Grainne Butler
Cognitive Behavioural Therapist
Anxiety Disorders Specialist
Pronouns - She/Her
Gràinne is a Senior Cognitive Behavioural Therapist based in the UK, specialising in the treatment of anxiety disorders.
She has worked at the Anxiety Disorders Residential Unit (ADRU) since 2012. This is a national specialist service at the Bethlem Royal Hospital under the direction of world renowned consultant psychiatrist Professor David Veale. She provides specialist assessment and treatment to people with mild to severe and complex anxiety disorders.
Gràinne is an specialist in the treatment of the following problems:
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Panic Disorder / panic Attacks
Social Anxiety
Specific Phobia’s eg. spider
Emetophobia (Specific Phobia of Vomit)
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)
Performance Anxiety
Low Self Esteem
Perfectionism
Depression
Gràinne is highly experienced in all evidence based practices for all the listed disorders, including exposure response prevention (ERP) for the treatment of OCD and other anxiety disorders.
Gràinne is also very experienced working with the following problems:
Anxiety - Agoraphobia
Body Image Problems
Perinatal Anxiety
Perinatal Depression
Depression - Seasonal Affective Disorder
Emotional Regulation
Skin/Hair picking (tricotillomania / dermatillomania)
Sleep - Problems
Sleep - Insomnia
Work - General
Work - Stress
Gràinne has worked in the NHS for 19 years in a variety of clinical mental health settings. She is a RMN by profession and her extensive clinical experience includes acute inpatient care and addiction services as well as a CPN in community mental health team(CMHT) and early intervention in psychosis service(EIS).
In 2007 having completed a postgraduate diploma in CBT at the Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London she has worked as a CBT Therapist in Primary care, Secondary and Tertiary Care Psychological Services in the NHS. This wealth of clinical experience has resulted in Grainne providing specialist CBT supervision in the NHS and privately to a wide range of healthcare professionals in the UK and visiting students from overseas. She enjoys teaching and has recently provided a workshop for the South East England BABCP on Perfectionism.
Gràinne’s clients consistently feedback that she works in a very collaborative and client centred way. She ensures therapy is guided by your meaningful goals.
Models of Practice Gràinne is trained in:
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Exposure Response Prevention (ERP)
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Mindfulness
Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT)
Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT)
Schema
Gràinne works with:
Adults (19-65 Years)
Qualifications & Professional Memberships
Post Graduate Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy at the Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London 2007
Registered Mental Health Nurse and member of the Nursing and Midwifery Council NMC 1997
BSc in Health Studies 1998
Member of British Association of Behavioural and Psychotherapies BABCP
Member of the BABCP Independent Practitioners Special Interest Group
Testimonials about Online Therapy with Gràinne
“I can’t thank Gràinne enough, I chose her because she was experienced working with emetophobia (a fear of vomit), something which is common but misunderstood by therapists I’d seen before. She took the time to really understand my behaviours and the driving force behind them, and then over a number of sessions she put together a coping strategy for me. A few of things she did that were fantastic:
1) helped me understand the physical and psychological process behind vomiting which helped me to appreciate the process and took some of the fear out of it
2) used gradual exposure and exercises to help me normalise it (Eg seeing pictures, watching videos, listening to sounds).
3) ran a session where I ‘revisited’ myself as a child to understand how the fear started and what I needed at that point to tailor the therapeutic approach to my specific needs Gràinne went at a pace that suited me, I let her know when I was ready to move to a new exposure, so I never felt out of my depth.
Gràinne is friendly and professional and she understood that I wanted therapy to be a positive experience and I felt that we actually had fun with it, we laughed, we chatted, we did jumping jacks together after lunch (part of my therapy not just for fun!), and I’ve come so far thanks to her.
People looking to get over this fear know how debilitating it can be, and thanks to her help I can watch people being sick on tv without flinching, I can eat prawns and chicken and get on a boat, I can calm myself down and rationalise feelings of uncertainty or discomfort and the best thing ever… I put up with 3 months of pregnancy nausea without a single panic attack or any stress, and coming from someone who never thought I’d be able to have children because of my fear, this is just amazing. It’s great to know I can book future sessions if I run into any setbacks.
A review just doesn’t do justice to how much my life has changed because of her carefully planned sessions and I’m so pleased I took the step to get help, thank you Gràinne.” Danni
“It is no exaggeration to say that Grainne Butler has changed my life, I joke with her that one of the first things I ask myself when in a tough situation is "WWGD", What Would Grainne do. It may seem silly but the effect that she has had on my way of thinking and approaching all life situations cannot be overstated. I initially chose Grainne for two reasons, firstly, because of her expertise with Emetophobia which is why I needed therapy to begin with and secondly, because in the brief introduction video she had available I could tell that she would be incredibly patient with me when I needed, but also always pushing me when I needed it and keeping me on track and progressing rather than letting me ramble on for an hour. She is someone who genuinely cares for her clients and is always keeping up to date with any new pieces of therapy or techniques she has learnt that she thinks may be useful and I really cant speak highly enough of her, she is someone who will stick with me for the rest of my life and I owe her so much of what I have achieved” Jack
“I did therapy sessions with Gràinne for a year, starting off weekly and going down to every couple of months. At the beginning, it was hard to put my trust in someone, especially after previous difficult experiences with therapists. But she was immediately accommodating and set rules, giving structure to the sessions. She always stopped me before I dived into the ins and outs of a story or confessing, and was more interested in me living by my values and doing cost/benefit analysis. We also went through rumination models and worry postponement, wrote out affirmations, organised my daily and weekly must-do activities, and, most importantly, I learnt to accept and navigate uncertainty and anxiety. I had a whole load of tools by the end that I could turn to when OCD took over. I know I really put the work in to welcome healing. But Grainne was an integral part of this. Thank you so much.” Anonymous
“Gràinne got to the bottom of my problem and gave me solutions all within two sessions with her. I was under time pressure to cope with my anxiety due to an upcoming exam and Grainne gave me techniques and advice on how to manage it. I completed my exam with minimal anxiety and did not need to leave the room once during my exam.” Anonymous
“The therapy was good and Gràinne is very experienced in the field which was comforting. I appreciated the flexibility of evening appointments as I work full time. Grainne’s approach is multi-faceted which I liked - I was glad to be introduced to mindfulness practices as well as CBT techniques as another therapeutic tool.” Emma
“Living abroad in a non English speaking country during tough times proved difficult. Having a UK based therapist who took the time to understand my own struggles and then diagnose a path forward hasn’t proved highly valuable. Gràinne is sensitive, thoughtful and caring and someone who has enabled me to open up and share my thoughts and feelings. I’m grateful for her help and continue to look forward to our sessions together.” Nick
I live in wales and access to getting good quality CBT/EPT for OCD is very limited.
Whilst searching online I came across ‘My therapist online’ and emailed to see if they could help me. They carefully looked at all their therapists experiences to allow me to work with a therapist who was best suited to the help I needed.
They recommended Gràinne and I thank god everyday that they did!
Previously I have had CBT for my OCD but have never felt I have recovered to a point where it doesn’t interfere with my daily life. Taking to Gràinne during our first session made me realise I had never really worked with a specialist before. Grainne was exceptionally experienced and knew exactly what my difficulties were which put my mind at rest straight away. She also gave me a new founded determination to further my recovery.
Sessions with Gràinne are relaxed but very focussed.
We always have an agenda and the sessions as always focussed on ‘ chipping away’ at OCD and the anxiety based around it.
I can’t even express the progress I have made since working with Grainne. I am more confident in my abilities to manage my OCD, educated in my condition and finally have my quality and enjoyment of life back. OCD no longer rules my life thanks to Grainne!!
I feel very comfortable during our Skype session ( I often wear my pyjamas as I have evening appointments) and feel each session is focussed and moves me along in my recovery. I have developed a self- help therapy file and the homework that I undertake always focussed me very closely on building a resilience to the ‘OCD bully’.
This time last year I thought I was stuck and my recovery stage was as good as it could get. I thought I was going to have to deal with this quality of life ( restricted by OCD) forever. Now I am focussed in work ( have a stressful and demanding job), enjoying married life and travelling to many parts of the world.
Gràinne has taught me many techniques and showed me, how exposing yourself to fears reduces anxiety and has made me realise the world is not such a scary place.
I am now excited about life, my future and the things I have to look forward to.
I know I will always have OCD and that I will need to manage it, I am also sure I will have times in life when my OCD rears it’s ugly head again. But with Grainne help and my new confidence in dealing with OCD I feel I can deal with it and cope with any setbacks.
Thanks Gràinneyou have shown me that life with OCD can be wonderful, rewarding and enjoyable- couldn’t have got to this place without you.
Leanne (Wales)
What is CBT?
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is an evidenced based & well researched talking therapy. It is recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for many mental health problems.
It is most commonly used to treat anxiety and depression, but can be useful for many other mental and physical health problems.
CBT focuses upon how your thoughts and behaviours impact upon your emotions and physical symptoms.
CBT is collaborative treatment and typically involves doing homework tasks between appointments.
It aims to teach you to become your own therapist, teaching you tools so you can keep using the strategies and techniques you have learned after you have finished therapy.