What is Integrative Therapy?
If you’re looking for a therapist, you will come across the term integrative therapy and may wonder what it means.
Put simply, integrative therapy means that a therapist draws on more than one therapeutic approach, rather than following one model in every session. As an intergrative therapist, I am trained in three approaches: Person-Centred, Psychodynamic, and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). Each has similarities, but also brings different ideas and ways of working. Here is a brief overview of each…
Person-Centred therapy places you at the centre of the work. It is based on the idea that having a relationship where you feel heard, accepted and understood creates the right conditions for you to explore yourself more openly.
Rather than me telling you what I think you should do, we will explore what feels important to you and what you already know about yourself. The relationship we build in therapy is an important part of this approach and may guide some of our exploration.
Psychodynamic therapy explores how our childhood and earlier experiences can influence the way we think, feel and relate to ourselves and others in the present.
We can sometimes develop patterns of relating or ways of responding without being fully aware of where they have come from. Exploring these experiences and patterns together can help you understand yourself better and notice what may be happening beneath the surface. This approach also connects with Attachment and Transactional Analysis theories, both of which I often draw on in my work with clients.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) looks at the connection between our thoughts, feelings and behaviours, and how these can influence one another.
It can be particularly helpful for understanding patterns that are keeping us stuck and exploring whether there are different ways of responding. Depending on what you need, this might include practical exercises, worksheets, or strategies to try between sessions.
Bringing the approaches together
The great thing about integrative therapy is that it recognises there isn't one way of understanding what someone is experiencing. The way people think, feel and respond is shaped by many things.
As an integrative therapist, I find it is often helpful to spend time exploring where certain patterns have come from and how past experiences may be influencing the present. At other times, it might be more useful to focus on what is happening for you now and find practical ways of managing difficult thoughts or feelings.
This means that our sessions might look different at different points in therapy. Some sessions may be more reflective and exploratory, while others may involve practical exercises or thinking together about ways of approaching something differently.
The approaches I draw from are not used as separate boxes. Instead, I use them alongside one another, guided by what you bring to therapy and what will be most useful at the time.
Ultimately, integrative therapy is about making space for you as an individual, rather than trying to fit your experience into a particular model. My hope is that, together, we can develop a better understanding of what you're experiencing and find ways of working that feel meaningful and helpful to you.