Talk Therapies

Sometimes we all have issues affecting how we feel about ourselves or that seem to stop us from doing or achieving what we want. Often this can be exacerbated by our HIV diagnosis, so it may help to talk things through. Here at Cara we have a range of Talking Therapies for you to choose from; all provided by professionally qualified and insured therapists.

To book an assessment appointment please contact mail@caralife.com

If you are a qualified Counsellor and would like to volunteer with Cara please click on the volunteering page.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

What is CBT? CBT is a way of talking about how you think about yourself, the world and other people and how what you do affects your thoughts and feelings...CBT can help you to change how you think ('Cognitive') and what you do ('Behaviour'). These changes can help you to feel better. Unlike some of the other talking treatments, it focuses on the 'here and now' problems and difficulties. Instead of focusing on the causes of your distress or symptoms in the past, it looks for ways to improve your state of mind now.

When can CBT help? CBT has been shown to help with many different types of problems. These include: anxiety, depression, panic, phobias (including agoraphobia and social phobia), stress, bulimia, obsessive compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder and psychosis. CBT may also help if you have difficulties with anger, a low opinion of yourself or physical health problems, like pain or fatigue.

Our CBT therapist is Nina Gaggiano who has a BSc Psychology; a post grad certificate in CBT and MSc CBT. She has specialised in Mindfulness and meditation for a range of mental health conditions including depression and anxiety.
You can learn more about CBT here
Available Thursday mornings.

Counselling

We currently have 3 Counsellors, Kevin, Ljiljana and Stephen based at our West London centre.
Kevin told us this about his specialism...as an integrative counsellor, I draw on a number of theories to support the work I do. Primarily I work within the person-centred and attachment models which are underpinned by my intercultural/sexual minority/gay affirmative training. Working with you may provide insight as to how you are in the world, how you may be perceived by others and how you see yourself through the eyes of others. Put simply, the work may involve looking at your past, how this impacts on you in the present and to then examine ways of implementing change to help you feel better about yourself.

The most important element of my work is to establish and maintain a therapeutic relationship within which a safe space is created for you to explore your issues and to ensure that you feel heard and understood and that you do not feel judged in any way. The entire process is conducted at your own pace.
Our Integrative Counselling Therapist is Kevin Hamilton, who has a BA (Hons) First Class, Integrative Counselling; Diploma Therapeutic Counselling and Certificate in Education. www.kevinhamilton.co.uk
You can learn more about Integrative Counselling here
Available Thursdays and Friday mornings.

Life Coaching

We asked Tamer, Cara’s life-coach, to tell us a little about life-coaching...
Life-coaching aims to help you achieve clarity and confidence to work through issues that you feel are holding you back from enjoying a more challenging and harmonious life. It’s not about making simplistic judgments about your life and telling you how to change or live it. It’s about working in partnership with you to help you evaluate and work out what you want to do or where you want to be going. Some coaches set out to fix what is wrong with people. I don’t believe in that approach.

People are the sum of their genes, their cumulative experiences and the circumstances in which they live their lives. Successful coaching has to be based on an understanding of all these factors and not just focus on superficial behaviour. Effective, authentic coaching is based on 5 key principles:

1. A shared feeling of trust and empathy between client and coach;
2. A relationship of equality between client and coach;
3. A desire on the client’s part to focus on the future, whilst acknowledging the effects of the past;
4. A willingness by the client to work through challenging issues towards empowerment, self-confidence and a happier, more productive life;
5. A belief in people’s ability to accept themselves and yet make changes that will improve their lives.

Our Life Coach is Tamer, who is certified and accredited by the Life Coaching Institute where he obtained a diploma with merit. Tamer has also been certified through The Coaching Academy and is a member of the ICF (International Coaching Federation).
In addition to his coaching qualifications Tamer went on recently to complete the Level 1 and 2 Voice Dialogue Facilitator programmes.
You can read more about Tamer’s approach here
Available Saturday afternoons.