Treatment Approach
What treatment methods and tools are utilized?
Cognitive Behavior Therapy: CBT helps to develop change by observing and reframing negative thoughts that could be impacting mood and behaviors. This approach also encourages engagement in activities to improve mood and influence thoughts positively. Core beliefs are also challenged, and new beliefs will be installed. Lastly, this approach instills that idea of building tolerance towards uncomfortable thoughts or emotions by sitting in it, monitoring the intensity, and recognizing resilience.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy: DBT consists of skills from 4 pillars: mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance and interpersonal effectiveness. This approach can help to manage big feelings, reduce self-harming behaviors and suicidal ideation, and have improved relationships. Originally created for people with borderline personality disorder but is now highly effective for various types of concerns.
Cognitive Processing Therapy: CPT is a manualized treatment for PTSD and trauma-related concerns, which helps to develop healthy thinking patterns about the effects of trauma(s) without requiring a detailed trauma account. It is another form of CBT with a specific focus on trauma.
Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR): This modality targets big "T" and little "t" traumas as well as general distress using bilateral stimulation with the eyes or tapping. "Processing" in EMDR means setting up a learning state that will allow experiences causing problems to be "digested" and stored appropriately in the brain. Inappropriate emotions, beliefs, and body sensations will be discarded. I am EMDR-trained pursuing certification.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: ACT can help develop psychological flexibility by recognizing areas of rigidity in thoughts, beliefs and behaviors. It also encourages connections to personal values by creating and accomplishing committed actions that align with those values.
I also integrate attachment theory to recognize impacts of early life experiences with your caregiver(s), which may impact your capacity for connection, and to develop healthy, flexible ways of relating with others.
A niche area is disordered eating and body image concerns, which I treat with using the philosophies from Health At Every Size and The Body Positive Institute.