Your Treatment Options
There are a variety of psychotherapies that are used by mental health professionals. Below is a brief, but thorough description of the therapies you can expect to participate in based on your unique needs. I find these therapies offer a well-rounded approach to client’s psychological needs. Most clients benefit from incorporating several psychological therapies interwoven into the therapeutic session. An exception to this would typically be EMDR. EMDR is a focused therapy that follows a defined protocol with stages that are followed.
Psychodynamic Therapy
Psychodynamic Therapy deals with our conscious and unconscious mind. It helps bring the unconscious thoughts, drives and impulses into your conscious awareness so you can readily deal with your issues. Some of our behavior is driven by beliefs and thoughts that are outside of our awareness so we don’t realize why we are doing what we are doing. We use defense mechanisms, which are psychological strategies like minimizing, to deal with anxiety or other unpleasant feelings. These defense mechanisms keep our distorted reality and sense of self intact. It also keeps us from healing and growing. Psychodynamic therapy assists you in bringing your unconscious into conscious awareness so you have more choices and options about what you think and how you behave. In this way you live a more authentic life where you can accept reality and make choices. You will likely explore some childhood events that have formed beliefs about yourself and the world that live in your unconscious. These beliefs form your personality; the way that you view and interact with yourself and others. It’s a fascinating experience to get to know how your brain works in this way. You take a journey into the depths of who you are and why you do what you do. It has its painful moments but is usually rewarding in the end if you stick with it. And no, you don’t lay on a couch.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy is based on the concept that our thoughts cause our emotions (feelings) and behaviors, not the external things such as an event or person. CBT teaches you to look at your thoughts as hypothesis or questions, instead of taking them as absolute truths. Often times our thoughts are not accurate and cause undue distress. CBT helps you identify cognitive distortions, or thinking errors, that are commonly made and teaches you how to create alternative, more functional thinking patterns that foster stability and peace of mind. When your thinking becomes more functional and healthier, your behavior becomes more functional and healthier as well. CBT techniques need practice in order for the brain to use them freely and spontaneously so you need to do work outside of session. This mainly consists of keeping a record of your thinking errors and your efforts at creating new, functional thoughts. This helps you track your progress and shows you that your hard work is paying off.
Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Acceptance Commitment Therapy is based on the principles of mindfulness, acceptance, and values-based living. ACT (pronounced as the word ‘act’,) deals with thoughts, feelings, memories, bodily sensations and behavioral urges and predispositions. It teaches you mindfulness, which is the practice of observing and being aware of yourself and what’s going on around you without over-reacting or getting caught up in it. This is especially helpful when you have chronic issues such as obsessive thoughts or aches and pain, and you have been trying to get rid of these things without any progress. Acceptance is the ability to allow whatever is troubling you to be there without fighting against it giving you the freedom to focus on engaging in life and living a life you value. ACT teaches you how to accept difficulties and challenges in life and not be consumed by them. It helps you to live a life that is meaningful to you even though you have pain and difficulties. It teaches the brain how to move away from focusing on distress which causes suffering, and toward what is important to you which causes you to live life. Once you learn ACT principles and techniques it becomes a lifestyle that keeps you more peaceful and content. ACT is a more structured approach which is taught using a workbook that was created by ACT founder, psychologist Steven Hayes. Principles and techniques are discussed and taught in session and exercises are done at home between sessions and reviewed at next session.
Eye-Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR)
According to the EMDR Institute Inc., EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a psychotherapy that enables people to heal from the symptoms and emotional distress that are the result of disturbing life experiences. Repeated studies show that by using EMDR therapy people can experience the benefits of psychotherapy that once took years to make a difference. It is widely assumed that severe emotional pain requires a long time to heal. EMDR therapy shows that the mind can in fact heal from psychological trauma much as the body recovers from physical trauma. When you cut your hand, your body works to close the wound. If a foreign object or repeated injury irritates the wound, it festers and causes pain. Once the block is removed, healing resumes. EMDR therapy demonstrates that a similar sequence of events occurs with mental processes. The brain’s information processing system naturally moves toward mental health. If the system is blocked or imbalanced by the impact of a disturbing event, the emotional wound festers and can cause intense suffering. Once the block is removed, healing resumes. Using the detailed protocols and procedures learned in EMDR therapy training, I will help you activate your natural healing processes. You track my hand movements with your eyes and your brain begins to process the disturbing events. Successful EMDR therapy results in the brain moving from disturbing feelings and beliefs about the events, to adaptive beliefs that foster healing, growth, and resolve.
Confidential, Professional, Ethical
When you choose me, you get a well-educated therapist that understands your emotions and unique personal situation; Someone that can guide you on your journey to healing and growth. I will be there with you to help overcome obstacles and assist you in moving forward towards living the life you want.
Contact Me
Have any questions? Contact me via text: 920-355-3300
| Phone & Text: | 920-355-3300 |
| Fax: | 920-482-5789 |
| Email: | triciahelps@gmail.com |