Therapy Approaches

The therapeutic goal of ACT is psychological flexibility, which means you are capable of staying present in the present moment and all it encompasses, including painful or unpleasant experiences, and adapting to the moment in a way that allows you to live a meaningful life. We will work to change your relationship to your thoughts and feelings.

Self-compassion focuses on experiencing and directing compassion toward yourself. We will become aware of how you talk to yourself, how you judge yourself, and how your self talk and judgements influence your behavior and emotions. 

Our minds and bodies are connected. The stress we feel in our body affects our mind, and the stress we feel in our mind affects our bodies. The same is true for relaxation and wellness. We will focus on gaining more flexibility in your nervous system responses through body-based relaxation practices like mindfulness, meditation, and more. 

CPT is used to treat posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). CPT teaches you how to evaluate and change your thoughts and beliefs since your traumatic experience. We will focus on how your beliefs about yourself and the world have changed and work to gain more flexibility in your thoughts and feelings.  

CBT-I is a short, structured, and evidence-based approach to treating insomnia. We will focus on your current sleep patterns, sleep hygiene, and thoughts and feelings that may be disrupting your sleep. 

I-CBT is an evidence-based treatment to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).  I-CBT is based on the central idea that obsessions are abnormal doubts about what “could be”, or “might be” (e.g. “I might have left the stove on”; “I might be contaminated”; “I might be a deviant”). We will work to bring resolution to obsessional doubts by understanding where they came from and what to do about it. This approach is different from ERP (exposure response prevention) and can be helpful for clients who have not benefitted from other treatments or are interested in intervening at the obsessional level before getting to the compulsions.

ERP is an evidence-based treatment for OCD.  ERP involves practicing confronting the thoughts, images, objects, and situations that bring up anxiety and/or provoke your obsessions and then working to not engage in compulsions after being exposed to anxiety-provoking triggers. This differs from ICBT; determining which treatment approach will work for a client is a collaborative choice I make with each client.  

The goal of IFS is to become aware and befriend different aspects of our inner selves (called "parts"). IFS is based on the idea that we have numerous "selves", and each part has a role that is worth noticing and acknowledging. In doing so, you can have a stronger sense of self while being compassionate for the wounded parts of you that impact your wellbeing and sense of balance.

Existential therapy focuses on self-determination, free will, and understanding the meaning of your life. By engaging in existential therapy, clients explore who they are and what gives their life meaning in the world. Within this exploration, clients work to recognize how they have a choice in what their lives look like and therefore feel more grounded in life, while holding space for the unknowns in life. 

This approach focuses on determining which areas of executive functioning you need help with and identifying approaches that are tailored to your needs. You will not hear me say "Just do it" or give generic advice that you have heard 100 times. Finding strategies that work for you means taking a deep dive into your daily tasks and helping your routine and environment fit you, rather than forcing you to fit in an environment that does not work for you.