Evidence-Based Approaches Used
Evidence-Based Neuroscience & Approaches
At Loves Hidden Policy we feel it is important to use evidence-based approaches when working with personal clients, couples, families and children. The evidence-based approaches we use are listed below.
Affective Neuroscience
Affective Neuroscience is the interdisciplinary study of the neural and biological mechanisms underlying emotions, moods, and feelings pioneered by Jaak Panksepp.
Tony Vernon, HWC, NMC, AMC, AMM met Jaak Penksepp in London in 2012 and began vivaciously learning from Jaak and his pioneering work in Affective Neuroscience at that time. Tragically, Jaak passed away in 2017, but he is still revered in neuroscience for his groundbreaking work on:
The Biological Roots of Emotion
Applications to Human Mental Health
Affective Neuroscience
Today, when clinically helping couples to Succeed with Love, Tony often teaches and makes Jaak’s work simple and easy to understand for the benefit of couples - so they can Succeed with Love.
The field of Affective Neuroscience investigates how emotional processes interact with and influence cognitive functions such as memory, attention, and decision-making. By helping couples to understand basic affective neuroscience, and how this affects a loving relationship, Tony is able to help couples to Succeed with Love.
Coaching was born as a result of great advances in psychotherapy and counseling. It began as a profession only in the 1980s when Thomas Leonard, an American financial planner developed his career with a then relatively unheard of term ‘Life Coach’. Thomas started the very first school to train Professional Life Coaches in 1992. This was even before Tony Robbins launched his career as a ‘Peak Performance Coach’ In 1988 with his first Infomercial, Personal Power. In 1994 Thomas Leonard founded the International Coaching Federation (ICF) to protect the industry and improve credibility. There are now an estimated 30,000+ professional trained, credentialed coaches worldwide.
Accredited/Credentialed Coaching
The data and a meta-analysis now fully supports coaching – it is now confirmed as an evidence-based proven approach alongside all of the helping professions. This is because the relationship is key to the success of working with another. Be this personal coaching, therapy, counseling or psychotherapy or couples therapy, couples counseling, marriage counseling, family therapy, family coaching, child psychology or working with the parent-child relationship to support parents and children: the relationship is key. Read or download the meta-analysis.
Results revealed no differences regarding the type of clients, coaches’ expertise, number of coaching sessions, and clients’ or coaches’ perspectives. Similar to other helping relationships like counseling, therapy, psychotherapy or mentoring, the results support the importance of a high-quality working alliance in coaching.
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is an evidence-based therapeutic approach designed to strengthen emotional bonds in relationships. Developed by Dr. Sue Johnson, EFT is grounded in attachment theory and focuses on identifying and transforming negative interaction patterns that create disconnection and distress. Rather than addressing surface-level behaviors, EFT helps individuals and couples understand the underlying emotions and unmet attachment needs driving their reactions. Through guided conversations, clients learn to express vulnerability, increase emotional responsiveness, and create secure connections. Research consistently shows that EFT is effective in reducing relationship conflict, improving emotional regulation, and enhancing long-term relational satisfaction. By fostering emotional safety and deeper connection, EFT supports healthier, more resilient relationships.
Emotionally Focused Coaching (EFT)
Emotionally Focused Coaching (EFT) applies the principles of Emotionally Focused Therapy to personal growth, relationships, and leadership development. Rooted in attachment science, EFT coaching focuses on emotional awareness, relational patterns, and the way unmet needs shape behavior and communication. Rather than diagnosing or treating mental health conditions, Emotionally Focused Coaching helps individuals recognize emotional triggers, regulate responses, and build secure, meaningful connections. Clients learn to shift reactive patterns, improve emotional intelligence, and communicate with clarity and empathy. By prioritizing emotional safety and connection, Emotionally Focused Coaching supports lasting change, stronger relationships, and greater confidence in both personal and professional environments.
The Power-Threat Meaning Framework (PTMF),
Why it Matters and Why We Use it
The Power-Threat Meaning Framework (PTMF) is a psychological framework that offers a different way of understanding emotional distress, trauma, and mental health struggles. Rather than asking “What’s wrong with you?”, the Power-Threat Meaning Framework asks “What happened to you?” - shifting the focus from diagnosis to lived experience.
In a world increasingly questioning traditional psychiatric and psychological models and DSM terms (we encourage watching the video “By Dr James Davies - The Origins of the DSM”, produced by the Council for Evidence-based Psychiatry) as a compelling and critical exploration of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). This video suggests it may be wise for clinicians, students, and individuals involved in mental health to reform in order to improve the DSM work.
The Power-Threat Meaning Framework has emerged as a powerful alternative for understanding human suffering, resilience, and meaning-making.
Psychological Formulation: Understanding
the Person vs Diagnosis
Psychological formulation is a core clinical skill used across mental health disciplines to understand a person’s difficulties in context. Rather than focusing on symptoms or a diagnosis, a psychological formulation provides a structured explanation of how and why a person’s problems developed, what keeps them going, and what may help bring about change.
Psychological formulation is the foundation of thoughtful, ethical, and effective mental health care and effective client progress. By integrating life experiences, emotional meaning, and contextual factors, it offers a richer understanding of human distress than diagnosis alone.
In a world seeking more compassionate and individualized approaches to mental health, psychological formulation stands as a vital bridge between science and clinical work. This approach is only going to grow, and gain more momentum, due to its humanity.
Why HiTOP – Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology is the Future of Mental Health: Beyond the DSM.
For decades, the mental health field has relied on a "categorical" approach to diagnosis. If you have five out of nine specific symptoms, you have Major Depressive Disorder; if you have four, you technically do not. However, as clinicians and researchers enter 2026, many are moving away from these rigid boxes. The most prominent alternative gaining traction is HiTOP – Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology.
By moving away from "yes/no" checklists, HiTOP offers a dimensional model that aligns more closely with the reality of human experience. This article explores how HiTOP organizes symptoms into broad "spectra," such as internalizing and externalizing, and why it is being hailed as a more scientific way to understand mental health.
Dyadic Developmental Parenting
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With the advances in technology and children spending so much time with electronic devices, the race is on to develop greater parenting skills alongside technology. We need a new parenting model for the modern, technological environment.
When children feel alone, scared, overwhelmed, abandoned, hurt or even hungry early in their life, and if we miss these needs as parents due to our own life demands and challenges, the child will have no choice but to find ways or adaptive behavior to help them get through these times by relying on themselves.
The signs and outcomes of these ways of thinking, feeling and behaving are seen later when children are older as outward concerning behaviors. The emotional upset is usually played out in the early years, and this is the opportunity to intervene with DDP when the child’s outward behavior seems to be saying that they don’t want or need their parents, or won’t allow their parents to love them.
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Dyadic Developmental Practice is an all encompassing approach that includes working with the parents, and the child, so develops the parent-child relationship. The approach also promotes caring for children as well as the therapeutic aspect. It also looks at the structure of support and team around the child, beyond the parents, to ensure greater security of the child’s inner world is developed. This all encompassing approach helps the parents, caregivers and any professionals involved understand, and work together to be effective in their support of children and their families.
Dyadic Development Psychotherapy (DDP)
DDP is based on and brings together the latest understandings in attachment theory, what we understand about developmental trauma, the neurobiology of trauma and relationships, caregiving, intersubjectivity and the latest evidence-based understandings in child development that impact us as adults.
All professionals supporting couples, families and children need a model that is evidence-based and too uses selected evidence-based work to underpin their approach and that brings together knowledge about developmental trauma, attachment and interpersonal neurobiology.
Eye Movement Integration (EMI) & Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Eye Movement Integration (EMI) is a neurotherapuetic technique used to treat trauma, anxiety, and phobias. EMI differs in its focus to EMDR. EMI concentrates on integrating traumatic memories, whereas EMDR emphasizes desensitization. EMI practitioners also emphasize that the method does not require clients to relive the trauma as intensely as EMDR can.
EMDR is an evidence-based approach to be used alongside psychotherapy, therapy, counseling or coaching which has been recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a first-choice treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD; WHO, 2013).
Numerous controlled studies show that EMDR produces more improvement than absence of treatment, for alleviating the symptoms of PTSD, and for anxiety-related disorders or challenges.
One study that is particularly noteworthy is The Role of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy in Medicine: Addressing the Psychological and Physical Symptoms Stemming from Adverse Life Experiences as this addresses the needs of The ACE Study because adverse childhood experiences are common and they have strong long-term associations with adult health risk behaviors, health status, and diseases. Indeed, most adult stress-related issues brought to psychotherapy, therapy, counseling or coaching sessions are often related to childhood adverse experiences, coming up and being in need of attention.
We use EMDR in sessions with clients as it is an evidence-based approach and very effective at painlessly releasing unresolved emotions, quickly and easily.