2 mins

What happens in couples therapy?

Video Description

Clinical psychologist Emma Smith explains how in problematic relationships one partner often wants to resolve things while the other may withdraw. Couples therapy is a way to change the conversation. Chelsea Psychology Clinic are a group of London psychologists and psychiatrists offering private psychological therapy and psychiatry treatment from their premises across central London and Chelsea. The private therapy sessions cover the following areas: – Acceptance & Commitment Therapy – Cognitive Analytic Therapy – Cognitive-behavioural Therapy – Couples Therapy – Dialectical-behaviour Therapy – Mentalisation Based Treatment – Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy – Schema Therapy https://www.thechelseapsychologyclinic.com

Video Transcription

So people come to couples therapy when there is a problem in the relationship. And our role as therapists is to help them work out what’s happening, develop a formulation of how it’s got to this point, and then a treatment plan for how to actually start to make changes within the relationship. A common pattern that often happens is that one partner has withdrawn from the relationship, and another partner is pursuing or fighting in the relationship. And this can really keep couples stuck, because if one partner wants to work things out and resolve things and the other one’s withdrawing, then there’s not really anywhere to go. So our role as therapists is to provide safe enough space so that people can actually start to have a different kind of conversation to connect with each other’s feelings and intentions and motivations and understand why each partner is actually reacting in the way they are so that they can start to change it.

Dr Emma Smith

Dr Emma Smith

19 June 2022

"Dr Emma Smith completed her BSc (Hons) at the University of Warwick, an MSc in Forensic Psychology at the University of Portsmouth, and her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at Christ Church Canterbury University. She worked as a clinical psychologist in a specialist service in a Central London NHS Trust until moving to Sussex where she now works as a Consultant Clinical Psychologist in the NHS and continues to offer sessions with The Chelsea Psychology Clinic online."

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Athena Lazaridou

Athena is a Pilates instructor with 8 years’ experience in the field. After completing a Power Pilates Mat Certification in Athens, she went on to complete the Full Comprehensive Classical Pilates Certification with Equinox in Kensington.  She has been teaching Pilates at Equinox for the past 6 years in addition to her own private clients who she trains both face to face and virtually.

Athena has a passion for helping people get stronger and fitter as well as helping those recovering from injury regain their strength and mobility.  Over the years, she has worked with athletes to incorporate Pilates into their training and improve performance. Athena has also worked with prenatal and postnatal women who may be experiencing depression or other mental health difficulties and used Pilates to facilitate a positive impact on their mental health.

Athena is very passionate about improving physical and mental well-being and has recently incorporated Sound Healing into her work, as she believes it to be one of the best ways of ‘letting go’ and releasing stale energy whilst increasing greater self-awareness.