anxiety, Panic Disorder, Specific Phobias & PTSD.

Being trained in a Psychodynamic modality of counselling means we can explore meanings behind current patterns of behaviours and be curious about how the past may be influencing those day to day. The CBT element of my work is very much in the 'here and now', meaning you can choose where you would like to focus your therapy. For some it may be about how symptoms are impacting day to day and you may prefer to focus your work there, for some and exploration of how this originated may be preferred. You are in control of your therapy, and I would be guided by you.

Whatever your focus, entering therapy, particularly for the first time, can be a scary prospect. With this in min, please take a look at some of my previous client’s testimonials to get an idea of what its like to work with me. I also offer a free 15-minute telephone consultation to begin with where we decide if I could think I could be of help and if you think we would be a good ‘it’ for therapy.

I take a psychoeducational approach to my work, meaning that whatever you present with, you will leave therapy with a good understanding of how your brain and body work together, and how to gain some control of your emotions by understanding (in a very simplistic, but helpful way) your brain chemicals and practical ways to manage these.

I have experience working with children as well as adults and work 2 days a week at a local University supporting the needs of student’s mental health. I have a keen interest in supporting survivors of emotionally abusive relationships or those that may be questioning if what they are experiencing is in fact, abuse.

Since the COVID19 pandemic we have seen a rise in ADHD diagnosis and in my own practice I have had an increasing number of clients recognising Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), this is a client group I really enjoy working with and am continually learning, by training and clients shared experiences, about the differences in the way the work, themselves and others are perceived and relish the opportunity to explore this with clients, understanding more clearly what may cause triggers and how these can be managed, addressing a level of self-care that we may not have been aware of if it were not for the ‘break’ many undiagnosed neurodivergents had over the lockdowns.

What ever your presentation, get in touch book you consultation and let’s see if we can work together.

I look forward to hearing from you,

Claire

Following your initial consultation (free of charge, for 15 mins) your first session will act as an assessment session.  

This will differ depending upon if the work is going to be counselling, or CBT focused.  

For both counselling & CBT I will ask you to complete 2 questionnaires initially, these will be used to monitor progress throughout therapy.