Evidence-Based Therapy
Evidence-based therapies have been demonstrated by research to be efficacious for a range of psychological conditions including stress, anxiety, depression, ADHD, interpersonal issues, trauma, sleep disorders, and alcohol/substance use disorders. It is often a confusing and overwhelming process to choose a therapist because you don’t necessarily know whether their therapeutic approach is appropriate for your needs. Because evidence-based treatments have been rigorously studied and proven to be effective, you can be more confident that they will actually help you and will therefore be more likely to lead to successful outcomes. I apply techniques from various evidence-based therapy modalities, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), exposure therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), each of which can be adapted to address your specific concerns.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive behavioral therapy is a structured, goal-oriented, and skills-based form of talk therapy. It is commonly used to treat anxiety disorders and depression, however it is also effective for several other mental health conditions including stress, grief, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), sleep disorders/insomnia, eating disorders, ADHD, alcohol and other substance use disorders, and physical conditions such as chronic pain and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). CBT is based on the premise that emotions, thoughts, and behaviors are all interconnected, and that by identifying and changing unhelpful thinking or behavior patterns, this can alter the way we feel. It focuses on our present experiences and uses problem-solving and structured techniques aimed at challenging distorted thought patterns and developing more rational or balanced thoughts through cognitive restructuring or reframing. CBT can also involve behavior modification through exercises such as skill-building, behavioral activation, deliberate practice, and role play.
Exposure Therapy
Exposure therapy is a type of behavioral therapy that can be very effective in the treatment of anxiety and related disorders, including generalized anxiety, social anxiety, phobias, panic attacks, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). It helps people gradually confront their fears using a structured series of behavioral experiments in a safe and controlled environment, while also working to eliminate avoidance and therapy-interfering behaviors. Through the repetition and mastery of each exposure you are able to disprove catastrophic thoughts and learn that more often than not, your “worst case scenario” or feared outcome does not occur. If a negative outcome does occur, you also learn that it is usually not as bad as your mind made it out to be, that the fear will eventually subside, and that you can tolerate it better than you anticipated. This helps increase your sense of self-efficacy, or confidence in yourself and your ability to handle stressful events or uncomfortable feelings.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Acceptance and commitment therapy can be useful for a range of psychological and physical conditions including stress, burnout, anxiety, depression, psychotic symptoms, diabetes and epilepsy. The principles of ACT focus on increasing psychological flexibility through engagement with the present moment; accepting rather than avoiding your current circumstances; letting go of efforts to control the uncontrollable; learning to observe rather than attach to negative thoughts; and moving toward your personal values through committed actions. ACT is based more on theoretical processes than interventions in that it helps you change your relationship to your thoughts/feelings, rather than the thoughts/feelings themselves, which is the case in CBT. One of the beliefs espoused by ACT is that pain is inevitable but suffering is optional, which is meant to illustrate that you have agency over how you experience your life. ACT also aims to help you connect with your deeper sense of meaning and purpose and to align your behaviors with these, thus highlighting the active nature of therapy.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Dialectical behavior therapy is a highly structured form of talk therapy that emphasizes education, skills training, and practice between sessions. It incorporates many elements of CBT with a specific focus on four key areas: mindfulness; distress tolerance; emotion regulation; and interpersonal effectiveness. While DBT was initially developed for patients experiencing suicidal ideation and self-harm, such as those diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, it’s skills are beneficial for individuals with various other diagnoses and issues, including anxiety, depression, PTSD, eating disorders, substance use disorders, and bipolar disorder. More broadly, DBT aims to balance forces that appear to be in opposition to each other (for example, accepting yourself while also wanting to change) by helping you understand and accept your difficult or intense emotions while learning and applying skills to manage them.
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
Mindfulness-based stress reduction was originally developed for stress management, and is now used for a variety of mental and physical health concerns such as anxiety, depression, disordered eating, insomnia, and chronic illness. Mindfulness encourages the practice of being rather than doing, by continually bringing your awareness to the present moment. It teaches you to observe your experiences without judging them, reacting to them, or trying to change them, and is often paired with meditation or breathing exercises that help you anchor your attention to the present. It works by deactivating the fight-or-flight response in order to help regulate the nervous system, and studies show that practicing mindfulness even for short periods (i.e. 5-10 minutes) can have lasting health benefits.