Our clinical support services work with individuals and families to address unhealthy or suboptimal patterns and raise self-awareness and accountability to create a better path forward. Simply put, we assess where you are and where you want to go and build toward it through a variety of specific tools based in the humanistic beliefs that we look at the whole person and uniqueness of each individual regardless of circumstance. Our approach is derived from clinical applications of cognitive-behavioral therapy, trauma-sensitive work, EMDR and internal family systems.
In our practice, we work with individuals as well as families, with a special connection of working with parents and teens around risky behavior.
What sets us apart in our approach is we fully integrate tools for mind-body connection into our work.
Specialties include:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- PTSD
- Complex Trauma
- Sexual Behavior Problems (Addiction, Offending Behavior, other problematic and dysfunctional behaviors)
- Substance Abuse
- Disruptive Behavior Disorders
A bit about each methodology:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT is a short-term, problem-focused form of behavioral treatment that helps people see the difference between beliefs, thoughts, and feelings, and free them from unhelpful patterns of behavior.
CBT is grounded in the belief that it is a person’s perception of events – rather than the events themselves – that determines how he or she will feel and act in response.
Most people with clearly defined behavioral and emotional concerns tend to reap the benefits of CBT.
With CBT, you’ll be able to adjust the thoughts that directly influence your emotions and behavior. This adjustment process is referred to as cognitive reconstructing, which happens through different CBT techniques.
Some CBT techniques are:
- Journalling
- Challenging beliefs
- Relaxation
- Meditation
- Mindfulness
- Social, physical and thinking exercises
Trauma-Sensitive Work
Most people will experience trauma in their lifetime whether it’s a car accident, abuse or neglect, the sudden death of a loved one, a violent criminal act, exposure to the violence of war, or a natural disaster.
While many people can recover from trauma over time with the love and support of family and friends and bounce back with resiliency, others may discover effects of lasting trauma, which can cause a person to live with deep emotional pain, fear, confusion, or posttraumatic stress far after the event has passed.
In these circumstances, the support, guidance, and assistance of a therapist is fundamental to healing from trauma.
Trauma Symptoms
According to the four types of symptoms listed in the DSM-5
Avoidance Symptoms
- Avoiding specific locations, sights, situations, and sounds that serve as reminders of the event
- Anxiety, depression, numbness, or guilt
Re-experiencing Symptoms
- Intrusive thoughts, nightmares or flashbacks
Hyperarousal Symptoms
- Anger, irritability, and hypervigilance
- Aggressive, reckless behavior, including self-harm
- Sleep disturbances
Negative Mood and Cognition Symptoms
- Loss of interest in activities that were once considered enjoyable
- Difficulty remembering details of the distressing event
- Change in habits or behavior since the trauma
Research has proven psychotherapy to be the most effective form of treatment for trauma. Most commonly, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) are used in treating trauma.
