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You do not need to master therapy acronyms before asking for help. Here is how to ask what a proposed approach would actually look like in a session.

Therapy acronyms such as CBT, DBT and ACT can be handy shorthand among professionals, yet bewildering for anyone trying to find support. If you are considering psychotherapy at the Freshwater clinic, you do not need to learn this vocabulary first. Your starting point is the difficulty you would like to work on.

A brief orientation

In broad terms, and without going into detail:

• CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) looks at links between thoughts, feelings and actions.
• DBT (dialectical behaviour therapy) includes skills for managing intense emotions and relationships.
• ACT (acceptance and commitment therapy) focuses on values and on relating differently to difficult thoughts.

These are simplified descriptions. What matters more is how any approach would be used with you.

Asking what a session would involve

Dr Christine Shen, Acupuncturist, is trained in psychotherapy too, and she is happy to explain her approach in ordinary language. Questions you might ask:

• Would we practise skills together during sessions?
• Would we spend time reflecting on past or recent experiences?
• Would there be anything to try between appointments?
• How does this approach relate to what I want to change?

Hearing how the work connects with your own aims tells you far more than a recognisable abbreviation ever could.

Keeping the work pointed where you want it

Share with Christine the questions you want answered, the habits that seem stuck and the signs that would tell you something has moved. Ask when progress will be reviewed and what support exists if your needs change.

Suitability and referral

Some concerns are better served by a specialist mental health service or a more structured plan of care elsewhere. Christine can discuss involving your GP when that would help. If you are in crisis, contact emergency services or a crisis line straight away.

For anyone on the Northern Beaches who has been put off by jargon, a plain conversation at the Freshwater clinic is a gentle first step; no acronyms required.