Andrea Breninek

Approach to therapy Thank you for looking at my page. Choosing the therapist who is right for you is important, so please take some time and find out a bit more about me. "Depression is the common cold of psychopathology and has touched the lives of us all" Dr Martin Seligman . In my 20-year experience as a CBT therapist, I have learned that Seligman is right - everybody will experience at one point in their life depression or another form of mental health problem. Some of us will manage on their own, some of us will need help. And at present, we all experience challenges, not only from stress but also from isolation and the question of what is important in our life. Seeking help for stress and mental health problems should not have any stigma attached to it - it is one way of dealing with the impact of living in an imperfect and especially at present in an incredibly challenging world. As part of my German degree in Clinical Psychology I studied different schools of Psychotherapy. I was drawn to CBT due to its emphasis on the scientific approach to therapy. I particularly liked the pragmatic and flexible approach to therapy with its emphasis on a collaboration between the therapist and the client. This allows me as the expert on treatment to work together with the client, who is the expert on the problem. A key element of therapy is to develop a treatment plan together which takes into consideration the client’s experiences and how they tried to manage their problems in the past. I aim to listening respectfully to the stories of my clients to achieve a shared understanding of the problem. I aim to work with my clients on the goals they set themselves. Therapy may include finding ways for clients to be less critical of themselves, for other it may be overcoming specific fears which stand in the way of what they want to achieve. My training at University College London has allowed me to develop an approach to therapy that views every client as an individual. I offer a highly individualised treatment which considers not just the current problems but also the strength clients have developed during the journey of their life. I aim to deliver a tailor-made therapy plan and not a “on fits all” model of treatment. Due to the background of my research work and as a trainer and practitioner of Autogenic Training I am mindful of the interactions between body and mind, which complements the CBT approach. I have experience in delivering CBT to a wide range of problems. My special interests are in the field of Depression, Anxiety Disorders, Obsessive Compulsive Disorders, Postnatal Depression and the effects of Stress and Chronic Physical illness.