Mentalising is a psychological process that we all employ to various extents in our day-to-day lives and in our relationships with others. It is the capacity to understand how our behaviour, feelings and mental states can interact and also how these can influence our interpretations of others’ behaviours and intentions. 

For some, particularly those who have experienced emotional neglect or who have attachment difficulties as a result of childhood experiences, it can sometimes be very difficult to manage impulses and emotions and to engage in long-term relationships. Common experiences can include intense emotional distress and overwhelming anger which may lead to aggressive behaviour both towards ourselves and others. Other common experiences include difficulties in trusting others in significant relationships and feelings of betrayal or suspicion. 

The focus in MBT is to enable you to sift through the particularly distressing emotions or thoughts you may be having and, crucially, to explore your own thoughts and feelings in relation to others and to try and understand how our emotional states may be influencing both our behaviour and our interpretations of other’s behaviour or intentions. 

Katy Baboulene, chartered psychologist and clinical director, is the only accredited Mentalization Based Therapy Practitioner in Sussex. Please see this link for details - http://www.bpc.org.uk/mbt-roster  

If you think that you or someone you may know could benefit from MBT then do not hesitate to contact the team to find out how we may be able to help you.