Therapy glossary
Common counselling and psychotherapy terms used across the site.
- Complementary Therapy
- Think of complementary therapy as an extra set of tools in your healthcare kit. It includes practices like acupuncture, massage, or hypnotherapy that you use alongside standard medical treatments, rather than replacing them. While your doctor focuses on treating a specific illness or injury, complementary therapies can help tackle the practical side of recovery - like lowering stress, improving sleep, or managing pain—so you can function better day-to-day.
- Integrative therapy
- A flexible approach that combines methods from different therapy models to suit the individual.
- Psychodynamic therapy
- A therapy model that explores how past experiences and unconscious patterns affect current feelings and relationships.
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
- A structured, practical therapy focused on how thoughts, feelings and behaviours influence each other.
- Person-centred therapy
- A humanistic approach that emphasizes empathy, acceptance and a non-judgemental space for growth.
- Schema therapy
- An integrative approach for long-standing emotional patterns (schemas), often rooted in earlier life experiences.
- PTSD
- Post-traumatic stress disorder: symptoms that can develop after traumatic events, such as flashbacks, anxiety and avoidance.