Types of therapy I provide:
CBT – Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a widely practiced form of psychotherapy that focuses on the relationship between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Using CBT, I’ll work collaboratively with you to identify and challenge negative thought patterns and beliefs that contribute to emotional distress and problematic behaviors. By replacing these with more adaptive, helpful, and realistic ways of thinking, CBT aims to alleviate psychological symptoms and improve overall well-being. This evidence-based approach is highly structured, goal-oriented, and typically involves between-session assignments to reinforce learning and facilitate lasting change.
Research has consistently shown the clinical efficacy of CBT across a wide range of mental health conditions. Numerous studies have demonstrated its effectiveness in treating depression, anxiety disorders, PTSD, OCD, eating disorders, and substance abuse, among others. Meta-analyses have consistently found CBT to be as effective as, or sometimes more effective than, other forms of therapy or psychopharmacological treatments.
ACT – Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a form of psychotherapy that combines mindfulness strategies with acceptance and behavioral change techniques. The primary aim of ACT is to help individuals develop psychological flexibility, enabling them to engage more fully in the present moment and pursue meaningful life goals, even in the presence of difficult thoughts, feelings, and sensations.
Using ACT, I’ll help you learn to accept your inner experiences without judgment, while also committing to actions aligned with your deeply-held values. Through mindfulness practices and experiential exercises, you can cultivate greater awareness of your thoughts and emotions, learning to respond to them in more flexible and adaptive ways.
ACT differs from traditional cognitive-behavioral approaches by emphasizing the importance of accepting and making room for discomfort, rather than solely focusing on symptom reduction. By fostering psychological flexibility, ACT helps individuals build resilience and live more rich, fulfilling lives, even amidst life's inevitable challenges.
Exposure Therapy
Exposure therapy is a highly effective treatment for anxiety disorders, particularly phobias, PTSD, OCD, and social anxiety. Grounded in the principles of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), exposure therapy involves systematically confronting feared situations, objects, or memories in a safe and controlled environment. By gradually exposing individuals to their feared stimuli, either directly or through imaginal exposure, while preventing their typical avoidance responses, exposure therapy helps them learn that their fears are unfounded and that they can tolerate anxiety without catastrophic consequences. Over time, repeated exposure leads to habituation, whereby the fear response diminishes, and individuals experience decreased anxiety and increased confidence in managing their symptoms. This evidence-based approach empowers you to confront and overcome your fears, ultimately facilitating long-lasting symptom relief and improved quality of life.
Exposure therapy is used for anxiety problems. A common exposure type involves gradually “exposing” clients to anxiety-provoking situations. A client might imagine herself in a feared situation (“imaginal exposure”), watch the material on videos, or actually encounter it in real life. For example, a socially anxious client might imagine and recount in detail encounters she is likely to have at a holiday office party. A fearful flier might watch videos or movies involving various flying experiences, including turbulence. Someone who avoids theaters due to anxiety might follow a systematic plan starting with just buying a ticket to eventually sitting in the middle of the front row through the whole movie. Whenever possible, exposure is conducted in-session with both the patient and myself performing the same exposure exercises simultaneously. Some common issues I use exposure therapy for include: healthy anxiety (e.g. fear of dying, fear of permanent injury/condition), fear of flying, fear of driving, social anxiety, fear of heights, fear of medical doctors and medical procedures, and more.
ERP – Exposure and Response Prevention
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy is a specialized form of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) primarily used to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). It involves systematically exposing individuals to situations or stimuli that trigger their obsessions while preventing them from engaging in compulsive behaviors. By repeatedly confronting their fears and resisting the urge to perform rituals, individuals gradually learn that their feared outcomes are unlikely and that they can tolerate the discomfort associated with obsessions without resorting to compulsions. Through this process, ERP helps individuals break the cycle of OCD by weakening the association between obsessions and compulsive behaviors, leading to reduced anxiety and improved functioning. This evidence-based approach empowers you to regain control over your life and experience long-term relief from the symptoms of OCD.
A person with a contamination OCD might slowly work up to touching tables, couches, floors or handrails in and around a therapist’s office – all without using sanitizer or washing their hands. They eventually will be able to eat after touching public surfaces. A client who experiences repetitive, intrusive obsessive thoughts will learn how to deal with them so that their frequency subsides and life becomes enjoyable again.
CPT - Cognitive Processing Therapy
CPT is a specialized CBT-based treatment for trauma. CPT focuses on the connections between thoughts, feelings, behavior and bodily sensations. CPT provides a way to understand why recovery from traumatic events is difficult and how symptoms of PTSD affect daily life.
The focus is on identifying how traumatic experiences change thoughts and beliefs, and how thoughts influence current feelings and behaviors. An important part of the treatment is addressing ways of thinking that might keep individuals “stuck” and get in the way of recovery from symptoms of PTSD and other problems. CPT's structured approach, which focuses on identifying and challenging maladaptive beliefs and thought patterns related to the trauma, has been shown to lead to significant improvements in individuals' functioning and overall quality of life.
WET - Written Exposure Therapy
Written Exposure Therapy (WET) is a brief, structured therapeutic approach primarily used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with a usual course of 5 sessions. It involves guided writing exercises where individuals recount their traumatic experiences in detail, focusing on emotions, thoughts, and sensations. Through this process, clients confront their memories in a safe and controlled environment, allowing for emotional processing and meaning-making. By repeatedly revisiting and processing the traumatic event through writing, individuals can gradually reduce the emotional intensity associated with the memory and develop a more coherent narrative of their experience. WET has been shown to be effective in reducing PTSD symptoms and improving overall well-being.
My clients have shared that they have found WET to be highly effective. WET is a VA-endorsed, highly recommended therapy for PTSD.
EMDR-Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
EMDR is an evidence-based therapy designed to help individuals process and heal from trauma or distressing life experiences. A key focus of EMDR is addressing the core beliefs formed during these traumatic events. These beliefs, often negative and deeply ingrained, can influence how individuals perceive themselves and the world, leading to feelings of unworthiness, helplessness, or fear.
Using guided eye movements and/or other forms of bilateral stimulation, EMDR helps reprocess traumatic memories, reducing their emotional intensity and impact. This evidence-based therapy promotes emotional healing by allowing clients to integrate past experiences more adaptively, alleviating symptoms of anxiety, PTSD, phobias, and other mental health issues. Sessions are tailored to each individual's needs, ensuring a safe and supportive environment for recovery.
EFT - Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples and Individuals
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) for couples is a research-based approach that helps partners strengthen their emotional bond and resolve conflicts by focusing on the underlying emotions that drive their interactions. EFT helps couples identify and express their needs and fears, fostering a deeper connection and creating a more secure, loving relationship. This therapy is effective for improving communication, rebuilding trust, and enhancing intimacy in relationships. EFT can also be adapted for individual use, which is useful for patients looking to get a deeper-level understanding of their own emotions.
DBT - Dialectical Behavior Therapy
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a comprehensive and evidence-based therapy approach designed to help individuals struggling with emotion dysregulation, unstable relationships, and harmful behaviors. Developed by Dr. Marsha Linehan, DBT combines cognitive-behavioral techniques with mindfulness practices, emphasizing the balance between acceptance and change. Through a structured framework and teaching of concrete skills, DBT aims to enhance emotional resilience, improve interpersonal effectiveness, and foster a life worth living.
