Welcome to episode 177 with Joe Griffin, who is a psychologist and co-founder of the Human Givens approach to psychotherapy. Human Givens is a practical, holistic and scientific approach to therapy that focuses on what individuals need to live mentally healthy and fulfilling lives. It draws on the latest insights from neuroscience and psychological research, and combines this knowledge with proven therapeutic techniques from a wide range of approaches to provide highly effective interventions. Joe has many years of experience in both psychotherapeutic practice and in training psychotherapists and in this episode, I chat to him about how he started working in this field and how this work led to the creation of Human Givens. At the core of the Human Givens framework is the idea that all humans have a set of 9 emotional needs and when these needs aren’t met, it can lead to mental ill health. Joe and I chat about the 9 emotional needs, what they are and what gets in the way of these needs being met. We chat about the cycle of depression, the role of metaphor and storytelling in the healing process and about how sleep ties all this together. If you are interested in exploring the Human Givens further, Joe’s team have provided some resources below: Emotional needs poster Emotional resources poster Information sheet about our approach and training.  Free mental health resources Identifying what needs are not being met - The Emotional Needs Audit form.  About ENA.  You can learn more via the website www.hgi.org.uk and connect on social media @thehumangivens or @joegriffin_hq If you would like to watch this episode or any of the others, you can do so by joining the Patreon community at www.patreon.com/propermentalpodcast.  For £3 a month you’ll get early access to any and all episodes that aren’t available to watch anywhere else and you can submit questions for upcoming guests!  You’ll also be helping to support the show and keep it fully independent and ad free. You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via www.propermentalpodcast.com. Another great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from. If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk Thanks for listening!