Psychotherapy is an alternative to counselling that uses evidence-based therapeutic approaches which can help if you have emotional difficulties such as stress, anger, depression, anxiety, worry, low mood, low confidence or self-esteem, panic, or phobias. It’s also appropriate if you’re having difficulty coping with common life problems problems like loss or grief, infertility, relationship issues, divorce or separation, difficulty sleeping, harassment, being bullied, job loss or redundancy, or debt.
We provide a specialist therapy service for anyone who has difficulties sleeping or has a diagnosis of insomnia. Sleep difficulties may occur on their own, or they may be linked with psychological distress caused by stress, anxiety, depression, or other problems. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends Cognitive and Behavioural interventions as a preferred treatment, ahead of medication. Stephen has specialist training in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) and is able to provide in-depth sleep assessments and therapy, working with clients with any kind of sleep difficulty (except those that require specific medical treatment). Where clients’ sleep difficulties are linked with stress, anxiety, depression or other psychological difficulties we can provide combined therapy to address these together.
We also provide a specialist psychotherapy service for people who find themselves in patterns of sexual behaviour that are legal but that they or others find distressing. This can include, for instance, infidelity in relationships, excessive use of legal pornography, use of commercial sex workers, chemsex, or unsafe sex. We aim to help clients develop a positive and helpful relationship with their sexuality that enables them to express and experience it in ways that don’t limit or harm themselves or others.
Clinical Psychology is more appropriate than Psychotherapy/Counselling if you have more complex, severe, or long-standing difficulties. Clinical Psychology may be the best choice for you if you have problems that relate to issues of attachment or experiences of trauma. Working with a Clinical Psychologist, together you will start by developing a psychological formulation - this means a clear understanding of your difficulties, in the context of your whole life. From this formulation the Clinical Psychologist will work with you to plan and then work through a course of therapy that’s specific to your needs. A Clinical Psychologist can draw on a range of therapeutic approaches to tailor the work to your specific needs and goals.
Whether you come to Lemons to Lemonade for Psychotherapy/Counselling or for Clinical Psychology, we’ll work with you in one-to-one sessions that are usually 50 minutes long. While social distancing is needed, we are holding our therapy sessions by online video using the Zoom app which is very easy to use, or by phone if clients prefer. We offer a free, informal 15-minute telephone discussion to help you choose whether you’d like to arrange Psychotherapy/Counselling or Clinical Psychology with us. You can call or text to arrange this on 07376 010506 or email us.
In the initial sessions we’ll work together with you to develop a shared understanding of your difficulties, the factors that might be contributing to them, and your goals for therapy. We’ll then agree with you an approach and a therapy plan that’s specifically tailored to your needs, preferences, and goals. This pattern of work is similar whether you choose Counselling or Clinical Psychology with us; it’s the nature of your difficulties and the form of therapy that are different. The most effective pattern of therapy work is to have weekly sessions on the same day at the same time, though we also offer fortnightly sessions, and can sometimes vary from these patterns if a regular schedule is difficult for you. The length of therapy depends on the nature and complexity of your difficulties: it can be as few as six, ten to twelve is typical, and more may be needed in some cases.
It can be difficult to choose between all the different kinds of therapies offered by different therapists and counsellors. At Lemons to Lemonade we draw on several, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), and Person-Centred Therapy (PCT). We are specialists in two evidence- based therapies:
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
CBT is recommended by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines for a range of emotional difficulties such as depression, anxiety, and stress. It is based on the psychological understanding that people sometimes develop beliefs and automatic patterns of thought that are unhelpful and make it difficult to live life in the way they might want to. Using CBT we can work with you to help you identify unhelpful thoughts and beliefs, and develop alternative ways to respond. We often ask clients to try out various activities that are part of the therapy in between sessions. CBT is particularly suitable for people who prefer a structured approach.
Narrative Therapy
Narrative Therapy provides a way for people to explore the impacts of problems on their lives, and to find alternative ways of relating to those problems. It is based on the psychological understanding that people make sense of their lives through stories that help them connect and explain the events they have experienced. It helps people to develop more empowering ways of seeing themselves based on their own values, skills, and knowledge, which are often obscured and forgotten in the midst of difficulties. We find narrative approaches to be very effective with many of our clients. Very few therapists or counsellors have the additional training required to practice Narrative Therapy: Lemons to Lemonade may be unique in the area in offering it.
We’ll agree a tailored approach with you based on one or both of these therapies. We might also suggest that we draw on the other approaches listed above where we think these would be helpful and effective.
At Lemons to Lemonade we invite feedback from all clients who complete therapy with us. Here is a selection of comments from clients (all reproduced with their consent):
“Took a genuine interest in what I was saying… very focused on helping and providing real support that would help longer term. I feel a lot of positivity... I am very grateful for this service” (male, 8 sessions)
“Thanks for everything you have done for me and all my family” (female, 10 sessions)
“I had a really positive experience” (male, 10 sessions)
“Feeling in a good place now” (female, 7 sessions)
“Structured but flexible approach helped guide me towards an understanding of how I came to this point which in turn helped me to look forward with greater hope and clarity…Thanks” (male, 10 sessions)
“Changed my life” (female, 15 sessions)
"I found your help with my specific issues transformative... I would highly recommend Lemons to Lemonade to anyone who wants their life to be better!" (male, 12 sessions)
"I instantly felt comfortable enough to engage in frank conversations and over the course of a few weeks I could sense a shift in my mental state... I would recommend Lemons to Lemonade to anyone who needs professional help in the knowledge they would be looked after" (male, 5 sessions)
Overall satisfaction with therapy from Lemons to Lemonade:
We ask clients about their overall level of satisfaction with the service provided by their Lemons to Lemonade therapist. Clients can respond on a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 = very dissatisfied, 2 = dissatisfied, 3 = neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, 4 = satisfied, 5 = very satisfied. The average of all clients’ responses at the time of writing is 5.0, indicating that all clients who have given feedback have been very satisfied with our service.
Would clients recommend Lemons to Lemonade to others?
We also ask clients how far they agree with the statement “I would recommend my therapist to others”, again on a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 = strongly disagree, 2 = somewhat disagree, 3 = neither disagree nor agree, 4 = somewhat agree, 5 = strongly agree. The average of all clients’ responses at the time of writing is 5.0, indicating that all clients who have given feedback strongly agree that they would recommend our service to others.
Psychotherapy: £95 per session
Clinical Psychology: £150 per session
Clients can pay by credit or debit card, smartphone (Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Google Pay) or bank transfer. Payment is requested at the start of the session or in advance.