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.

Adlerian Psychology / PsychotherapyAdlerian therapy is a short-term, goal-oriented, and positive psychodynamic therapy. It focuses on the development of individual personality while asserting that humans are interconnected. During therapy, practitioners pay particular attention to beliefs and behaviors that were developed by the client in childhood. Clients’ behavior is explored in the context of their sense of ‘fitting in’ in their community and society. The goal of therapy is to acquire a more positive and productive way of life by developing new insights, skills, and behaviors. This is achieved through 4 stages of Adlerian Psychotherapy:
1. Engagement: The client and therapist begin to establish the therapeutic relationship. The relationship consists of collaboration towards addressing the client's problems.
2. Assessment: Gathering information about the client's life and presenting concerns. In this part of therapy, the therapist attempts to understand how the client may have developed certain styles of thinking that are no longer helpful or adaptive for them.
3. Insight: The therapist helps the client gain insight into their behavior and motivations and helps to develop new ways of thinking about his or her situation.
4. Reorientation: Encouraging the client to use their newfound insight and goals to to develop new strategies that the client can use in daily life.

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.

Play TherapyPlay therapy is an evidence-based, developmentally appropriate form of intervention used to facilitate emotional, cognitive, and social growth in children. Play therapy is based on the premise that play is the child's natural medium of self-expression and can be used to assess and help a child work through difficult emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. The goal of play therapy is to help children develop the skills and abilities to navigate life stressors, and build self-esteem. During treatment, the therapist creates a comfortable, safe environment (a playroom) for the child to play with as few limits as possible. The toys in the playroom are intended to encourage the child to express his or her feelings and develop healthier behaviors. The child’s “play” with these toys serve as the child’s symbolic words, which may be difficult to express otherwise.

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.

Schema TherapySand tray therapy allows a person to construct their own microcosm using miniature toys and colored sand. The scene created acts as a reflection of the person’s own life and allows them the opportunity to resolve conflicts, remove obstacles, and gain acceptance of self. Schema therapy is based on the belief that early maladaptive schemas form when emotional needs such as affection, guidance, love, shelter, and safety, go unmet in childhood. These maladaptive schemas, which can be described as ways that individuals interpret life events, can later lead to them making unhealthy choices, forming toxic relationships, lacking healthy boundaries or social skills, engaging in destructive behavior patterns, having a poor sense of judgment, and experiencing feelings of worthlessness or self-doubt. Discovering the origins of one’s unmet emotional needs and learning to create nurturing relationships through schema therapy can help people begin to build feelings of trust, self-worth and adequacy.

SERVICES OFFERED

Individual Therapy
Coaching
Consultation
Family Therapy