McQuillen Psychology provides a professional, confidential, high quality Clinical Psychology service based on scientifically validated methods. This means that the therapies provided have been subject to rigorous scientific research and testing and have been proven to be effective by numerous researchers worldwide.
What to Expect
Psychological therapy is a complex process and it is important for clients to understand that commitment to an ongoing (albeit time limited) process is required. At a minimum most people need at least 10 or more sessions of psychological therapy to make any lasting positive change to their lives, however some improvement will usually be felt within a few sessions.
During your first session a comprehensive psychological assessment will be conducted to develop an understanding of your reason for seeking a psychological service and outline a basic working model of the difficulty and how it may be addressed through psychological therapy. Where possible the clinical psychologist will endeavour to provide some work to commence with between sessions and/or provide basic management techniques but sometimes, especially in more complex cases, a further session may be required to reach that point.
The second session usually begins with building a more comprehensive model of your current functioning. Clinical psychologists call this model a case formulation and it identifies what is working and not working in your life and where improvements in functioning may be achieved. Based on your unique case formulation and therapeutic goals the clinical psychologist will then develop a treatment plan with you that is designed to achieve your therapeutic goals. By the end of the second session you will usually have some basic strategies to begin working towards some improvement in your functioning.
Further sessions will focus on engaging in evidence-based activities designed to meet your goals. At McQuillen Psychology the service provided to you will be evidence-based, developed collaboratively with you, tailored specifically to your needs, and be presented in a way that will be easy for you to understand, and that is directly relevant and meaningful to you.
John McQuillen has been clinically trained and is experienced in providing Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Narrative Therapy, Schema Therapy, Milan Systemic Family Therapy, the Gottman method and Psychodynamic Therapy. For the majority of clients John finds that CBT and ACT are often the most effective and efficient forms of intervention to achieve their therapeutic goals with the exception that if your difficulties are based in your childhood development then Schema therapy can be particularly useful.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
CBT is an evidence-based, practical, time-limited psychotherapeutic approach that is based on the idea that emotions, thoughts, physical sensations, and behaviours are all interconnected. It relies on the principle that dysfunctional information processing is the basis for psychological distress. CBT teaches clients how to change problematic emotions and behaviours through the modification of cognitive processes. The activities involved are brief, practical, and directly relevant to the client’s experience of psychological distress. It is perhaps the most common and popular form of psychotherapy today, has been proven to be highly effective for a broad range of problems, and is efficient requiring relatively few sessions to achieve results. To read a recent scientific review of the evidence for CBT’s effectiveness please click here.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
ACT is a form of clinical behaviour analysis and is an evidence-based psychological intervention that uses acceptance, mindfulness, commitment to values based action, and behaviour change strategies to enhance psychological flexibility. The aim of ACT is to maximise a client’s potential for a rich, full, and meaningful life. It does this by teaching clients new skills to deal with painful thoughts and emotions, and clarify what is truly meaningful and important in their lives. Rather than trying to control thoughts that are considered irrational in CBT, ACT maintains that a client’s experience of life is normal but may be in conflict with what they truly value and see as a meaningful life. Through the enhancement of psychological flexibility and skills training clients develop the ability to maximise their potential through the resolution of value conflicts that are causing them psychological distress, and the development of abilities needed to take action that brings about a more meaningful and values consistent life experience. ACT has been proven through rigorous scientific research to be effective for a broad range of psychological problems and is able to bring about lasting positive change in client’s lives. To read a more detailed article about what ACT is please click here.
What to Expect
Psychological therapy is a complex process and it is important for clients to understand that commitment to an ongoing (albeit time limited) process is required. At a minimum most people need at least 10 or more sessions of psychological therapy to make any lasting positive change to their lives, however some improvement will usually be felt within a few sessions.
During your first session a comprehensive psychological assessment will be conducted to develop an understanding of your reason for seeking a psychological service and outline a basic working model of the difficulty and how it may be addressed through psychological therapy. Where possible the clinical psychologist will endeavour to provide some work to commence with between sessions and/or provide basic management techniques but sometimes, especially in more complex cases, a further session may be required to reach that point.
The second session usually begins with building a more comprehensive model of your current functioning. Clinical psychologists call this model a case formulation and it identifies what is working and not working in your life and where improvements in functioning may be achieved. Based on your unique case formulation and therapeutic goals the clinical psychologist will then develop a treatment plan with you that is designed to achieve your therapeutic goals. By the end of the second session you will usually have some basic strategies to begin working towards some improvement in your functioning.
Further sessions will focus on engaging in evidence-based activities designed to meet your goals. At McQuillen Psychology the service provided to you will be evidence-based, developed collaboratively with you, tailored specifically to your needs, and be presented in a way that will be easy for you to understand, and that is directly relevant and meaningful to you.
John McQuillen has been clinically trained and is experienced in providing Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Narrative Therapy, Schema Therapy, Milan Systemic Family Therapy, the Gottman method and Psychodynamic Therapy. For the majority of clients John finds that CBT and ACT are often the most effective and efficient forms of intervention to achieve their therapeutic goals with the exception that if your difficulties are based in your childhood development then Schema therapy can be particularly useful.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
CBT is an evidence-based, practical, time-limited psychotherapeutic approach that is based on the idea that emotions, thoughts, physical sensations, and behaviours are all interconnected. It relies on the principle that dysfunctional information processing is the basis for psychological distress. CBT teaches clients how to change problematic emotions and behaviours through the modification of cognitive processes. The activities involved are brief, practical, and directly relevant to the client’s experience of psychological distress. It is perhaps the most common and popular form of psychotherapy today, has been proven to be highly effective for a broad range of problems, and is efficient requiring relatively few sessions to achieve results. To read a recent scientific review of the evidence for CBT’s effectiveness please click here.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
ACT is a form of clinical behaviour analysis and is an evidence-based psychological intervention that uses acceptance, mindfulness, commitment to values based action, and behaviour change strategies to enhance psychological flexibility. The aim of ACT is to maximise a client’s potential for a rich, full, and meaningful life. It does this by teaching clients new skills to deal with painful thoughts and emotions, and clarify what is truly meaningful and important in their lives. Rather than trying to control thoughts that are considered irrational in CBT, ACT maintains that a client’s experience of life is normal but may be in conflict with what they truly value and see as a meaningful life. Through the enhancement of psychological flexibility and skills training clients develop the ability to maximise their potential through the resolution of value conflicts that are causing them psychological distress, and the development of abilities needed to take action that brings about a more meaningful and values consistent life experience. ACT has been proven through rigorous scientific research to be effective for a broad range of psychological problems and is able to bring about lasting positive change in client’s lives. To read a more detailed article about what ACT is please click here.