What I Do
My treatment approach and methods are influenced by numerous evidence-based modalities. Over the years, I have received extensive training and gained clinical expertise in Schema Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Inference-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (I-CBT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), and Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART).
INDIVIDUAL SESSIONS
I have a compassionate and innate understanding that you are the expert in knowing the details of and level of impact from your own struggles and have the best insights into your life. Every client seeking help through my services has needs that parallel their circumstances and deserves to have a treatment plan tailored to those needs that speaks to their personality and level of comfortability. Part of my job as your therapist is to lean into the goals we have established together and help you discover a fresh perspective to move you beyond feeling stuck, heal old wounds, foster application of new skills, build healthy patterns, and nurture psychological flexibility.
GROUP SESSIONS
Group therapy is shown to be an effective alternative or addition to individual therapy. Throughout the year, I lead in-person and online group sessions with a small collection of individuals who share similar challenges and goals where they are free to share their experiences and mutually support each other in a fostering environment. A sense of belonging, reduced feelings of isolation, validation of struggles, differing perspectives and insights, personal growth, and self-awareness are all benefits of a group setting. Due to the nature of groups, members also often gain enhanced interpersonal skills, empathy, and improved communication as they engage with others. As an added bonus, group therapy is cost effective and provides a safe space for practicing new skills and strategies while drawing feedback that encourages positive changes within a caring community.
How I Do It
SCHEMA THERAPY
Schema Therapy (ST) is a comprehensive and integrative psychotherapy that combines elements of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Attachment Theory, and Psychodynamic approaches. It is incredibly useful for promoting lasting emotional healing and personal growth by focusing on identifying and changing deep-seated and rigid emotional and behavioral patterns (schemas) that develop in childhood and negatively impact one's adult life. Through therapeutic techniques like cognitive restructuring, guided imagery, and limited reparenting, this modality emphasizes developing healthier coping strategies, building nurturing relationships, and fostering emotional resilience.
ACCEPTANCE AND COMMITMENT THERAPY
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT-pronounced as the word act) is a form of psychotherapy that is rooted in the principals of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy but emphasizes acceptance of distressing thoughts and feelings rather than trying to eliminate them. ACT aims to help clients by developing adaptive responses and promoting personal growth in order to employ more meaningful lives that align with their values even in the face of difficult emotions or tough circumstances. This approach encourages clients to be present in the moment and accept their emotions without judgement. By fostering acceptance, committed action, and present moment awareness, ACT help clients expand resilience and cope with challenging life experiences.
INFERENCE-BASED COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY
Inference-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (I-CBT) is an upstream and specialized psychotherapeutic approach that is structured and time limited involving psychoeducation, collaborative goal setting, cognitive restructuring exercises, behavioral experiments, and homework assignments. The target in I-CBT are doubts that arise as the result of a faulty narrative that are marked by an over-reliance on the imagination and a distrust of the self and senses. Reasoning distortions housed in the narrative contribute to the confusion for basis for these doubts. As a result, doubts are able to persist and are followed by a predictable, maladaptive sequence. I-CBT aims to help clients develop alternative narratives that coincide with objective reality, a healthy dependence on their inner and outer senses, and a reconnection with their Real Self.
EXPOSURE AND RESPONSE PREVENTION
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is a psychotherapy technique that systematically confronts and exposes clients to distressing thoughts, images, or situations that cue their anxiety. During these exposures, the client is instructed to refrain from engaging in their usual anxiety-driven response or compulsion. ERP aims to help clients gradually learn that their fears are unwarranted, and the anticipated negatives outcomes do not occur. Over time, this process reduces the intensity of anxiety and breaks the cycle of fear and avoidance, leading to a decline in symptoms.
ACCELERATED RESOLUTION THERAPY
Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) is a brief psychotherapy that aims to alleviate symptoms of trauma and other conditions. It utilizes elements from various therapeutic approaches like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Gestalt Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy, and Guided Imagery. During ART, clients are guided to process distressing memories, emotions, or ongoing issues through quick and rhythmic eye movements, which facilitate the reorganization of the brain's response so that triggers no longer activate strong physical and emotional reactions thereby helping clients find resolution more rapidly than traditional talk therapies.
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Who I See
- Dinah Maria Craik
Oh, the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person, having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pouring them all right out, just as they are, chaff and grain together, certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then with the breath of kindness blow the rest away.
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