What does that Acronym mean?
There are numerous ways to approach therapy treatment and assist people with the struggles they are experiencing. Not every approach works for everyone. I take an eclectic approach, meaning I draw from a number of different approaches depending on a person’s struggles and needs. Some people may request a specific approach.
If you see an approach you would like to know more about, let me know.
ACT
ACT is an evidence based therapy. It focuses on mindfulness, acceptance, and living a life that is in line with a person's values. It helps build mental flexibility, resiliency, life satisfaction, and emotion regulation.
ACT focuses on helping a person accept the negative thoughts and stop the avoidance of uncomfortable experiences that reinforce unpleasant emotions.
Skills and strategies are taught during sessions and practiced out of sessions.
ACT can help with - anxiety, depression, chronic pain, trauma/PTSD, and substance abuse.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
CBT
CBT is an evidence based therapy. It focuses on the concept that a person’s thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and physical sensations are all connected and influence each other.
CBT focuses on exploring thoughts and actions that can get someone “stuck” in a negative cycle of thinking and feeling. CBT helps to break things down into smaller pieces so difficulties and struggles do not seem as overwhelming.
Skills and strategies are learned and practiced in session and utilized outside of sessions.
CBT can help with - anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, relational/marital problems, anger issues, bipolar disorder.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
DBT
DBT is an evidence based therapy. It focuses on accepting reality and identifying things that are in your control that you can change. “Dialectical” refers to the idea of the existence of opposites.
DBT focuses on helping people learn how to find balance between the opposite spectrums in their lives.
There are four parts to DBT: mindfulness (improving awareness internally and externally), distress tolerance (coping skills), emotion regulation (understanding how/why emotions happen and how to manage them), and interpersonal effectiveness (communication skills, understanding relationships, and boundaries).
Skills and strategies are taught and practiced in sessions and utilized outside of sessions.
DBT can help with - borderline personality disorder, anxiety, depression, emotion regulation, self-harming behaviors, trauma/PTSD, anger issues.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
EFT
EFT also known as "tapping" is an evidence based approach and an aspect of Energy Psychology. Energy Psychology is a mind-body approach. It focuses on the relationship between the bio-energy system and thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and health.
EFT involves tapping on specific places (meridians) on the body in combination with statements and thoughts about an issue to help process the emotions associated with the troubling thought or situation. EFT believes that "the cause of all negative emotions is a disruption in the body's energy system."
Tapping will be conducted in session and clients can learn how to apply this strategy outside of session for minor struggles while continuing to work on the core issues in sessions.
EFT can help with - trauma/PTSD, anxiety, specific phobias, depression, chronic pain, improving performance, and decreasing cravings.
Emotional Freedom Technique
TF-CBT is an evidence based therapy to help children, adolescents, and their parents/caregivers overcome the negative effects of trauma. There are three parts to TF-CBT: safety and stabilization, formal gradual exposure, and consolidation/reintegration.
Sessions are structured and have a specific goal that is achieved in each session. TF-CBT consists of adolescent only sessions, parent/caregiver only sessions, and joint sessions with the adolescent and adult. Parent/caregiver involvement is important for this method of treatment.
Skills and strategies will be taught and practiced in the initial stage of treatment to both adolescents and adults and utilized outside of sessions. Skills and strategies are very similar to the ones taught in regular CBT but are modified for adolescents to understand and are related specifically to the trauma experienced.
TF-CBT can help with - trauma treatment for children who have experienced child abuse, domestic violence, loss of a loved one, natural disasters, accidents (motor vehicle, dog bits, etc.), and terrorist attacks.
Trauma Focused-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy