Foothills Therapeutic Services

Exposure Therapy is designed to support individuals in overcoming their fears by gradually and safely confronting the sources of their anxiety. This therapeutic approach acknowledges that our natural survival instinct often encourages us to avoid situations that provoke fear. Such anxiety frequently stems from past experiences where we felt threatened or were hurt, leading us to adopt avoidance as a protective measure.

While avoiding these feared situations might offer short-term relief, it can result in fears becoming more generalised. Over time, this can increase anxiety across a broader range of circumstances and restrict a person’s ability to participate in activities that could be fulfilling and enjoyable. As these fears intensify, they can begin to interfere with everyday functioning and overall quality of life.

Through Exposure Therapy, individuals are gradually introduced to their fears in a controlled and manageable manner. By experiencing a certain level of fear and choosing to face it, individuals can disrupt unhelpful patterns of avoidance. This process supports improved well-being and functioning.

Exposure Therapy can be particularly helpful for those experiencing anxiety, phobias, or obsessive-compulsive tendencies, enabling them to regain confidence and engage more fully in daily life.

.

Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) centres on identifying and achieving solutions, rather than dwelling on the problems that led an individual to seek therapy. In this approach, the emphasis is firmly placed on the outcomes people desire, with the therapist recognising the person as the expert in their own life. SFBT encourages individuals to harness their capacity to resolve the challenges they encounter.

This therapy style is future-oriented and present-focused, deliberately avoiding an exploration of the past or the origins of the problem. Instead, attention is given to previous strategies that have been effective in addressing current concerns. SFBT explores exceptions to problematic situations, encourages individuals to continue utilising methods that have previously worked, and supports further development of personal coping abilities.

By focusing on strengths and solutions, Solution Focused Brief Therapy can help to boost self-esteem, confidence, motivation, resilience, and hope, even in the face of ongoing difficulties. SFBT is a versatile approach that can be applied to a broad spectrum of individual concerns, as well as issues faced by couples and families.

Personalised Integrative (PI) Therapy is a holistic approach to mental health care and overall well-being. This therapeutic model is distinguished by its multi-target strategy, which incorporates a blend of interventions tailored specifically to the unique needs of an individual. PI Therapy acknowledges that well-being is shaped by a combination of factors, including dietary habits, psychological strategies, lifestyle and environmental influences, physical and medical considerations, relational dynamics, and spiritual needs.

Central to PI Therapy is the understanding that physical and mental health are interwoven. The approach recognises the significant impact that nutrition, regular movement, and adequate rest can have on mental well-being. In addition to addressing physical health, PI Therapy emphasises the importance of meaningful social connections and explores how an individual’s physical and social environment can influence their mental health.

This holistic framework is designed to support those seeking comprehensive care that considers all aspects of their life. PI Therapy can be beneficial for people experiencing a range of mental health concerns and is suited for anyone interested in an approach that integrates multiple strategies to promote positive change in various domains of well-being.

Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a therapeutic approach that emphasises the importance of accepting our experiences and remaining grounded in the present moment with a non-judgemental attitude. This therapeutic approach encourages individuals to acknowledge their emotions and thoughts as natural elements of their overall experience, viewing them as neither inherently positive nor negative.

ACT recognises that our attempts to avoid or suppress uncomfortable emotions and thoughts can often lead to increased distress and may, at times, create additional challenges. By learning to accept these emotions and thoughts, rather than struggling against them, individuals can reduce the negative impact that avoidance strategies may have on their well-being.

In addition to acceptance, ACT promotes taking meaningful actions that are aligned with one’s personal values and goals. The therapy supports individuals in moving forward towards what matters most to them, developing problem-solving skills where possible, and learning to accept situations and experiences that are beyond their control.

Overall, ACT aims to enhance psychological flexibility. By encouraging both acceptance and committed action, this approach helps individuals to explore and adopt behavioural strategies that support a more contented and fulfilling life.

Narrative Therapy is a therapeutic approach centred around the collaborative process of ‘re-storying’—that is, re-examining and reshaping our understanding of ourselves and our experiences. Through purposeful conversations, individuals are supported in developing new meanings, interpretations, and insights into their behaviours and life events.

This therapy is conducted in a manner that is respectful, non-judgemental, and collaborative. Individuals are regarded as the ‘experts’ of their own lives, and their personal perspectives and experiences form the foundation of the therapeutic process.

At the core of Narrative Therapy is the recognition that humans naturally seek to create meaning in their lives. The approach works within this meaning-making process to explore alternative, more positive, and liberating ways of understanding oneself and one’s experiences. Narrative Therapy acknowledges that our life stories are often shaped by dominant narratives—stories about ourselves and significant others—which can overshadow other unspoken stories that may hold different, and often more empowering perspectives.

Throughout the process, aspects of past experiences are brought to the foreground, highlighting moments where individuals have demonstrated strength, courage, wit, resilience, triumph over adversity, and other capacities that they may not have previously recognised in themselves or others. By re-examining these experiences, individuals can gain greater appreciation for their own resources and discover new liberating ways of viewing themselves.

Circle of Security (COS) is a therapeutic intervention specifically designed for children and young people, with the primary goal of fostering secure attachment relationships between them and their primary caregivers. Attachment refers to the deep and lasting emotional connection that links one individual to another across both time and space, as described by Ainsworth (1973) and Bowlby (1969).

Insecure attachment can sometimes develop unintentionally, particularly when a parent’s own attachment needs were not adequately met during their childhood, or when parenting occurs under various stressful circumstances (see Core Sensitivities below).

Secure attachment in childhood plays a vital role in providing significant protection throughout a person’s lifespan. It serves as a foundation for resilience, helping to guard against the development of serious mental health concerns. Many challenging behaviours observed in childhood and adolescence can be effectively addressed by focusing on enhancing the primary caregiver’s capacity to identify and respond to their child’s attachment needs.

When young people display challenging behaviours—such as refusing to attend school, resisting instructions, exhibiting excessive dependency or clinginess, having tantrums, damaging property, swearing, or hitting—these actions are often attempts to have their attachment needs met, albeit in ways that may be considered inappropriate. When caregivers can more readily recognise and meet these attachment needs, young people tend to settle quickly and begin to learn more effective ways of expressing and fulfilling their needs.

Understanding our own attachment needs, as well as those of our significant others, can also play an important role in improving emotional resilience and enhancing the quality of all our relationships. Attachment needs persist throughout our entire lives, and understandings from this approach can be helpful if we find it difficult to get along with others or to have needs met within relationships (see Core Sensitivities).

Core Sensitivities (CS), an approach developed from the Circle of Security framework, offers valuable insights into our often-unconscious emotional responses and behaviours in interactions with others. The foundation of CS lies in our early attachment relationships, including those needs that may not have been met during childhood. These formative experiences help shape the way we relate to others as adults, influencing both our understanding of ourselves and our, often unconscious, responses in relationships.

CS is designed to help individuals identify and understand their own emotional attachment needs, as well as those of their loved ones. By gaining this understanding, people can respond to each other more effectively, fostering relationships that are attuned to meeting these needs. The CS approach specifically explores three core sensitivities: separation, esteem, and safety. Each sensitivity corresponds to defensive patterns that may arise unconsciously as a means of self-protection. These patterns can manifest when individuals feel threatened by the possibility of abandonment, criticism, or excessive intrusion from others.

Most people experience one or more of these sensitivities to varying degrees, ranging from mild to more pronounced. This is partly because only a small proportion of the population develop secure attachment in early childhood. Recognising and addressing these sensitivities through the CS approach can be especially beneficial for improving interpersonal relationships and resolving conflicts or difficulties that arise within them.

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) is a therapeutic approach designed to help individuals bring together two seemingly opposite concepts—acceptance and change—to improve emotional resilience and support overall mental wellbeing. The term ‘dialectical’ refers to this integration of opposites, encouraging a balance between being willing to sit with and tolerate emotional experiences, and seeking ways to comfort oneself and alter one’s emotional state when needed.

DBT places particular emphasis on modifying unhelpful behavioural patterns that can negatively impact wellbeing. The therapy is structured around four key areas:

• Focusing on the Present Moment: Encourages mindfulness and awareness of current experiences, helping individuals stay grounded in the here and now.
• Coping with Crisis: Enhances effective strategies for managing distressing situations and emotional crises without resorting to harmful behaviours.
• Managing Emotional Experiences: Supports individuals in recognising, understanding, and regulating their emotions in a healthy manner.
• Improving Assertiveness and Boundaries: Guides individuals in developing assertiveness skills and setting healthy boundaries in their relationships with others.

DBT can be especially beneficial for those who experience a high degree of separation sensitivity, which is sometimes referred to as borderline personality disorder. It is also helpful for individuals dealing with suicidal or self-harming thoughts, as well as other mental health concerns.