CLIENT FOCUS

TREATMENT APPROACH

Art TherapyArt therapy has clients express themselves through creative mediums such as drawing, painting, collage, coloring, or sculpting. Clients can interpret their subconscious world that is expressed in their art which could lead to a better understanding of their feelings and behavior. Artistic talent is not a prerequisite for art therapy as it’s not as much about the end result as much as it is about the process. The therapist looks for meaning in the creative choices of the work and the clients’ inner world. This therapeutic method enables clients to express their inner thoughts and feelings through creative expression rather than just talking about them.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a type of psychotherapy that focuses on how one's thoughts, feelings and behaviors are connected and can be changed. It is based on the idea that how we think (cognition) and how we feel (emotion) can influence how we behave. CBT helps people identify and challenge distorted thinking and replace it with more balanced thinking, leading to improved mood and behavior. ‘Homework’, usually containing practical writing exercises, is often completed by the client between sessions to reinforce the therapy. Examples of tools that practitioners often use are journaling, challenging beliefs, and mindfulness.

Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT)Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) is an integrative psychological approach that focuses on building compassion for oneself and others. It combines elements of cognitive behavioral therapy, evolutionary psychology, philosophy, and Eastern contemplative traditions. CFT is based on the concept that compassion is a fundamental human emotion that can be cultivated to promote psychological well-being. The goal of CFT is to help individuals understand and relate to their emotions in a compassionate and non-judgmental way. It encourages clients to develop a sense of self-compassion and understanding, and to use it to create healthier ways of living. CFT also emphasizes developing a compassionate relationship with others, and can help foster greater acceptance and understanding. The primary therapeutic technique of CFT is compassionate mind training (CMT). Some CMT tools that clients may participate in are appreciation exercises, mindfulness, and compassion-focused imagery exercises. These exercises promote compassionate motivation, sympathy, sensitivity, and distress tolerance within clients.

Emotion-Focused TherapyEmotion-focused therapy (EFT) is a type of psychotherapy that is based on the idea that emotions play a key role in a person’s mental health. EFT focuses on helping people to identify, accept, and manage their emotions in a healthy and productive way. The goal of EFT is to help people identify and express their emotions, understand how those emotions impact their behavior, and learn how to manage their emotions in a way that is adaptive and healthy. EFT is a research-based approach to psychotherapy that has been found to be effective in helping people manage a variety of mental health conditions. It has been used successfully in the treatment of individuals, couples, and families, as well as with groups. EFT is particularly beneficial for people who struggle with emotional regulation, mood disorders, anxiety, trauma, and relationship issues.

Existential PsychotherapyExistential psychotherapy is a form of psychotherapy that emphasizes an individual’s subjective experience of existence. It is a philosophical approach to psychotherapy that views the individual as ultimately responsible for creating a meaningful life. This form of psychotherapy helps individuals explore their subjective experiences, understand their personal values and beliefs, find ways to live more authentically, and make meaningful choices. The ultimate goal is to help the individual reach a greater sense of self-awareness and personal fulfillment.

Expressive Arts TherapyExpressive Arts Therapy is particularly beneficial for clients who struggle with describing what they are feeling verbally. Through imagination and creation of different art forms, clients are able to interpret and communicate their inner world and catalyze healing. Expressive arts therapy can involve the use of multiple modalities, such as visual arts, music, movement, drama, storytelling, poetry, and play. It is used to help individuals of all ages, including children and adults, to explore their feelings, reconcile emotional conflicts, foster self-awareness, manage behavior and addictions, develop social skills, improve reality orientation, and solve problems.

Holistic PsychotherapyHolistic psychotherapy emphasizes the individual's interconnectedness between the individual's physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects and views them as inseparable components of a single holistic system. Holistic psychotherapy focuses on understanding how these components interact and affect a person’s wellbeing. The goal of holistic psychotherapy is to create a sense of wholeness and harmony within the individual, and to foster self-awareness and self-care. Holistic practitioners use a variety of approaches, including traditional talk therapy, mindfulness practices, and body-based therapies like movement therapy. They also may incorporate nutrition, physical activity, and other lifestyle factors into treatment plans.

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is a form of therapy that combines cognitive behavioral therapy with mindfulness practices. It is based on the idea that our thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations can affect our mental health. MBCT helps individuals become aware of their thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations in order to gain insight and control over them. MBCT helps clients learn how to recognize their sense of being and see themselves as separate from their thoughts and moods. This separation can free the client from thought patterns in which the repeated negative messages may be dominating the client’s focus. After developing an awareness of the separation between thoughts, emotions, and the self, people in treatment may find that while the self and the emotions may exist simultaneously, they do not have to exist within the same dimension. The healing can take place when one learns how to interject positive thoughts into negative moods and thereby create a shift in mood.

Narrative TherapyNarrative therapy is a form of psychotherapy that focuses on the stories, or narratives, of a person's life in order to help them gain insights into their situation and develop skills to make positive changes. It is based on the idea that people construct their own stories and meanings to make sense of their lives and experiences. It emphasizes the strengths, values, and skills of the person, while also exploring the influences of culture and context on their life. Narrative therapy seeks to empower individuals by helping them to identify and use their inner resources to overcome challenges and create positive change.

Person-Centered Therapy (Rogerian Therapy)Person-centered therapy, or Rogerian therapy, was developed by Carl Rogers in the 1940’s. It is a form of talk therapy that emphasizes the importance of providing psychological safety, unconditional positive regard, and empathic understanding to clients. This type of therapy is based on the belief that individuals have an innate capacity for self-actualization and self-understanding and that the therapist's role is to provide a supportive environment in which this process can take place. Through the use of active listening, open-ended questions, and non-judgmental reflection, the therapist helps the client to explore their thoughts, feelings, and experiences in a safe and accepting environment. By doing so, clients are able to gain insight into their issues, develop a greater understanding of themselves, and work towards personal growth.

PsychoanalysisPsychoanalysis is a form of psychotherapy that focuses on unconscious processes and is used to treat mental health conditions. It is based on the belief that unconscious conflicts are the root of psychological issues. It seeks to understand an individual's psychological experience, including thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, in order to identify patterns, uncover underlying conflicts, and gain insight into how these conflicts may be impacting the individual's life. Psychoanalysis is based on the idea that unconscious processes and experiences can affect behavior, mood, and relationships. The goal of psychoanalysis is to help the individual gain insight into these unconscious processes. Psychoanalysis suggests that the client’s symptoms can be reduced by bringing these conflicts into conscious awareness.

Psychodynamic TherapyPsychodynamic therapy is a form of therapy that focuses on the unconscious mind and how it affects behavior. It works to help people understand and work through past experiences and feelings that may be causing difficulties in the present. This type of therapy encourages individuals to explore their emotions, relationships, and behaviors in order to gain insight into their current difficulties. It can help individuals better understand themselves and their motivations, and gain insight into how past events have impacted their current lives. People tend to develop defense mechanisms when faced with challenges in life. Defense mechanisms may keep painful feelings, memories, and experiences in the unconscious. A few common defense mechanisms include: denial, repression, and rationalization. Psychodynamic therapists encourage people to speak freely about their emotions, desires, and fears. Being open may help uncover vulnerable feelings that have been pushed out of conscious awareness. According to psychodynamic theory, behavior is influenced by unconscious thought. Once painful feelings are brought forth and processed, the defense mechanisms are no longer needed and a person in treatment can start changing unhelpful patterns when coping with life’s challenges.

Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) is an evidence-based practice used to help children, adolescents and their parents who have experienced a single or multiple traumatic events. This type of therapy combines cognitive and behavioral strategies to help people process their traumatic experiences, manage their distress, develop coping skills, and restore their sense of safety and well-being. TF-CBT focuses on education and skill-building, creating an environment of safety and trust, and using therapeutic activities to help people understand their responses and control their symptoms. Children are shown how perceptions may be distorted and are given the tools to redesign those perceptions. TF-CBT is a skills-based model, and it requires the child and parent to practice its components in order to be optimally effective. Parents and children are commonly asked to practice skills at home.

Psycho-education

SERVICES OFFERED

Individual Therapy
Group Therapy
Workshops/Educating

Therapist's Experience with Gap Year Students

Not only am I a Masa/gap year alumni myself, but I was an educator at Alexander Muss High School in Israel for years and have extensive experience working with Americans and international young adults navigating temporary experiences in Israel. Beyond that, I've had several gap year clients in psychotherapy.