Some definitions of words and phrases you may have seen in this site:

Anxiety: Generally thought of as an unpleasant emotional state resulting from stress or conflict and characterised by fear and apprehension.

Autistic Spectrum / Asperger Syndrome: A social and developmental problem in which a child or adult struggles with communication, behaviour and socialisation. There are varying degrees of severity and many people cope well in everyday settings with support.

Cognitive: The way in which people make sense of their experiences, includes thoughts, memories and the way things are seen and understood, in order to help beliefs and expectations behind the difficulties.

Depression: One of the most common forms of emotional disturbance, which can vary from frequently feeling 'down and blue' to paralysing hopelessness. It is often characterised by anxiety, dejection and a lowering of activity.

Forensic: An area of psychology which studies and works with the individual and contextual factors involved in criminal behaviour.

Obsessive / Compulsive Behaviour: A state in which a person is not only obsessed by certain ideas, but feels compelled to act on them ritually and repetitively, for example, by hand washing or checking that windows are closed over and over again.

Phobia: A paralysing or overwhelming fear of a particular object or situation.

Post-Traumatic Stress: When an individual who has experienced what they consider to be a life-threatening event cannot move away from the memories and fears many months and years after the event, resulting in flashbacks, panic, anxiety and avoidance of similar situations.

Psychodynamic: A form of psychotherapy that places great emphasis on uncovering and understanding unconscious motivation. It also looks at the relationships between people past and present to determine patterns of behaviour that may be repeated over time.

Solution-Focused Therapy: An approach that works with the strengths and resources of an individual working toward concrete goals rather than focusing on the problems experienced.