becca mackay
Accredited Cognitive Behavioural Therapist (CBT)
BABCP accredited (membership number 150418)
Hello, and thank you for coming to read my profile here. My approach with people who arrive to speak with me is that life can be painful for all of us and this can take different forms, whether it is the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, role or relationship, ill health or chronic pain and injury, loneliness, life disappointments, frustration, stress and more. It is not our fault that we experience negative thoughts and emotions. This is part of being human. However, when we repeatedly start to feel bad, and before we know it, we can be pulled into a spiral and it can feel that no amount of struggle can get us out. And have you ever found that the more you struggle, the deeper you end up in that pool of unhelpful thoughts, emotions and sometimes actions. Maybe it can feel like we’re working so hard to get out of the spiral that the harder we work at it, the worse it can become. This can be a very draining and frustrating process.
If this seems a familiar cycle, perhaps therapy might help you to find another way out of this seemingly never ending struggle.
I am a fully accredited Cognitive Behavioural Therapist, my ten year journey (so far!) of working in this field has led me to work for the NHS, various insurers, employee assistance programmes and also delivering therapy to groups as well as individuals from 18 through to 91.
I have a particular interest in working with Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), having run a CBT group programme in the NHS for five years. I am experienced at the use of exposure response prevention (ERP) for the treatment of OCD.
As well as CBT for anxiety, depression and trauma related difficulties, I am also trained in other approaches, Acceptance and Commitment therapy (ACT) and Compassion Focused therapy (CFT). This means I can tailor my approach to fit the person I’m working with which fits in with my values of working with the individual, rather than referring to a ‘disorder’, to guide our work together.
Becca’s areas of specialist include:
Depression
Anxiety & panic
Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Shame and self-criticism
Low self esteem
Health anxiety
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
Sleep problems
Specific phobias – spiders, vomiting, needles etc
Chronic, repetitive worry (usually known as Generalised Anxiety Disorder or GAD)
Social Anxiety Disorder
Workplace stress
Perfectionism
I am experienced in making therapy work over secure video. I like to adapt my approach to suit people’s learning styles, and have a curiosity in how these vary. My background in social work with asylum seekers and refugees has highlighted the importance – and joy - of working across differences. I like to encourage feedback from the person I am working with and am always willing to adapt.
Please also note that for many people, it can feel unhelpful to ‘label’ what you’re experiencing. And, often, you might not know yourself what it might be called in ‘diagnostic’ terms, or find it hard to vocalise. This is very common, and absolutely okay. Helping you to gather and make sense of what can feel a scattered number of difficulties in your life is something I am experienced in doing. Please be aware that I am not a psychiatrist so I am unable to make an official diagnosis.
Becca’s Professional Qualifications
EMDR Levels 1,2 & 3
BABCP accredited (membership number 150418)
Cognitive Behavioural Therapist (Post Graduate diploma, University of Brighton, 2011)
MA Social Work, University of Plymouth
Therapy Models Becca is experienced in:
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT)
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Eye Movement Desensitisation & Reprocessing (EMDR)
Becca Works with:
Adults (19-65 Years)
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.
What is EMDR?
EMDR Stands for Eye Movement Desensitisation & Reprocessing.
When a person experiences psychological trauma or highly stressful events, they are not always able to process the relevant information (i.e. thoughts, emotions, bodily sensations). As a result, they can end up getting “stuck” inside of them and can resurface later on, as if the person was still reliving the traumatic or stressful event.
EMDR aims to ‘process’ negative experiences or events which can subsequently improve emotional well-being and help to significantly reduce, but more often eliminate distressing symptoms and bodily sensations associated with the trauma.
In 2013, the World Health Organization (WHO) has also acknowledged EMDR as being an effective treatment approach to psychological trauma and trauma-related disorders.