Modalities of Therapy

While I can engage in and utilize all of the modalities of therapies listed below, I tend to take a more eclectic approach, using aspects and inspirations from multiple forms of therapy to help meet the concerns presented in each session.  There are times, though, particularly in trauma therapy or when symptoms are acute, that call for a more rigid following of certain protocols of therapy. Mindful awareness and compassion make their way into each and every session in some capacity.

CBT connects our thoughts, behaviors, and emotions, as each of these things impacts, and is impacted by, the others. CBT often involves the utilization of worksheets, like a thought record, where distressing situations are broken down into the aforementioned categories to find more helpful, adaptive responses to our stresses and challenges.

DBT is all about having a "life worth living." DBT focuses on 4 pillars: emotional regulation, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness, and mindfulness. DBT is a very strong skills based modality and uses a lot of worksheets, exercises, and acronyms. 

One of the two most evidence-based treatments for trauma and PTSD, CPT is a cognitive approach to re-shaping the relationship we have with our traumatic events. Instead of focusing on the details of traumatic experiences, CPT focuses on the impacts the events have had on our thinking and perceptions of ourselves and the world. CPT is a very heavy worksheet oriented protocol. 

The other most evidence-based treatment for trauma and PTSD, PE is an exposure based approach to lessening distressing trauma symptoms. Sessions consist of Imaginal Exposures (going through the events of trauma in the present tense) and In Vivo Exposures (challenging ourselves to reclaim parts of our lives that have been avoided due to trauma). 

Aimed at reducing self-criticism and shame while increasing compassion and empathy, CFT uses mindfulness, acceptance,  and cognitive techniques while focusing on the three systems of the mind: the threat system, the drive system, and the soothing system.

Combining mindfulness, meditation, and compassion, MSC is an approach to meet our suffering with compassion. MSC looks at three aspects of self-compassion: mindfulness (validating / naming our suffering), common humanity (connecting that suffering to a common human struggle), and loving-kindness (statements of love and goodwill). 

Resting in the philosophy that much of our struggle comes from resistance to reality, ACT focuses on working to accept thoughts, feelings, and realities without judgment and committing to behaviors that align with our values. ACT also involves mindfulness. 

What we might consider more "traditional" psychotherapy from Freud, psychodynamic therapy focuses on bringing to the surface unresolved feelings and conflicts from our subconscious in order to see their influence on our present. The relational therapy aspect involves the interplay between a person's internal experience and their relationship with others, including the therapeutic relationship between client and therapist.

Narrative therapy focuses on the narratives we tell ourselves, influenced by the outside world and our experiences, and helping form new narratives created by us. This form of therapy utilizes externalizing problems to view them at a distance, giving problems names, and having conversations (verbal and written) with our problems to re-author new narratives. 

As you can see mindfulness mentioned in many of the above mentioned approaches and modalities, my practice finds interweaving mindfulness into each session, and that doesn't always mean meditation. I work with the mindfulness definition of being in the present moment without judgment, which can be achieved through many behaviors, including meditation. 

I am a strong believer in the power of food and cooking and its impacts as a mindfulness practice and symbolic healer in anxiety, depression, relationships, and grief. I conduct culinary therapy sessions (out of pocket only) virtually only. As someone that finds such peace in nature, I also conduct walking in-nature sessions in North Carolina. These sessions provide a different setting to open up to our difficulties. Please note that these modalities are available out-of-pocket only.