With the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic there has been an increase in people suffering with poor mental health. Cathy Cartwright, owner of Fresh Thinking Solution Focused Hypnotherapy, tells us just how important addressing our mental wellbeing is.
Cathy Cartwright is the owner of award-winning Fresh Thinking Solution Focused Hypnotherapy, a busy practice operating in and around Rochdale, Greater Manchester, which offers clinical solution-focused hypnotherapy and psychotherapy.
The therapy that Cathy practises is based on neuroscience. It incorporates Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP), Brief Therapy, and Psychotherapy, in addition to Hypnotherapy. Combined, these models of therapy facilitate positive changes and outcomes for individuals who are suffering from a wide range of mental health disorders including: anxiety, depression, stress, insomnia, obsessive compulsive disorders (OCD), fears and phobias and excessive worrying. Cathy has also helped people to gain more control with weight management, to quit smoking and those seeking to increase their confidence, performance and self-esteem.
Cathy has achieved a Therapeutic Hypnotherapy Diploma, a Solution Focused Hypnotherapy Diploma, the Hypnotherapy in Practice Diploma (considered the gold standard of Hypnotherapy Training) and is also a qualified Supervisor.
“I feel privileged to have worked with a huge range of people of all ages, backgrounds, professions and walks of life,” she explains. “My mission is to help as many people as possible who are suffering from anxiety related conditions, enabling them to achieve more calm, control, confidence and enjoyment of life.”
Much of Cathy’s work comes from word-of-mouth recommendations, with many of her clients having been introduced to her by former clients and other people she has worked with in the past.
Fresh Thinking Solution Focused Hypnotherapy has grown year-on-year and has received recognition through multiple awards including, most recently, SME National Business Awards with which Cathy is delighted. It is a testimony to the services and work that Cathy does, and contributes significantly to ensuring her stellar reputation goes a long way.
“I work on a collaborative basis with individual clients and I treat each person as an individual,” she explains of her working methods. “Therefore sessions are tailored to suit their own personal needs, developments and achievements.
“I carry out an extensive initial consultation during which information is gathered from the client about their particular desires and outcomes from the therapy. I provide a simple explanation about how the brain works and the chemical effects of thoughts and behaviours in relation to the presenting problem and more importantly – how we can get their lives back on track. We focus on their preferred future rather than dwelling on the past.”
Cathy also utilises a software programme CORP (Clinical Outcomes and Research Programme) during her work. This is a brief and useful tool which is used to monitor the client’s progress.
“Clients find this very helpful and encouraging as they are able to see tangible results and positive developments within different areas of their lives.”
Recently, the national statistics for people suffering from anxiety and depression have increased and are currently at an all-time high. The impact of Covid-19 has had a huge impact on society and many people have suffered from increased levels of anxiety and/or depression.
“There are many basic human needs but one of the main ones is the need for us to be able to go out and interact with the world,” Cathy explains. “Humans need to interact with other humans.”
Of course, the restrictions have meant that interactions have been greatly reduced due to lockdowns, social distancing, ‘bubbles’ and self-isolating and when the country went into the first initial lockdown, Cathy took on new business straight away, with people coming to her with fears over their health and that of their family and friends.
“Many people have experienced increased levels of fear, panic, worry and catastrophising.”
Technology has been a great source of being able to conduct business consistently for Cathy and thus still managing to provide services for her existing and new clients. As well as utilising online video platforms, she has been able to deliver her therapy via the telephone which has worked just as well for those clients who preferred not to use Zoom or Skype.
Looking ahead to what the future holds, Cathy is excited at the prospect of anticipating continued success and potential growth as well as hoping to be able to reach wider audiences. She is also focusing on updating her skills and knowledge base so that she will be able to maintain the high-quality and professional service she has developed since the business began a few years ago.
“I am proud to say I’ve come such a long way and intend to go much further in my mission to help as many people as I can to better health physically, emotionally, and mentally.”
For further enquiries contact Cathy Cartwright from Fresh Thinking Solution Focused Hypnotherapy via www.freshthinkinghypnotherapy.co.uk, by email at cathy@freshthinkinghypnotherapy.co.uk or call 07716 145 122.
