Improving quality of life 
The main focus of Health Psychology in clinical practice is to improve your quality of life; to support you and provide you with skills to manage your situation more effectively and enable you, with guidance, to generate insight and solutions to your issues that are realistic but more helpful than those you have used so far. You may be given small practice tasks between sessions as appropriate to you and your situation and you may also be guided towards resources that you may find useful.

Therapeutic approaches
Along with psychological theories, psychodynamic concepts and empirical evidence, I use various established therapeutic approaches such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), Somatic Therapy, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Pain Management (for more on my approach to chronic pain, click here) and Grief Counseling (including Expressive Writing and Narrative Therapy Techniques). Much of the grief counseling I provide tends to be geared towards non-death losses which is very prevalent in the client groups that I serve. 
 
My practice it also Trauma Informed using Sensorimotor Psychotherapy techniques among other approaches in its treatment. Indeed, some of my clients have experienced trauma in their lives, either as a direct result of their illness or at a previous point in their lives. Some have also experienced 'narcissistic abuse' and I provide therapy as well as psycho-education in that area.
 
I tend to use an Integrative Therapeutic Approach that adapts to the unique needs of each specific client. That means using elements from different types of therapies as opposed to using one method alone. The aim is to restore daily functioning and minimize the many consequences of your illness/situation on your quality of life. 

 

Let's also not forget about the importance of having your experiences validated and to feel a sense of acknowledgement and support. Indeed, a supportive relationship with a therapist is just as important as the actual methods used to foster change. I always aim to provide an environment where concerns are not minimized, where my clients can find solutions to their problems, find ways of coping better and feel empowered to eventually manage their own health or situation more effectively.