Stuart Carter

Stuart Carter

Cognitive Behavioural Therapist

I am a BABCP-accredited therapist offering face-to-face sessions at the Whitefield & Radcliffe Holistic Centre. I am proud to have worked for 36 years in the NHS, for 24 years as a registered mental health nurse and 12 years as CBT therapist. I retired in 2022, but I still want to use my skills and experience to help people overcome mental health difficulties and lead rewarding lives. I work part-time.

Types of therapy offered

  • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Approach

I use evidence-based CBT approaches to treat depression and anxiety disorders. I have training and experience in a variety of approaches including ACT, meta-cognitive therapy, cognitive processing therapy, exposure and response prevention and behavioural activation. After assessment I can explain what approaches and methods might be helpful and let you choose what you think will be most useful to your situation and learning style.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is a powerful approach that aims to help people live fulfilling, rich and meaningful lives by a) learning new skills to handle difficult thoughts and feelings more effectively and to live in the present and b) clarifying values, setting meaningful goals, and doing things that expand life and make it more rewarding in the long run. Many of my past clients and I have found this approach very effective, rewarding, and even life-changing!

Who I work with

I work with people 18 and over who have the following difficulties or a combination of such:

  • Depression, Low Mood
  • Panic Disorder
  • Generalised Anxiety Disorder, Chronic Worry
  • Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
  • Obsessional Compulsive Disorder, Intrusive Thoughts
  • Low Confidence, Self-Criticism
  • Social Anxiety
  • Health Anxiety
  • Bulimia
  • Compulsive Skin Picking, Trichotillomania (Compulsive Hair Pulling)
  • Phobias

Further Information

My main qualification is a Post-Graduate Diploma in Cognitive Therapy from the University of Manchester

I have therapist accreditation with the British Association of Cognitive and Behavioural Therapy

I have an enhanced DBS for working with children and adults

In my NHS work, I developed and ran, with a colleague, a Worry and Rumination Group using group activities, discussions and experiential exercises to help people overcome depression and generalised anxiety disorder.

I am prepared to do some sessions with clients outside the clinic if necessary to overcome phobias, social anxiety, OCD, etc.

I am also a sports coach and am interested in using ACT to help sports people enhance enjoyment, engagement, resilience and performance in their sport. I can offer brief therapy courses to anyone who may be interested in this and may be having problems with confidence, anxiety, injury, low mood or post-traumatic stress affecting their sports activities.