Psychology at Peptalk Delft

'Click' factor

Our basic principle is that a diagnostic or treatment process takes as long as necessary, but as short as possible. The aim is for your complaints to become clear and therefore more manageable (and if possible, disappear). As it turns out that the success rate of a diagnostic or treatment programme depends strongly on the 'match' between the client and the practitioner, we determine together during the intake whether we can be a good team. We then draw up a step-by-step plan for the path ahead.

Approach

If you want to know what a trajectory looks like, have a look at the bottom of this page, where you will find an explanation of the registration, intake, diagnostics and treatment process.

Openness, clarity and enthusiasm are key words for the way we work at Peptalk. We use a combination of working methods from scientifically proven therapeutic techniques and interventions. These include Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, ACT, psychodynamic therapy, EFT, systemic therapy forms, as well as e-health. In certain cases, schema therapy may also be used. This depends on the complaint, disorder and target group.

Interventions by complaint/disorder/target group

Below are the interventions as used for the relevant complaint, disorder and target group:

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
CBT is a form of psychotherapy that teaches you to look at and deal with problematic situations differently. A starting point of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is that it is not the events that cause negative feelings and a certain behavioural pattern, but the meaning you give to the events. Looking at this more objectively creates space for more positive, helping thoughts, feelings and behaviour.

For whom?
Cognitive behavioural therapy is used effectively for a variety of mental health problems. Such as depression, anxiety disorders, compulsive disorders, ADHD, autism, burnout and sleep problems.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Third-generation behavioural therapy (combined form of therapy) that helps clients deal flexibly with the obstacles they encounter (Acceptance), so that one can continue to invest in the things they really care about (Commitment). ACT consists of six different processes/skills: Making space for unpleasant experiences; Distancing yourself from your thoughts; Being flexible with your self (image); Paying attention to the Here and Now; Focusing on what really matters to you; Investing in your values.
So the aim of ACT is not so much as to reduce symptoms, but to develop personal resilience. ACT makes extensive use of metaphors and exercises; one thus develops the various ACT skills in an experiential way.

For whom?
ACT is broadly applicable because it works beyond the complaints. It can be used for depression, anxiety disorders, burn-out, grief counselling, ADHD, Autism, chronic pain.

Schema therapy
Schema therapy is a form of therapy for people who keep falling back into the same patterns. These patterns are called schemas. These schemas are fixed ways of thinking about yourself, others and the world around you. People develop schemas and fixed ways of behaving (modes) to deal with their schemas right from childhood. This can also create destructive non-helpful patterns. Schema therapy focuses on learning to recognise one's own schemas, the emotions they evoke, and the behaviour associated with them. Gaining insight and getting in touch with one's own feelings and needs can lead to healthier behaviour.

For whom?
Schema therapy is mainly used for personality problems, often recurrent depression or anxiety with underlying ingrained patterns.

It should be noted, however, that schema therapy generally requires a longer treatment process. It depends on the nature and complexity of the complaints whether schema therapy can be applied within the limited possibilities of the basic mental health services. If there is a specific need for schema therapy and a longer trajectory is deemed necessary than basic mental health care can offer, the client will benefit more from specialistic mental health care, where the possibilities are broader.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)- Therapy
Literally translated, EMDR means re-experiencing and processing traumatic events through eye movements. Any unpleasant event that has a lasting negative effect on a person's life as a memory is called traumatic. Typical of such memories are the intense emotions, vivid images and physical reactions to them. This memory is activated each time in situations or circumstances similar to the traumatic event. By simultaneously stimulating the brain left and right (through eye movements, sound signals or tapping), the brain's own processing system is triggered and the stalled processing can still take place.

For whom?
Treatment for people with (PTTS) and other (trauma)-related anxiety complaints. But EMDR can also be applied to other diverse other complaints associated with a strong negative emotional charge, such as self-image problems.

Systemic therapy
Contextual working methods, such as family constellations. Working method based on the theoretical ideas of I. Boszormenyi-Nagy, a Hungarian-American psychiatrist and family therapist, which is based on a contextual human view, in which the concepts of relational and intergenerational are central. Using Lego figures and other materials, the client's problem is depicted and the inner dialogue is made visible and stimulated. Relationships in the present can be viewed by depicting the client's experience concretely using this material on the table.

For whom?
This treatment is applicable for people with a wide range of symptoms, where the interpersonal context plays an important role.

e-Health
Within Peptalk, electronic applications are used in treatment alongside regular therapy to support treatment. This is called blended care. Using e-health modules, the client can continue parts of the treatment independently in a protected electronic environment at self-selected times; this offers many advantages. Depending on the problem, different e-health applications are used within the specific therapeutic pathway. Within Peptalk, e-health modules and test material from TelePsy, Praktijkdata and the Client Login of Your Practice Online (JPO), among others, are used.

For whom?
e-Health is used effectively for almost all types of complaints.

What does a psychological treatment trajectory look like?

For those who want more information on the different phases of a treatment programme such as intake, diagnosis and treatment, these are detailed below.