Deciding to start therapy is a meaningful step. The harder part is often knowing where to begin — what type of therapy, what kind of therapist, and whether it will actually help. The short answer is that the right fit matters as much as the approach itself, and there is more choice available than most people realise.
What type of therapy is right for me?
Therapy is not one thing. Different modalities work differently depending on what you’re carrying and how you tend to process it.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is one of the most widely evidenced approaches, particularly for anxiety, depression, and OCD. It works by identifying the connection between thoughts, feelings, and behaviours — and gradually shifting patterns that aren’t serving you. It tends to be structured, practical, and time-limited.
Psychotherapeutic counselling takes a broader, more exploratory approach. Rather than working to a fixed framework, it creates space to understand yourself more deeply — including patterns that may go back a long way. It suits people navigating life transitions, relationship difficulties, grief, or a general sense that something isn’t quite right.
Trauma-focused therapy — including approaches like EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) — works specifically with difficult experiences that have become lodged in the nervous system. It is particularly effective where talking alone doesn’t seem to shift things.
What makes a good therapist?
Qualifications and professional registration matter — look for accreditation with BACP, UKCP, or BPS. But research consistently shows that the therapeutic relationship itself is one of the strongest predictors of outcome. The first session is as much about whether you feel safe and heard as it is about credentials.
Work with a therapist through YoYu
Dijana Dawson — Integrative counsellor and BACP-accredited psychotherapist working with anxiety, depression, bereavement, relationship difficulties, and life transitions. Marylebone and Clapham, online and in person.https://yoyu.life/providers/dijana-dawson/
Disree Shaw — CBT and REBT therapist with over 20 years of experience, specialising in anxiety, depression, ADHD, autism, and men’s mental health. London, online and in person. https://yoyu.life/providers/disree-shaw/
Richard Wiltshire — Trauma and Systemic Psychotherapist trained at King’s College London, specialising in trauma, anxiety, OCD, and family therapy using EMDR. UKCP registered. London, in person. https://yoyu.life/providers/richard-wiltshire/
All practitioners are verified through the YoYu platform.
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