Therapies
There is no single type of therapy that works for everyone. At Luma, we take the time to understand you, what you are experiencing and what you would like to be different.
Our therapists work across a range of psychological approaches. We may use one approach, or draw on different therapies, depending on your needs, goals and what feels most helpful for you.
Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy (CBT)
CBT looks at the connection between our thoughts, feelings, physical responses and behaviours. Sometimes, patterns can develop that keep us feeling anxious, low, overwhelmed or stuck.
Therapy can help you understand these patterns and begin to make changes that feel manageable and meaningful. CBT is practical and collaborative, giving you strategies that you can use both during therapy and in everyday life.
CBT can be helpful for a wide range of difficulties, including anxiety, depression, panic, trauma-related difficulties, low self-esteem and stress.
Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT)
Sometimes we can be much harder on ourselves than we would ever be towards someone else. Self-criticism, shame and feelings of not being good enough can become deeply ingrained and difficult to shift.
Compassion Focused Therapy helps you develop a different relationship with yourself — one that is kinder, more understanding and less driven by self-criticism. It can be particularly helpful for people who have experienced trauma, shame, high levels of self-criticism or difficulties with emotional regulation.
CFT is not about simply “thinking positively”. It is about developing the skills to respond to yourself with greater compassion while still recognising the difficulties you are facing.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
ACT focuses on helping you build a life that matters to you, even when difficult thoughts and feelings are present.
Rather than trying to get rid of every uncomfortable thought or emotion, ACT helps you develop ways of responding differently to them. You can learn to step back from unhelpful thoughts, make room for difficult emotions and reconnect with what is important to you.
The aim is not simply to feel better, but to help you live more fully and move towards the things that matter to you.
Psychodynamic Therapy
Psychodynamic therapy explores how our past experiences can influence the way we think, feel and relate to ourselves and other people today.
It can help you develop a deeper understanding of patterns that may have developed over time, including relationship patterns, emotional responses and ways of coping that may once have been helpful but are no longer serving you.
The therapy provides a safe space to explore these experiences at your own pace, with curiosity rather than judgement.
Schema Therapy
Schema Therapy looks at some of the deeper patterns and beliefs we develop about ourselves, other people and the world around us.
These patterns, sometimes called schemas, can develop through early experiences and relationships. They can influence how we respond to situations and how we see ourselves, often without us fully realising it.
Schema therapy helps you understand these patterns and develop healthier ways of meeting your emotional needs, responding to difficult situations and relating to yourself and others.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing)
EMDR can help when something that has happened to you still feels very present or continues to affect your thoughts, feelings or everyday life. It can be particularly helpful following trauma or difficult experiences, including accidents, abuse, loss, relationship difficulties or experiences that have left you feeling anxious, on edge or overwhelmed. You may have heard of EMDR as the therapy where you follow a therapist’s hand with your eyes, but there is much more to it than this.
The therapy helps you work through difficult memories while staying grounded in the present.
Eye movements, tapping or other forms of gentle bilateral stimulation may be used to help reduce how vivid or upsetting a memory feels, so that over time it can feel more like something that happened rather than something you are still experiencing.
An Integrative Approach
People are individuals, and therapy does not always fit neatly into one box.
An integrative approach brings together ideas and techniques from different therapeutic models to create an approach that is tailored to you. Your therapist may draw from CBT, compassion focused therapy, ACT, psychodynamic approaches, schema therapy and other evidence-based psychological approaches where appropriate.
Rather than asking you to fit a particular therapy, we aim to find an approach that fits you — your experiences, your needs and the changes you would like to make.
Professional Standards and Accreditation
Your safety and confidence in the therapy you receive matter to us.
Our therapists are appropriately trained and professionally accredited or registered through recognised professional bodies, including the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP) and/or the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), according to their professional role and scope of practice.
Our therapists work within the standards, ethical frameworks and professional requirements of their relevant regulatory or professional body, including requirements around safe and effective practice, professional conduct, confidentiality, continuing professional development and working within their competence. Where appropriate, our clinical practice is also guided by relevant NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) guidelines and evidence-based recommendations.
This provides an important framework for maintaining high standards of care and supporting safe, effective and person-centred therapy.
Let’s start where you are
If you’re thinking about therapy, you don’t need to have everything figured out before you get in touch. Tell us a little about what’s been happening and what you’re hoping might change.
We’ll get back to you personally to talk through what you’re looking for and how we might be able to help.