Frequently Asked Questions
The PossAbilities Network Approach to Therapy
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Pluralistic Therapy is the main approach we use in PossAbilities Network. At heart it is an integrative approach that values the unique experiences and preferences of each individual. It combines techniques and theories from various therapeutic modalities, allowing therapists to tailor their interventions to meet the specific needs of their clients. Pluralistic Therapy is a highly collaborative approach that emphasises the importance of a good working relationship between client and therapist. It encourages open dialogue about goals, techniques, and progress. By exploring a range of therapy tools and methods Pluralistic Therapy empowers clients to engage actively in their own therapy process.
A Pluralistic approach starts with a belief that there is no ‘right’ way to do therapy. There are no ‘one-size-fits-all’ solutions that work for everyone. In a pluralistic approach we believe that different things help different people at different times. As a pluralistic therapist my job is to find the method and approach/es that work best for you and your unique concerns and challenges.
Therapists in PossAbilities Network have professional trainings in Music Therapy, Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, Play Therapy, Polyvagal Therapy, Brief Cognitive Therapy, Trauma Management, Systemic Family Therapy, and Narrative Therapy. We will bring the best that these evidence-based models have to offer and help you choose what works for you. We will tailor the therapy intervention to your needs and preferences.
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We specialise in creative therapy methods at PossAbilities Network. We offer clients the option of working with art, sand tray, music, story and metaphor in addition to a range of talk-based therapies. Creative methods offer an alternative to a traditional talking therapy approach. They give clients a new way to communicate and understand their personal story. They can be very effective for people with a tendency to ‘over think’ problem situations. They are also useful for anyone who struggles to express things verbally, or for any who are more of a visual thinker.
Creative methods are safe and non-intrusive. They energise our imagination and help us tap into our natural problem-solving processes. They combine well with a talk-based approach. At PossAbilities Network our experience is that creative methods are useful for both adults and children.
You do not need specialist skills or training to use a creative method. The therapist will give you some initial guidance on how to use your preferred method. After that, it is a matter of relaxing and letting your imagination take over! Many people find that they gain valuable understanding and insight from using a creative method which may not have been available with a words-only approach.
Not everyone will want to use creative methods in their therapy, and that is Okay. At PossAbilities we offer creative methods as an option alongside the talk-based approaches that are also available.
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We use a strengths based approach at PossAbilities Network. This approach comes from Positive Psychology and emphasises a ‘what’s right with you?’ perspective. Many therapy models emphasise exploring only the problem and pain of each person’s story. While it is true that people seek therapy when they feel something is ‘wrong’, or not working in life, a problem-only approach can be very limiting. It can prevent you from realising that you have strengths, resources and coping skills. It gets in the way of hope and focusing on change.
A strengths based approach brings balance. It looks for the light as well as the dark in someone’s story. It is committed to helping nurture strengths and resilience as well as relieving misery and distress.
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PossAbilities Network therapy services are feedback-informed. This means we use two internationally recognised and standardised feedback tools at every session. At the start of each meeting we will check-in on your wellbeing and at the end we will use a short check-out measure that looks at how the session went and how effective our working relationship is.
These tools help us make sure we listen to clients and collaborate with them to improve the therapy outcomes. Clients will see how their change journey looks over time as the well-being tool creates a useful progress graph. The feedback also allows us to identify when things are not working and to adjust our methods and approaches to better meet individual needs and preferences.
Research shows that using feedback leads to better therapy results. This is an empowering approach that recognises each client as an expert on their own life. By valuing client insights through feedback, PossAbilities Network therapists can support a more effective journey toward change and growth.
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Our experience over 30 years in PossAbilities Network is that children achieve the best outcomes in therapy when the ‘system’ of key adults in their lives are also involved. Children need a team of supportive adults around them to create the context for change, to build resilience and maintain the positive benefits of therapy once it ends.
At PossAbilities Network we support the system - parents/carers, family members, school staff etc - as well as the individual child. We expect key adults to play an active part in the child’s support team. We will work with them to increase understanding of their child’s communications and behaviour, to think about ways to strengthen the relationship they have with their child and to build their child’s coping skills.
A brief explanation of the therapy models that PossAbilities Network therapists are trained in
The models and approaches below are ones that PossAbilities Network therapists can offer in their child and adult therapy services, helping ensure that clients have a choice and can find a personalised blend of therapeutic methods that work for them.
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PossAbilities Network therapists are qualified to use the Human Givens brief cognitive therapy approach. Human Givens highlights the importance of innate needs like security, connection, and autonomy. Its view is that most psychological distress occurs when these needs are unmet or the resources to meet them are inaccessible. In the Human Givens cognitive therapy approach the aim is to help a person identify their unmet needs and to support them in developing the resources required to meet them.
Techniques used in Human Givens include guided imagery for anxiety relief, strengths-based exploration of challenges, and skills development for emotional resilience.
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PossAbilities Network therapists are qualified to use Narrative Therapy. This is a form of psychotherapy that centres on the stories individuals tell about their lives. It is based on the idea that the stories we tell about our lives - and, more importantly, how we tell them - ultimately shape our identity and influence our emotions and behaviours. For children, it is often the stories that other adults tell about their lives that have a powerful effect on their identity, behaviour and wellbeing.
In Narrative Therapy we work with clients to explore and re-author their life stories. We identify and address the problem-based narratives that contribute to distress or hinder personal growth. A key aspect in this approach is identifying and authoring a new, ‘alternative story’, one that fits better with a client’s preferred values and ways of understanding.
Narrative Therapy is a highly collaborative approach, encouraging clients to focus on their experiences and values rather than on labels or diagnoses. It sees the client as an expert on their life and promotes a sense of agency, hope and resilience.
Key techniques in narrative therapy include the use of questions that invite reflection, storytelling exercises, and the exploration of significant life events. Therapists may also encourage clients to identify moments of success and strength, helping them to build a more positive self-narrative. Ultimately, narrative therapy seeks to facilitate change by helping individuals recognise their inherent capacity for growth and transformation through becoming more of an author of their own story.
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Systemic Family Therapy is a therapeutic approach that focuses on understanding the dynamics within family relationships and how they influence individual emotions, behaviours and well-being.
Problems are not seen as isolated issues that are to do with an individual, rather, they are viewed as patterns arising from the interactions between different family members. By exploring these relationships, therapists can help families identify and alter negative patterns, building healthier communication and stronger connections.
Systemic therapy is a highly collaborative process which aims to empower all family members, promoting insight and growth while addressing personal and shared challenges. Systemic Family Therapy ultimately aims to enhance the well-being of the family unit as a whole by improving communication, resolving conflicts and enhancing relationships through mutual support.
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The ‘Polyvagal’ approach in therapy focuses on understanding the role of the autonomic nervous system in regulating our emotions and social connections. Developed by Dr Stephen Porges, this powerful framework highlights how our bodily responses to stress, trauma, and safety are all deeply interconnected. The polyvagal framework highlights three primary states that effect our responses: (1) ventral vagal (where we feel safe and social engaged), sympathetic (where our stress responses of fight-flight-freeze are activated), and dorsal vagal (where we go into a state of immobilisation and shut-down).
Therapists use this model to help clients increase body awareness, foster a sense of safety, and develop positive self-regulation (calming) strategies. This helps facilitate trauma recovery and enhances emotional resilience, empowering clients to understand and navigate their physiological stress responses.
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Music Therapy is an evidence-based practice that harnesses the therapeutic power of music to support children, adolescents, and adults to communicate and explore their feelings and experience, develop coping strategies and improve emotional well-being.
Music Therapy uses a range of techniques, including interactive music-making, listening, and song-writing, which are introduced by the therapist in a safe environment within an established trusting relationship.
Music Therapy can be particularly useful where clients prefer a non-verbal approach to communication, or where there are communication challenges / disabilities.
PossAbilities Network therapists are qualified Music Therapists. While they currently do not practice as UK registered Music Therapists they draw on their training to offer music as one of range of creative methods for both children and adults to use in therapy.
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Play is a child’s first language, their primary way of engaging with and understanding the world around them. Play Therapy turns a child’s natural love of play into a powerful therapeutic approach that can help them express their feelings, thoughts, and experiences without having to use words in a safe and nurturing environment.
PossAbilities Network therapists each have over 30 years’ experience in using play-based methods with children and young people, including: art, clay, sand play, music, puppets, story, therapeutic board games and worksheets.
Play-based approaches in therapy are suitable for children and young people and for a wide range of challenges, including anxiety, bereavement, family and school stress, friendship issues and trauma.
Using play in therapy supports a child’s communication, emotional regulation and problem-solving skills. It is a safe and empowering way for young people to navigate their emotional landscapes, promoting personal growth.
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Trauma Rewind - or Visual Kinaesthetic Dissociation (VKD) - is an innovative evidence-based therapeutic technique designed to help adults and children recover from traumatic experience. It combines elements of guided imagery and cognitive restructuring, allowing clients to revisit and reprocess their traumatic memories in a safe and supportive environment.
PossAbilities Network therapists are trained in the Trauma Rewind technique and have used it with many child and adult clients to help them reprocess and move on from traumatic experiences. Many clients who have used the Rewind/VKD report a full recovery from trauma symptoms, such as flashbacks, intrusive thoughts, disturbed sleep and hyper-vigilance.
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Psychoanalytic psychotherapy is a profound therapeutic approach that explores the unconscious mind and its influence on thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. This form of therapy delves into the intricacies of a person’s inner world, examining past experiences, particularly those from childhood, to uncover unresolved conflicts and emotional struggles. Through a process of free association, dream analysis, and examining transference, clients gain insight into their inner dynamics, fostering greater self-awareness and emotional growth. The aim is to help individuals understand the root causes of their difficulties, leading to meaningful change and improved emotional wellbeing. This therapy emphasises the importance of the therapeutic relationship, where a safe and supportive environment facilitates deep exploration and healing.
