Blog | Christian K Hughes Psychotherapy

A Brief Introduction to The ACT Matrix

In this short video, I offer a brief overview of the ACT Matrix, a simple, but powerful, tool for helping individuals identify their ...

Why 'Do It Well, Or Don't Do It At All' Is Terrible Advice!

Today I came across the line “Do it well or don’t do it at all”, a piece of advice I’ve come across many times in my life but to which...

Creative Hopelessness: Emotional Control and Workability in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

It's fair to say that a majority of clients come to therapy in hope that we will be able to control their emotions more effectively. ...

What Does Your Client Want From Your Work Together?

Asking what your client wants from your work together might seem obvious but it isn't always as clear is it may first seem. In reality,...

'I Understand But It Doesn't Make Me Feel Better'. Bridging The Head/Heart Gap With ACT

The head/heart gap is an experience that many clients in therapy will recognise. They understand the concept being discussed, but it is...

WTF (What's the Function)? When Values Consistent Behaviour is Really Experiential Avoidance

Experiential avoidance is an important concept within Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). It is the idea that, as humans, it is...

War and Memory: Moral Injury and Trauma

I was fortunate to be interviewed by journalist, author, and British Army veteran, Joe Glenton on all things Military Mental Health,...

Functional Contextualism in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

Functional Contextualism sits at the heart of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) as an essential element in understanding...

'You're Not in The Forces Now'

Nick Fothergill's seminal lectures on the impact of training and culture on service people/veteran's mental health have been around for...

What is Moral Injury?

Many people are aware of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) but are generally less familiar with the term Moral Injury. Unlike PTSD,...

Understanding Panic Attacks

What is a Panic Attack? Panic attacks are both very common & very distressing. They are a fear response that becomes locked in to a self...

Military Training, Culture & PTSD

Increasing attention amongst clinicians is rightly being paid to tailoring interventions in a way that takes in to account the cultural...

Flashbacks: The Virtual Reality System from Hell...and how to unplug from it.

A couple of years ago, I was lucky enough to play on a new Oculus Rift virtual reality system. As I put the headset on, I found myself...

Why we keep making the same mistakes.

Have you ever noticed yourself repeating the same unhelpful behaviours or patterns in your life, even when you know they do not work out...

Mindfulness in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

As mindfulness has become increasingly well known among the general public, and in the world of therapy and mental health care, it has...

Why Seeing PTSD as a Hero's Injury Is Unhelpful

It is positive that awareness, and to a large degree acceptance, of Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder (PTSD) has grown within the military...

Understanding and Treating PTSD

Principles and Processes: In this article, we look at the mechanisms that contribute to some trauma survivors going on to develop...