Types of Therapies and Modalities Utilized
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of psychological treatment that has been demonstrated to be effective for a range of problems including
- depression
- anxiety disorders
- alcohol and drug use problems
- marital problems
- eating disorders
- and severe mental illness.
Numerous research studies suggest that CBT leads to significant improvement in functioning and quality of life.
Dialectical Behavior TherapyÂ
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a structured program of psychotherapy with a strong educational component designed to provide skills for managing intense emotions and negotiating social relationships.Originally developed to curb the self-destructive impulses of chronic suicidal patients
- it is also the treatment of choice for borderline personality disorder
- emotion dysregulation
- and a growing array of psychiatric conditions.
 DBT acknowledges the need for change in a context of acceptance of situations and recognizes the constant flux of feelings—many of them contradictory—without having to get caught up in them. The therapist helps clients understand and accept that thought is an inherently messy process.Â
Emotionally Focused Therapy
Emotion-focused therapy (EFT) approaches healing from the belief that emotions are strongly linked to identity. Emotions guide us in defining preferences and making decisions on a daily basis. EFT assumes that:
- Lack of emotional awareness is harmful
- Avoiding your emotions can lead to negative outcomes in your life
Over time, ignoring or avoiding your emotional response may alter your ability to process emotions later.
A therapist trained in emotion-focused therapy can help you to gain awareness of your emotions and understand them. These professionals can offer you coping strategies for facing and managing your emotions
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
EMDR is a psychotherapy technique designed to relieve the distress associated with disturbing memories. Short for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, it involves recalling a specific troublesome experience while following a side-to-side visual stimulus delivered by the therapist. The resulting bilateral eye movements are thought to help reduce the emotional charge of the memory so that the experience can be safely discussed, digested, and stripped of the power to trigger anxiety and avoidance.
The most widespread use of EMDR is for treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Mental healthcare providers also use it in the treatment of the following conditions:
- Anxiety disorders: Generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, phobias and social anxiety/phobia.
- Depression disorders: Major depressive disorder, persistent depressive disorder and illness-related depression.
- Dissociative disorders: Dissociative identity disorder or amnesia and depersonalization or derealization disorder.
- Eating disorders: Anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder.
- Obsessive-compulsive disorders: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), Body dysmorphic disorder and hoarding disorder.
- Personality disorders: Borderline personality disorder, avoidant personality disorder and antisocial personality disorder.
- Trauma disorders: Acute stress disorder, PTSD and adjustment disorder.
Brainspotting (BSP)
Brainspotting is a technique that was developed by David Grand, Ph.D. The technique itself has roots in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). Brainspotting strengthens and enhances internal resources and allows contained, gentle, yet deep processing work with:
- Attachment issues
- Dissociative disorders
- Childhood trauma
- PTSD treatment.Â
By regulating the brain’s control of the body, brainspotting promotes physical and mental healing.
Parts and Memory Therapy
Parts and Memory Therapy is a way to do counseling or psychotherapy. It begins with two controversial ideas.Â
- The first is that the mind consists of many Parts or subpersonalities, each with its own submind. It’s not a single, consistent, streamlined thing.
- The second is that nearly all adult mental and emotional issues result from our histories of painful life experiences.
Permanent healing of these issues comes from finding the Parts of the whole self that carry the painful emotional memories and then neutralizing those memories. The Parts or subpersonalities of a person carry the memories. The memories are the targets for healing interventions. Healing is done by visualizations that neutralize the emotional energy connected to the memories.
Equine Therapy
Equine therapy is a treatment that includes equine activities or an equine environment to promote physical, occupational, and emotional growth in persons with a myriad of afflictions
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Traumatic brain injuriesÂ
- Drug and alcohol addiction.
- Dementia
- Genetic syndromes such as Down syndrome and more.
Equine Therapy is experiential in nature, meaning that participants learn about themselves and others by taking part in activities with the horses, and then processing or discussing feelings, behaviors, and patterns.
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