Our approach
Types of therapy, in plain terms.
You don’t need to know which approach you want. That’s what the assessment is for, and most of our psychotherapists work integratively, drawing on more than one of these. If you’re curious, here’s a plain-language tour of the main families, all for individual therapy with adults.
The main approaches
The families the UKCP recognises.
Warm · relational
Humanistic & integrative
Humanistic therapies begin from trust in your capacity to grow within a genuinely accepting relationship, and they go every bit as deep as any other. Person-centred work follows your lead with warmth and without judgement; Gestalt attends closely to what is happening between you in the room.
Good if you value being deeply heard and want the work grounded in the here-and-now relationship.
Meaning · philosophical
Existential & constructivist
These approaches explore how you make meaning and live with the givens of being human (freedom, responsibility, choice, aloneness and mortality) and how the stories you hold about yourself shape what feels possible.
Good if you’re wrestling with meaning, direction, or a sense that something fundamental is unsettled.
Exploratory · insight
Psychoanalytic & psychodynamic
These exploratory approaches, rooted in the work of Freud and those who came after him, look at how your earlier life and patterns you may not be fully aware of shape how you feel and relate today. The aim is lasting understanding: why the same things keep happening, and what’s underneath them.
Good if you want to understand yourself deeply, not just manage symptoms.
Practical · structured
Cognitive & behavioural
Cognitive and behavioural approaches look at how thoughts, feelings and behaviours feed each other, and offer practical, structured tools to interrupt unhelpful cycles.
Good if you want concrete strategies for a specific difficulty. Our psychotherapists draw on these techniques where they help.
Finding your fit
Not sure which is for you? That’s normal.
Most people don’t arrive knowing, and you don’t need to. Hora’s assessments are with experienced clinicians, who talk your concerns through with you and help match you with a psychotherapist whose approach fits.