5 Years Experience
Thank you for visiting my Harley Therapy page.
My name is Izabel Nedeva. I am a licensed Cognitive Behavioural Therapist specializing in the clinical treatment of anxiety disorders. I have always appreciated the importance of providing clients with enough information about my clinical experience so that they can make an informed decision about starting treatment with me. It is always a good practice to inquire information about practitioner’s professional registrations, accreditations and clinical experience. With this in mind, here is mine:
PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION:
I have gained a professional registration with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP; registration number: 376943) and a provisional accreditation with the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP; accreditation number: 170598).
CLINICAL EXPERIENCE
Over the years I have been providing complex psychological assessments and high intensity therapeutic interventions to clients struggling with anxiety and depression-related problems. I have worked as a qualified therapist for South West London & St George's Mental Health NHS Trust as well as for ThinkAction IAPT Service. Apart from one-to-one therapy, I have been facilitating group treatments, workshops and online webinars. In 2017 I was elected ‘’ Group Champion of ThinkAction Merton ‘’, and received an extra training in running CBT groups. I am currently in private practice, working with clients worldwide mainly through video and phone calls.
APPROACH:
The main goal of my clinical practice is not only to help you understand the ‘’why’’ of your struggles, but also to teach you evidence-based knowledge and skills to overcome them effectively (which we can call the ‘’how’’). My approach is compassion-based, collaborative and solution-focused. This means that we would work together as a team to achieve your mental health goals.
COGNITIVIE BEHAVIOURAL THERAPY (CBT):
CBT is a time-limited, goal-focused and structured evidence-based talking therapy. It focuses on understanding and improving the relationship between your thoughts, emotions and behaviours. In other words, it aims to help you understand and change your way of thinking, which would in turn have a positive effect on your way of feeling and behaving. Likewise, if you change your way of behaving, that may have a positive effect on your way of thinking and feeling.
The first aim of CBT is to provide you with a new way of understanding your problem. When you have been “living” with your problem for some time, you may have developed ways of understanding it and dealing with it that may not be very helpful for you. CBT aims to help you to understand your difficulties better and this would point to other ways of dealing with it efficiently on a daily basis.
Second, CBT would also aims to help you develop new skills to address your difficulties. We know that understanding a problem is one thing, but actually changing it is quite another. Therefore, CBT uses variety of evidence-based treatment techniques to teach you effective skills for the management of your problems.
YOU IN THERAPY:
It is important to note that CBT relies on the active collaboration between the client and therapist. Therefore, you would need to be actively involved and engaged in the therapy process as your input is extremely valuable right from the start of therapy. After all, you are the expert when it comes to knowing yourself and your problem. By being ‘’co-therapists’’ and working together, it stands to reason that we would be more likely to find better ways of helping you feel better. As a matter of fact, the more therapy advances, the more you would take the “lead” in finding ways to deal with your emotions. Helping you become your own therapist is also of crucial importance for you as it helps you develop confidence in your ability to tackle difficulties once the treatment ends.
ACTION PLANS:
We know from research that most of the work in getting better and achieving your treatment goals happens ‘’between sessions’’. That’s why action plans are central element of CBT. They are often referred to as ‘’homework exercises’’ which allow you to practice applying the knowledge and skills you’ve learnt ‘’in sessions’’ to real life situations. We would design weekly action plan together which will be based on the treatment plan and your personal goals. This is usually done approximately 15 minutes before the end of each individual session.
FIRST SESSION:
The purpose of our initial session is to develop a shared understanding of your difficulties, how they interfere with your family, work and social life, and what you would like to achieve through therapy. That conversation would help us determine whether CBT is the most appropriate treatment for you. If so, we will develop an evidence-based treatment plan, which is nevertheless tailored towards your personal needs. If CBT is not appropriate, or you do not feel comfortable with it, I may recommend alternative treatment approaches.
TREATMENT DURATION
Once you have started your treatment we will set specific goals and review your progress together regularly. Review sessions are very important as they provide an opportunity for you to share how you feel your therapy is going. As a general rule, CBT typically lasts 8 to 16 weekly sessions. We know that when therapy lasts for many months (and sometimes many years), it is easier for an individual to begin to feel dependent on the therapist. This’s why one of the main aims of CBT is to help you become your own therapist. Once you have gained a new understanding of your problem, developed new skills, and used these skills to successfully deal with the problem, it would be important for you to try the skills out “on your own.” That would help you further develop confidence in your ability to be rely on yourself in challenging situations.
GET IN TOUCH:
Reaching out for help can sometimes be very hard. It is completely normal to feel nervous and even hesitant. Please remember that you are not alone, no matter how much you think you are. One quick message outlining the difficulties you are going through may be the first step towards overcoming them!
Accreditations
- (BACP) British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy
- (BABCP) British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies
