Type of therapy or therapist?

[Pineappledancer]

I am thinking about getting some kind of therapy/counselling to hopefully improve my mental health in the long term.

Looking for help though as I have no idea where to start.

I have a lot going on but probably the main think I would like to focus on is my anxiety which I think is related to low confidence and low self esteem, expecting too much of myself / overly high standards. I was a "high achiever" as a child but started to crumble mentally in my late teens. I am constantly worried what other people think etc.

I did try CBT before and found it somewhat helpful. I was able to recognise many of the "thinking errors" in my own brain. I hit a bit of a block with it though when I was asked to challenge my unhelpful core beliefs.

Any suggestions for what might be beneficial would be much appreciated.

I would advocate for remedial hypnosis (obviously) and would suggest having a read of my AMA on the subject.

There will be lots of other options that people will have tried and found successful.

Psychodynamic focuses on your childhood and how that affects you now. It tends to be longer term than CBT because it’s about the relationship with your therapist.

Acceptance and commitment therapy is great for anxiety and unhelpful thoughts.

Jungian style psychotherapy. If you want to get a flavour of the approach read The Wisdom of Anxiety by Sheryl Paul.

Are you in the UK? If so, I'd start with the UKCP. You can filter by various things including location and what you want help with. Some (not all!) therapists will offer a short free introductory session so you can get a feel for how they work.

https://www.psychotherapy.org.uk/

Unless you have a strong preference for a particular type of therapy, or there's one you want to avoid, just speaking to a few people will help you to work out what it is you're after.

Good luck!

Thanks for all the replies. It is good to hear different suggestions and things others have found helpful.

Yes I am the UK so will have a look @boringingoring

@Eyesopenwideawake I have read your AMA before, it is fascinating. I always look out for your comments on here as you seem very knowledgeable. I am just not sure if hypnotherapy would suit me I'm afraid.

That's OK, it's not for me either! I don't use trance so it's more like a talking therapy, the difference being that the conversation is with your subconscious mind.