Bristol CBT and Psychotherapy Arrange an assessment

CBT · EMDR · central Bristol & online

Two therapists. One steady place to start.

We’re Emma Pye and Vanessa Shaw. We’re BABCP accredited CBT therapists and EMDR practitioners, and we’ve worked together for over fifteen years.

Arrange an assessment How it works

“We help you to explore your difficulties at your own pace.”

Bristol CBT and Psychotherapy

01 — What we help with

CBT and EMDR, explained plainly.

Two approaches, and one question at the start: which of them fits what you are bringing? Often it is a mix of both, and that is a conversation, not a test.

CBT

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

CBT starts from a simple idea: the way we feel is affected by the way we think and behave. A session looks at the relationship between your thoughts, your feelings and what you do — and at where that loop might be interrupted.

If you are feeling low, the thoughts can sound like “I am useless” or “I will never get better”, and going out can begin to feel pointless. With anxiety, avoiding the supermarket or the bus eases things for an hour and then quietly narrows the week. CBT is a way of looking at those patterns together and finding where you can begin to break out of them.

  • Thoughts
  • Feelings
  • Behaviour

NICE, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, recommends CBT for anxiety and depression.

EMDR

Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing

EMDR helps you process past experiences that are still affecting you now. It combines talking therapy with eye movements or tapping to work through emotions, beliefs, bodily sensations and images.

It follows an eight-stage process that begins with assessment, and it was developed by Francine Shapiro in 1987. EMDR is recommended by NICE, and it is used with PTSD and many other difficulties.

EMDR is not a form of hypnosis. You stay fully alert and in control throughout, and you can stop at any point.

Whether EMDR may be suitable for you is something we can talk through at the assessment.

02 — The pair

Two approaches, one plan.

As a partnership we strongly believe in tailoring your approach to matching your needs. That is the whole reason there are two of us.

CBT · EMDR · supervision

Emma Pye

In mental health
Over 25 years
Specialist experience
PTSD and CPTSD

CBT · EMDR · supervision

Vanessa Shaw

In mental health
Over 20 years
Particular interest
PTSD

We have worked together in the NHS and in private practice for over 15 years, supporting people with a range of difficulties in both individual and group therapy. In 2020 we brought our private practices together to form Bristol CBT and Psychotherapy, which has been established in Bristol for over five years.

Both of us are BABCP accredited CBT therapists and EMDR practitioners. We hold regular clinical supervision for CBT and EMDR, and we work to the BABCP codes and ethics.

“We help you to explore your difficulties at your own pace.”

Emma and Vanessa

03 — How it works

First an assessment. Then the work.

An assessment is arranged first, so we can hear what has brought you here and decide together what would be most useful.

Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays · daytime and evening

  1. Get in touch

    Email or call either of us. A short message about what you would like help with is enough — you do not need to explain it well or know the right words.

  2. An assessment

    We meet, online or at the room in central Bristol, and talk through what is going on. We will say plainly whether CBT, EMDR or a mix of the two seems to fit, and whether we are the right people for it.

  3. Weekly 50-minute sessions

    Sessions last 50 minutes and cost £95. They run on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, daytime and evening, online or in person in central Bristol.

  4. Review and endings

    We review how it is going as we work, and plan the ending together. Along the way you build up tools and strategies you can keep using on your own.

04 — The practice

A room in central Bristol.

A friendly, down-to-earth therapy practice in central Bristol. We offer a calm, private room, and the same sessions online if getting here is difficult.

Orchard Street Business Centre
13-14 Orchard Street
Bristol BS1 5EH
Find the room on Google Maps
The therapy room at Orchard Street: two chairs facing each other beside a sash window
Our therapy room · Orchard Street, Bristol

05 — Fees

One fee, plainly put.

These are the fees the practice publishes. There is nothing to add to them.

Therapy session

£95

per 50-minute session

Length
50 minutes
Where
Online, or in person in central Bristol
When
Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, daytime and evening
Before you start
An assessment is arranged first

To ask about fees or arrange an assessment, email us or call 07789 514 529.

Emma and Ness.

We understand how important it is to find a therapist you can connect with and talk to. These are the two of us, in our own words.

Emma Pye

BABCP Accredited CBT Therapist · EMDR Practitioner

I have been working in mental health for over 25 years. I have specialist experience and knowledge of working with PTSD and CPTSD, and extensive experience of working with the other common mental health difficulties.

Qualifications and training

  • BSc Psychology/Sociology joint honours, UWE
  • Postgraduate Diploma in Psychology, Cardiff University
  • Intermediate Certificate in Counselling, Filton College Bristol
  • Professional Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling (core model CBT), Filton College Bristol
  • Postgraduate Diploma in Mental Health: IAPT High Intensity, UWE
  • EMDR basic training parts 1–3, EMDR Institute
  • IAPT supervisor training

Vanessa (Ness) Shaw

BABCP Accredited CBT Therapist · EMDR Practitioner

I have been working in mental health for over 20 years. I am particularly interested in, and have many years of experience of, working with PTSD alongside the common mental health difficulties.

Qualifications and training

  • BSc Psychology/Exercise and Health joint honours, Oxford Brookes University
  • Postgraduate Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Birmingham University
  • Postgraduate Diploma in IAPT: High Intensity Psychological Studies, Exeter University
  • IAPT Supervisor training programme, Exeter University
  • EMDR basic training parts 1–3, Alexandra Richman EMDR Training

Both of us hold regular clinical supervision for CBT and EMDR, and we adhere to the codes and ethics of the BABCP.

07 — In their words

What clients have said.

5.0/ 5

on Google, from one review. Read it on Google.

“Thank you so much for all your help. I am really grateful (and so are my family). I really cannot believe the difference in my quality of life since we started our therapy, so thank you!”

Client

“My sessions have been transformative in rebuilding my life - helping me get a handle on OCD so that I can live more fully.”

Client, on OCD

“From my first therapy session I felt at ease, having never had therapy before I really did not know what to expect. When I initially started my EMDR therapy I was dubious if it would work for me. However, after my sessions, I can see such a difference in myself and friends and family have noticed it too. My therapist was always very professional and understanding, she always made me feel as though my voice was heard.”

Client, on EMDR

“Working with my therapist has helped me understand how some challenging life situations affect me on a daily basis. She has been an incredible support throughout this process. My therapist helped me to stabilise my emotions and increased my self-awareness of my reactions. As a result, I am happier in myself and more resilient and I am incredibly grateful to her for her help.”

Client

“EMDR has, without a doubt, changed my life for the better. Granted it is a challenging process which doesn’t fit for everyone, but for me, it helped me process things in a way no other therapy could.”

Client, on EMDR

Quoted as published. No names are published with the quotes, and everyone’s experience is different.

08 — Also offered

Beyond individual therapy.

Two other parts of the practice, for practitioners and for workplaces.

Clinical supervision

Individual and group supervision for trainees, accredited practitioners, and those in the process of applying for accreditation with the BABCP.

Workshops for businesses

Workshops on stress management and wellbeing, for organisations that would like to offer their people something practical.

Ask about supervision or a workshop

09 — Questions

A few things people ask.

If your question is not here, email us and we will answer it.

What is the difference between CBT and EMDR?

CBT looks at the relationship between your thoughts, your feelings and what you do, and at where that loop can be interrupted. EMDR combines talking therapy with eye movements or tapping to process emotions, beliefs, bodily sensations and images, and it follows an eight-stage process that begins with assessment. Which of the two, or which mix, is something we talk through at the assessment.

How many sessions will I need?

We do not publish a set number, because it depends on what you are bringing and what you would like to be different. We review how it is going as we work, and plan the ending together.

Is it online or in person?

Both. Sessions are available online, or in person at Orchard Street Business Centre in central Bristol, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, daytime and evening.

Is it confidential?

What you bring to a session stays between you and your therapist. As accredited therapists we hold regular clinical supervision for CBT and EMDR, which is a standard part of professional practice, and we adhere to the BABCP codes and ethics.

Do you offer supervision?

Yes — individual and group clinical supervision, for trainees, accredited practitioners and those applying for BABCP accreditation. Get in touch to ask about it.

What does it cost?

Each 50-minute session is £95, online or in person. An assessment is arranged first. See fees.

10 — Contact

Arrange an assessment.

Please contact us if you would like to ask a question or arrange an assessment. Either of us can answer.

Arrange an assessment bristolcbtandpsychotherapy@gmail.com
Practice
Orchard Street Business Centre
13-14 Orchard Street
Bristol BS1 5EH
Vanessa
07709 104 244

Two therapists, one steady place to start.