Dr Vivi Gkofa

16/07/2026

The DARVO framework.

29/06/2026

Panic attacks can feel very scary and fainting during a panic attack is something that worries a lot of people.
When you have a panic attack your heart rate increase and your blood pressure goes up. When you faint there is a drop in your blood pressure and so it’s quite unlikely that you will faint unless there is another physical condition that you would need to explore further. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is an evidence based psychological intervention that can help you manage a panic attack.

17/06/2026

11/06/2026

Upcoming complimentary workshop on how we can manage difficult emotions. Taking place online on the 20th of June at 10am. Feel free to comment, DM or email [email protected] to register your interest.

28/05/2026

Pebbles of Trust.
How do we build trust?
This is something I often talk about with clients. Sometimes we give all our trust to someone we’ve just met, and then feel deeply disappointed when they do something we didn’t expect. But sometimes, that disappointment comes from not having enough time to truly know them yet.
On the other hand, some people take away all trust because of one disappointing moment, even when the other person has shown consistency and earned trust over time. When we ignore all the “pebbles” someone has added to the jar, we can end up feeling hurt, disconnected, and lonely.
Trust is built gradually and consistently. You don’t start a relationship with a jar full of pebbles. Every honest conversation, every small act of care adds another pebble.

17/04/2026

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212144726000219?via%3Dihub

A few weeks ago, our paper exploring the use of an ACT app for distress in university students with chronic physical health conditions was published in the Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science (JCBS).

Unfortunately, there is very limited intervention-based research on the mental health of university students with chronic physical health conditions, so I hope to see more research in this much needed area.

Thank you to all 288 students who expressed interest!

Thank you to my supervisors for their ongoing support.

10/04/2026

Why might we choose a partner who likes to take control?

29/03/2026

Have you heard of family triangulation? It is when two people in conflict involve a third person creating a triangle. A common example is when parents, unable to address issues between themselves, bring the child into the situation. The child is pulled into this conflict and can be asked for example to take sides or be the messenger. This can lead to the young person feeling anxious (e.g., “If I don’t do something my parents will keep arguing”), guilty (e.g., “If I say that mum/dad is wrong it will upset the other person”) and may also affect their future relationships (e.g., high sense of responsibility or feeling that they’ve done something wrong).

10/03/2026

I will soon be completing EMDR training and as part of my training I am offering free EMDR therapy sessions.

Sessions will run from March until September 2026. All sessions will be led by myself, a Clinical Psychologist, under the supervision of an EMDR therapist.

If you have experienced something in your life that is still causing you distress, EMDR might be beneficial to you.

If this is something you might be interested in, feel free to send me a message. We can arrange an initial call to think together about whether EMDR would be suitable for you and appropriate for the purposes of the training.

Feel free to also forward this to anyone who might be interested.

10/03/2026

Offering free EMDR therapy