Therapeutic Approaches
At Shared Journey Psychology, therapy is a collaborative process. Difficulties are approached with curiosity and respect, recognising that our ways of coping and relating develop within relationships and life experiences.
A range of evidence-based therapeutic approaches are used, always shaped around the individual, their needs, life context, and what they are hoping to change.
Across all therapies, the therapeutic relationship is central, and at Shared Journey we provide a safe and thoughtful space to reflect, notice what is happening, and explore different ways forward.
Cognitive Analytic Therapy
Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT) is a relational therapy that helps people make sense of difficulties in the context of their relational patterns (for example, patterns such as self-criticism, people-pleasing, withdrawing, or expecting rejection). It explores how early and later relationships can shape familiar ways of thinking, feeling, and responding which can continue into adult life even when they are no longer helpful.
In therapy, these patterns are identified and understood collaboratively, with attention to how they show up in everyday life and current relationships (for example, repeating the same conflicts, feeling stuck, or responding automatically under stress). This shared understanding helps clarify why certain difficulties tend to repeat.
From there, therapy focuses on developing more flexible and sustainable ways of responding that feel better suited to the present.
CAT may be helpful for people experiencing:
- repeated relationship difficulties
- longstanding patterns of distress or self-criticism
- difficulties that feel hard to change despite effort
- feeling stuck in familiar roles or conflict
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) is a structured, present-focused therapy that supports people to work toward clear goals.
CBT focuses on understanding how thoughts, feelings, and behaviours interact in day-to-day life. Therapy involves identifying specific difficulties, setting goals together, and using practical problem-solving approaches to shift unhelpful thinking and behaviour patterns.
CBT can be helpful when people are looking for a more active and structured approach to managing current challenges and supporting change in the here and now.
CBT may be helpful for people experiencing:
- anxiety or stress-related difficulties
- low mood or depression
- unhelpful thinking patterns
- difficulties with behaviour change or coping skills
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on helping people change how they relate to difficult thoughts and feelings, rather than trying to remove them.
ACT supports the development of psychological flexibility by building awareness, acceptance, and clarity about what matters most. Therapy encourages taking steps toward valued directions in life, even when uncomfortable thoughts or emotions are present.
ACT can be helpful when people feel stuck in ongoing struggles and want to move forward in ways that feel meaningful and aligned with their values.
ACT may be helpful for people experiencing:
- ongoing anxiety or stress
- emotional overwhelm
- avoidance or self-criticism
- feeling unsure about direction and purpose
- grief & loss
- chronic pain or health-related adjustment
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR)
EMDR is a structured therapy designed to help people process distressing or overwhelming experiences that continue to affect them in the present.
Some experiences can remain unprocessed, meaning they continue to trigger emotional, physical, or relational responses long after the event has passed. EMDR works with the brain’s natural processing systems to support integration of difficult experiences.
EMDR can help reduce the ongoing impact of trauma and other
difficult experiences on thoughts, feelings, and responses
in the present.
EMDR may be helpful for people experiencing:
- the impact of trauma or adverse life experiences
- distress linked to specific memories
- strong emotional or physical reactions that feel hard to explain
- anxiety connected to past events or future plans
Imagery Rescripting
Imagery Rescripting is a structured therapeutic approach used to work with distressing memories or recurring mental images that continue to influence how a person feels or responds in the present.
In therapy, these memories are revisited in a careful and supported way. The aim is to reduce their emotional intensity and modify the meanings that became attached to them at the time. This can help shift longstanding patterns such as shame, fear, or self-criticism that developed in response to earlier experiences.
Imagery Rescripting may be helpful for people experiencing:
- the impact of trauma or adverse life experiences
- distress linked to specific memories
- strong emotional reactions that feel disproportionate
or hard to understand - entrenched patterns of self-criticism or shame
Ready to take the next step?
Get in touch to arrange an appointment or request a free 15-minute phone consultation.
Where to find us
6 Mornington-Tyabb Road
Tyabb VIC 3913
info@sharedjourneypsychology.com.au