Some folks come to therapy seeking support with the goal of simply wanting to talk and gain some clarity and support for the challenges they are facing. This is a perfectly reasonable goal for therapy and there is overwhelming evidence that having a positive and supportive relationship with your therapist is related to experiencing positive therapeutic outcomes.
Others come to therapy seeking specific, evidence based practices that provide a foundation and directionality during treatment. There are many evidence based treatment options available for individuals seeking therapy. Below, I have outlined some basic information applying to a few common treatment options.
EMDR: EYE MOVEMENT DESENSITIZATION AND REPROCESSING
EMDR is a highly effective treatment that was originally designed to alleviate distress caused by traumatic events. After 20+ years of extensive research, it has also been shown to be an effective treatment for a variety of other challenges including anxiety disorders, depression, eating disorders, and what has been coined little "t" traumas or experiences that have shaped negative beliefs about self and led to ongoing challenges (i.e. being continually criticized by a family member resulting in a belief that you never really measure up). Most commonly, EMDR uses therapist directed lateral eye movements during therapy sessions. A variety of other stimuli including hand-tapping and audio stimulation are often used. These techniques use bi-lateral stimulation of the brain's right and left hemispheres to help reorganize and reprocess memories and beliefs to facilitate more adaptive processing. These new associations are thought to result in eliminating emotional distress, decreasing physical hyperarousal, developing new insights, and shifting negative beliefs and developing more positive or neutral beliefs about self and/or the world. For more information, please inquire with me directly or click here.
CBT: COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY
CBT focuses on exploring relationships among a person's thoughts, feelings and behaviors. CBT teaches the individual to recognize unhelpful patterns of thinking that often lead to self-destructive behaviors and beliefs about self. By identifying the relationship between behavior patterns, thoughts, and emotions an individual can begin to challenge these automatic thoughts and make choices that are more in line with optimal health. CBT often utilizes charts, diagrams, and worksheets, and may require individuals to do "homework" outside of sessions. CBT provides tools that can be helpful in overcoming anxiety, eating disorders, obsessive compulsive disorders, depression, and more.
DBT: DIALECTICAL BEHAVIORAL THERAPY
DBT, like CBT, is also highly directive and skills-based and utilizes similar strategies as CBT but with an additional emphasis on mindfulness and acceptance. Dialectical means "tension or opposition between two interacting forces or elements." In practice, this means to learn to fully accept what you are experiencing now, while also holding the desire to change. Skills learned in DBT fall into four categories: emotion regulation, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness, and mindfulness. DBT was originally implemented with highly suicidal individuals and individuals who participate in self-harming behaviors. It is a very successful treatment for individuals who experience a great deal of emotional pain and provides tools to managing these emotions. It also focuses strongly on building relationship skills for individuals who experience many conflicted relationships.