Which type of therapy is right for me if I have depression or low mood?

As we’ve discussed in previous blogs (you can find all of them here), there are different types of therapy such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and counselling. We’ve highlighted the most effective treatments out there for depression specifically, as determined by research which guides the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

Depression

Depression is where you find yourself feeling very low in mood, lacking motivation, have physical symptoms such as headaches and fatigue, and generally feel quite bad about yourself. Additionally, children and teenagers might find that they are angrier and more irritable, rather than sad, when they are depressed. The guidelines for depression are quite lengthy, and vary for children, adolescents and adults. See below for a brief summary. For full details, you can visit the relevant NICE page here for adults, and here for children and adolescents.

Adults (age 18+) may be offered:

• Guided self-help (workbooks or online programmes to work through, with the support of a trained practitioner to guide you, usually via telephone calls)
• Group Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) or Behavioural Activation (BA; similar to CBT, it’s designed to increase your activity levels to boost your mood).
• Individual CBT or BA – this is what our CBT Therapists offer at Brighter Life Therapy to ages 7+
• Short term psychodynamic psychotherapy – this is what our Psychotherapists offer at Brighter Life Therapy to ages 12+.
• Short term counselling sessions – this is what our Psychotherapists offer at Brighter Life Therapy to ages 12+.
• Individual problem solving – this is what our Psychotherapists offer at Brighter Life Therapy to ages 12+.
• Behavioural couples therapy
• Group physical exercise, mindfulness or meditation
• Interpersonal therapy (IPT) – psychotherapy that focuses on your and your relationships in particular.
• Medication may be prescribed instead of or in conjunction with any of these psychological therapies.

Teenagers aged 12-17 may be offered:

• Online guided self-help based on CBT – working through online programmes with the help of a practitioner to support.
• Group CBT, IPT, or Non Directive Supportive Therapy (NDST; minimal techniques but rather active listening and support)
• Individual CBT – this is what we offer at Brighter Life Therapy.
• Medication such as Fluoxetine in conjunction with a psychological treatment.
• If CBT isn’t suitable, you might try IPT‑A (Interpersonal Therapy for Adolescents), family therapy (attachment-based or systemic), brief psychosocial intervention or psychodynamic psychotherapy. We offer the latter options at Brighter Life Therapy to ages 12+.

Children aged 5-11 may be offered:

• Online CBT
• Group CBT, IPT or NDST
• Individual CBT – this is what we offer at Brighter Life Therapy for age 7+
• Family-based IPT
• Family therapy – family-focused treatment for childhood depression
• Psychodynamic Psychotherapy – understanding the unconscious processes.
• Medication such as Fluoxetine in conjunction with a psychological treatment.

As you can see, there are many different therapies recommended for depression. In the NHS, the type of therapy offered will depend on the nature and severity of the difficulties, and the available therapists in the service. Usually, group, online or guided self-help therapies will be offered first, as they are least intensive. These are called ‘low intensity interventions’. Individual or ‘high intensity’ therapy will then be prioritised for those who need more intensive support, or for whom the lower intensity interventions didn’t work for.

At Brighter Life Therapy, we specialise in (and offer) ‘high intensity’ individual CBT and psychotherapies/counselling. If you’re interested in accessing either of these treatments for depression, please do get in touch via the enquiry form below.

Get in touch to discuss your counselling needs
and find the right therapist for you

Please fill in the details below, then press ‘submit the form’. Our Clinic Manager, Rhianna, will review the form and be in touch via email within 1 working day to discuss her recommendations. If we can help, we will provide you with a link to book an assessment with the most appropriate therapist.

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Thank you for your enquiry. The Clinical Director will get back to you with recommendations, via email within 1 working day (note we are closed weekends and bank holidays). Do check your junk inbox if you do not receive it within this time, and feel free to email us info@brighterlifetherapy.co.uk. Thank you.

Name(required)

Email (Please do not use a Yahoo or AOL email as they are sometimes not accepting emails from some Outlook addresses)(required)

Phone number(required)

Who is this therapy for (e.g. yourself, your daughter, etc)(required)

Age of client(required)

Main reasons for therapy – please provide an overview of what has been happening(required)

Do you have a preference of days or times (e.g. Mondays, afternoons, etc) or can you be flexible? Please note, we are not open weekends or bank holidays.(required)

Please add details of your insurance provider if they will cover your therapy, if applicable. (Note we mainly only accept WPA and Cigna insurance providers, except Sarah and Anjali who do accept Aviva too). Please put ‘n/a’ if not applicable.(required)

Please detail any previous therapy experiences. Please put ‘n/a’ if not applicable.(required)

How did you hear about us? (If through another professional, please state their name)(required)

Which type of therapy would you ideally like?

CBT

Psychotherapy

Either

Do you have a particular therapist in mind? (Note, a recommendation of this therapist is subject to their availability, and we may suggest that another therapist has more relevant training/experience to support you)

Please tick to confirm that you are aware that all of our therapy sessions are remote (via zoom, google meet, or phone calls) and sessions are priced between £90-125 each, depending on the type of treatment and whether sessions are block-booked and pre-paid for Full price list is here.. (required)

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