My Approach and Offered Interventions
My approach to therapy is rooted in cognitive-behavioral case conceptualization. Case conceptualization involves gathering and integrating information about the client's history, symptoms, and life circumstances to create a coherent and individualized understanding of their issues. It provides a comprehensive framework for understanding the unique factors contributing to a client's difficulties and helps guide the therapeutic process. This allows me to identify the root causes of a given problem, personalize treatment plans, and guide intervention strategies.
Depending on a client’s conceptualization, I may borrow techniques from different interventions based on what I feel the client needs to learn. Below are the interventions that I offer, all of which are evidence-based.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a structured, time-limited psychotherapy that aims to change patterns of thinking or behavior that negatively contribute to an individual’s mental health, thereby changing the way they feel. Traditional CBT focuses on identifying and challenging unhelpful thought patterns and beliefs, replacing them with more realistic and helpful ones, and changing harmful behaviors through various techniques and strategies. CBT involves collaboration between the therapist and the client, with an emphasis on practicing new skills in real-world situations. This evidence-based approach is effective for a range of mental health issues, including anxiety and depression. I am a Certified CBT Therapist by the Association of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy that focuses on helping individuals manage intense emotions and improve interpersonal relationships. It combines techniques from behavioral therapy with mindfulness practices to teach skills in four key areas: emotion regulation, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness, and mindfulness. Originally developed to treat suicidality, DBT is now used to address a variety of mental health issues, including eating disorders, substance abuse, and mood disorders. DBT emphasizes balancing acceptance and change to help individuals lead more stable and fulfilling lives.
Exposure Therapy is a particular type of behavioral therapy designed to help individuals confront and overcome their fears and anxieties. It involves systematically exposing an individual to the feared object, situation, or memory both in and outside of therapy sessions. Through repeated exposure, the person learns that feared outcomes are unlikely to happen and, if they do, although uncomfortable, they can be tolerated. This approach is highly effective for treating anxiety and related disorders.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a ‘third wave’ cognitive behavioral therapy that encourages individuals to accept their thoughts and feelings rather than fighting or feeling guilty for them. It combines mindfulness techniques with behavioral strategies to help people live in accordance with their values. ACT focuses on increasing psychological flexibility by teaching individuals to be present in the moment and committed to taking action toward meaningful goals despite difficult emotions. This approach is effective for a wide range of mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, and chronic pain.
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) is a specific type of cognitive-behavioral therapy designed to help people who are experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It focuses on identifying and challenging unhelpful thoughts related to trauma, helping individuals understand and reframe these thoughts to reduce their impact. CPT involves writing about the traumatic event and discussing it in therapy to help process emotions and beliefs. I am a quality-rated CPT Provider, which requires intensive training and tape review which can be read about here.
Prolonged Exposure (PE) is a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy that helps individuals confront and process traumatic memories to reduce PTSD symptoms. It involves gradually exposing clients to trauma-related thoughts, feelings, and situations that they have been avoiding in a safe and controlled way. This repeated exposure helps to decrease the distress associated with these memories and promotes emotional processing. Over time, PE aims to reduce fear and avoidance behaviors, allowing individuals to regain agency over their lives.