Therapeutic Services
Therapeutic Approach
In essence, the human givens approach within therapeutic practice can be summarised as follows:
Strong emotions like depression, anxiety and anger are at the root of why so many people seek help from GPs, counsellors, psychotherapists or clinical psychologists(1). At any one time millions of people in the UK suffer from the negative effects of these forms of emotional arousal(2). Not all psychotherapeutic training ensures a high standard of clinical efficacy; some common forms of counselling practice, for example, are known to make depression and anxiety disorders worse(3). Conversely, the right type of psychotherapy is known to be more effective than drug treatments for all of these conditions.
Human givens(4)-based therapy is in this category of psychotherapy. It offers effective and practical help for people who are depressed, anxious, phobic, or suffering from trauma, addiction, anger disorders or relationship problems. It is effective because it draws on findings from psychology and neurobiology about how people really function, as well as international research studies that have established which counselling techniques are most effective(5).
There are (quite literally) hundreds of different counselling and psychotherapy models that people use, and this can be confusing, especially for vulnerable people seeking help; it is no less confusing for GPs wishing to refer patients to an expert in dealing with emotional problems. It has only recently been understood that effective therapeutic counselling always depends on how well the therapist identifies, understands and works to help individuals meet basic emotional needs in ways that are healthy and sustainable; although most therapists are accredited by their various professional bodies, this is no guarantee of effectiveness(6)(7). In contrast, therapists trained as human givens practitioners are rigorously assessed for their effectiveness. Human givens therapists are trained by MindFields College, whose training programme is approved by ETSI(8) and are accredited members of the Human Givens Institute (See: www.hgi.org.uk/institute.htm for further details), which ensures that they have a sound body of knowledge and the skills necessary to help people quickly with a wide variety of emotional and behavioural difficulties.
We do not focus exclusively on past events, nor encourage unnecessary introspection by patients. This therapeutic approach offers practical help that deals with mental and emotional distress in the here and now. It acknowledges and accepts what has gone before, deals with any residual impact from past events, and ensures that individuals have the skills and abilities to go on and live more effective and rewarding lives in the future.
For access to this therapeutic approach please see:
www.hgi.org.uk/register/Therapists/Mike-BeardSW.htm
(1) LeDoux, J. The Emotional Brain (1998) Weidenfeld & Nicolson
(2) Source: MIND — National Association for Mental Health
(3) Danton, W, Antonuccio, D. and DeNelsky, G. (1995). Depression: Psychotherapy is the best medicine. Professional Psychology Research and Practice, 26, 574. See also: Danton, W., Antonuccio, D. and Rosenthal, Z. (1997). No need to panic. The Therapist, Vol 4, no. 4. Any form of counselling that encourages excessive emotional introspection can prolong depression and anxiety
(4) Griffin, J. and Tyrrell, I. (2004) Human Givens – A New Approach to Emotional Health and Clear Thinking. HG Publishing
(5) Diagnosis, Vol. 2 Treatment Aspects, United States Public Health, Service Agency
(6) Ongoing research studies are showing that human givens therapy is at least as effective as CBT, and in less than half the time
See: www.effectivetherapy.org/effectiveness.html for more details
(7) Mowbray, R. The Case Against Psychotherapy Registration (1995) Trans Marginal Press
(8) The European Therapy Studies Institute (ETSI) was founded in 1992. It is a multi-disciplinary body set up to study, research and inform the public on what constitutes effective therapy
For further links to additional articles, interviews and information about this approach please see: www.hgi.org.uk/links.htm