Utsa Das

Diploma Counselling
M.A. Counselling Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)
Post –graduate diploma in clinical supervision

Association Memberships:

BACP accredited therapist
Member of British Association of Cognitive and Behaviour therapy
Member of British Infertility Counselling Association

Clinic Working Hours:

Fridays 9am – 3pm
Other times (including evenings) can be negotiated on request & availability

Prices:

£40     50 minute session
£60    Initial assessment session for CBT
£75   If sessions are being paid by an insurance company

Who Am I? What Do I Do?

I have been working as a therapist for over 15 years in a wide range of settings and offer therapy in the following areas:

• Anxiety and related issues (excessive worry, obsessions & compulsions, panic and agoraphobia, phobia and health anxiety)
• Depression
• Trauma and post traumatic stress disorder
• Abuse and rape issues
• Grief, loss and bereavement issues
• Couple and relationship issues
• Stress and anger management
• Infertility
• Cancer and other chronic illnesses, including chronic pain
• Self harm and suicidal ideation
• Eating disorders dependence on prescribed drugs
• Work related issues
• Stress management

Short term therapy

In short term work I usually use Brief solution focused therapy (BSFT) and the work may be no more than 6 – 8 weeks, sometimes less.  This is a non-directive but active therapy where the focus is in the here & now, with clear, specific and attainable goals that can be achieved in the time available. This is helpful in situations where there may be a sudden issue that arises in your life that you are finding difficult to deal with or when you wish to develop specific skills to deal with your concerns, such as assertiveness training or confidence building.

Long term therapy

Occasionally there maybe long term concerns that are affected by unresolved past issues or long lasting concerns such as overwhelming anxiety or depression or indeed trauma of some sort. In such situation I use Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) which looks at how our thoughts, attitudes and values related to a particular situation impacts on how we behave and deal with it. Just compare how you address a situation in which you feel confident versus one in which you doubt your capability. You will notice that your thoughts and feelings regarding a difficult situation are very negative and you worry about it for days even before that situation has risen. CBT helps you to look at past experiences and beliefs that maybe impinging in this case and develop better coping skills and self confidence. It helps to break the cycle of negativity and repeated patterns. Over time we develop a map linking the past to the present, (called a conceptualisation) and this insight becomes the foundation of changing behaviour. It is a very active therapy which encourages you to find goals to work towards both in the session and outside in your daily life. Homework will be involved that may include reflecting on what has been learnt in the session, practicing skills, doing imagery work to develop confidence and occasionally written work. The number of sessions can vary usually between 8 – 12 sessions, with difficult issues such as trauma requiring more occasionally.

Supervision

I offer supervision to therapists and my usual mode of working can be purely CBT or integrative to suit the supervisee. I use creative means and imagery to help the counsellor get the most out of supervision.