CLIENT FOCUS

TREATMENT APPROACH

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a form of psychotherapy that encourages individuals to accept their thoughts, feelings, and experiences without judgment and to use them as tools to help them to make changes in their lives that are consistent with their values. It is based on the idea that by changing the way we think about our inner experiences, we can reduce emotional distress and increase our sense of well-being.

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.

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.

Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT)Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT), originally developed by Albert Ellis, laid the foundation for what is now known as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. It is a philosophically and empirically based psychotherapy that focuses on resolving emotional and behavioral problems by identifying and challenging irrational beliefs. Based on the notion that we are typically unaware of our deeply embedded irrational thoughts and how they affect us on a day-to-day basis, Ellis established three guiding principles of REBT. These are known as the ABCs: activating events, beliefs, and consequences. Rewiring old patterns of thinking requires a lot of work and commitment, so active participation and openness in the therapy process is essential to success.

Reality TherapyReality Therapy suggests that all human issues occur when one or more of five basic psychological needs are not met and that an individual can only control their own behavior. This approach encourages clients to take responsibility for their thoughts and behaviors, and to identify and address the issues that are causing them difficulty. Reality Therapy emphasizes solutions and the development of interpersonal skills, rather than examining the past. Reality therapy is based on the premise that people experience mental distress when their basic psychological needs have not been met. These needs are: power, love and belonging, freedom, fun, and survival. According to reality therapy, people are constantly striving to meet these basic needs, and when a person feels bad, reality therapists maintain it is because one of the five needs have not been met. People participating in reality therapy might learn ways to be more aware of any negative thoughts and behaviors that are potentially preventing them from meeting their basic psychological needs.

12 step tools

SERVICES OFFERED

Individual Therapy