Treatment approaches

CBT is based on the theory that the way individuals perceive a situation is more closely connected to their reaction than the situation itself. Individuals’ perceptions are often distorted and unhelpful, particularly when they are distressed. 

Cognitive Behavior Therapy helps people identify their distressing thoughts and evaluate how realistic the thoughts are. Then they learn to change their distorted thinking. When they think more realistically, they feel better. The emphasis is also consistently on solving problems and initiating behavioral changes.

Developed within a coherent theoretical and philosophical framework, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a unique psychological intervention that uses acceptance and mindfulness strategies, together with commitment and behavior change strategies, to increase psychological flexibility. Psychological flexibility means contacting the present moment fully as a conscious human being, and based on what the situation affords, changing or persisting in behavior in the service of chosen values.

Internal Family Systems (IFS) is an approach to psychotherapy that identifies and addresses multiple sub-personalities or families within each person’s mental system. These sub-personalities consist of wounded parts and painful emotions such as anger and shame, and parts that try to control and protect the person from the pain of the wounded parts.  IFS focuses on healing the wounded parts and restoring mental balance and harmony by changing the dynamics that create discord among the sub-personalities and the Self.

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a type of talk therapy (psychotherapy) developed in the 1970s by Marsha Linehan, an American psychologist. It’s based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), but it’s specially adapted for people who experience emotions very intensely.

“Dialectical” means combining opposite ideas. DBT focuses on helping people accept the reality of their lives and their behaviors, as well as helping them learn to change their lives, including their unhelpful behaviors.

EMDR is a psychological treatment that involves stimulation of both sides of the brain to help people cope with and overcome difficult situations from the past and develop skills for the future. When a patient recalls a traumatic memory while undergoing bilateral stimulation, the painful or intrusive effects of the memory are reduced. EMDR is focused on reducing and eliminating symptoms by changing the way the memory is stored within the brain.

Self-management skills are increasingly important in a complex world with many distractions and competing priorities. Executive Function coaching teaches people how to successfully navigate the challenges of school and adult life. EF coaches identify strengths and weaknesses, and teach skills that help clients organize, plan, prioritize, manage time, maintain focus, self-assess, and study/work efficiently. 

Attachment-based therapy is a form of psychotherapy that focuses on helping individuals understand and heal the effects of early childhood attachment experiences, aiming to improve their ability to form healthy, trusting relationships in adulthood. 

Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is a form of short-term therapy that aims to improve couple relationships by rekindling the physical and emotional bond that can get sacrificed to disappointment in a partner and alienation from them, a common dynamic in distressed couples. If there is a motto for EFT, it is: “Hold me tight.”

MBT is a form of psychotherapy that incorporates mindfulness meditation techniques into traditional therapeutic interventions. It aims to help individuals develop greater awareness of their thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations, and cultivate non-judgmental acceptance of their experiences.

Structural family therapy is a type of psychotherapy that focuses on understanding and treating family issues by examining the family's structure, including its boundaries, hierarchies, and subsystems, with the goal of identifying and modifying dysfunctional patterns within the family system to promote healthier interactions between members; it was developed by Salvador Minuchin and views the family as a system where problems arise from imbalances within that system, not just individual issues.