ProTherapy® Mental Health Services

Introduction:

Choosing the therapist who is right for you is not easy and I hope the information here will help you make this important decision. After all, your therapist will begin with you as a complete stranger, and you are preparing to tell them not just your story but share intimate details about your life.

About me and my practice:

My name is Linda K. Berkeley, and I am an Anglo-American BABCP fully accredited CBT therapist and integrative psychologist. I am highly experienced in working with depression, all types of anxiety, OCD, trauma and complex trauma, substance misuse, trichotillomania and other bodily focused repetitive behaviours, trust issues, eating disorders, emotion regulation and personality issues, fear, and anything else you can bring to therapy.

I work with people from all backgrounds and ethnicities and have experience in working with people on the autistic spectrum, those with learning difficulties, LGBT and transgendered people, and long-term health conditions. I also work with people who have left cults and coercive control relationships.

Group work in stress management, social anxiety, depression, and a DBT Skills Group is available upon request.

Supervision for fully and provisionally accredited CBT therapists as well as trainees, counsellors, and psychologists is available upon request.

I work with children and young people from age 12 up.

I offer short or longer-term work and online therapy; and CFT, ACT, and DBT in addition to CBT.

An alternative to 12 Step programs for substance misuse:

I see substance misuse as an understandable behavioural coping mechanism, not a disease. I am interested in Edward Khantzian and the self-medication hypothesis as my experience with clients suggests they are all self-medicating what they believe are intolerably distressing emotions. I am an unashamed fan of Stanton Peele, Andrew Tatarsky, and Scott Kellogg.

I always endeavour to practice in a pluralistic, client-centred manner, supporting clients in what they feel works for them. If 12 step programs are helpful to a client, I will metaphorically drive them to the meetings myself. My experience has been that a harm reduction approach reaches clients more effectively as it is based on the client's goals, not the therapist's goals. I do not believe that anyone is powerless in the face of any adversity and am certain that though belief in a higher power or the practice of a religion can be helpful to some people, the higher power is and always has been within yourself.

Finally:

If sounds interesting to you, you think I could be of help to you, or you have any questions, please do contact me.

I look forward to meeting you and want to congratulate you for having the courage to seek help with your issues.