CBT places an emphasis on helping individuals learn to be their own therapists. Through exercises in the session as well as “homework” exercises outside of sessions, patients/clients are helped to develop coping skills, whereby they can learn to change their own thinking, problematic emotions, and behavior.

CBT therapists emphasize what is going on in the person’s current life, rather than what has led up to their difficulties. A certain amount of information about one’s history is needed, but the focus is primarily on moving forward in time to develop more effective ways of coping with life.

The “dialectic” in dialectical behavior therapy is an acknowledgment that real life is complex, and health is not a static thing but an ongoing process hammered out through a continuous Socratic dialogue with the self and others. It is continually aimed at balancing opposing forces and investigating the truth of powerful negative emotions.

DBT acknowledges the need for change in a context of acceptance of situations and recognizes the constant flux of feelings—many of them contradictory—without having to get caught up in them. Therapist-teachers help patients understand and accept that thought is an inherently messy process. DBT is itself an interplay of science and practice.

EMDR was initially developed as an individual treatment for people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but it has since been applied in the treatment of many other conditions. For example, it is used by some therapists to treat anxiety disorders, including panic and phobias, depression, dissociative disorders, eating disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders, and some personality disorders.

To be a candidate for EMDR therapy, patients must be able to tolerate some emotional discomfort and not shut down emotionally or become too easily overwhelmed by feelings. Patients must be able to call on cognitive and emotional resources to reprocess their memories successfully.

The eyes are a part of the central nervous system, the only part outside the cranium. In a study reported in Current Biology, he found that the eyes cue the brain to be alert or relaxed—that is, they adjust the inner state.

In a brain imaging study reported in the Journal of Neuroscience, a team of Dutch researchers found that lateral eye movements suppress the amygdala, one of the primary threat detection centers in the brain. The eye movements activate a dorsal frontoparietal network and transiently deactivate the amygdala. The downregulation of amygdala activity engages a ventromedial prefrontal pathway known to be involved in the cognitive regulation of emotion. Twenty-four hours later, those who underwent reactivation of aversive memories with lateral eye movements had less fear of recalling such memories.

The lateral eye movements of EMDR are akin to those that occur naturally during walking when the eye senses movement via the lateral streaming of visual imagery, so-called optic flow. Huberman observes. “It makes sense from an evolutionary perspective. We’ve always been confronted with threats—animal threats, interpersonal threats. Forward movement is the way you suppress the fear response.” The visual system, he notes, “is a steering wheel and brake of the nervous system. The brain will follow the visual system in many ways.”

Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) addresses the mental health needs of children, adolescents, and families suffering from the destructive effects of early trauma. The treatment is particularly sensitive to the unique problems of youth with post-traumatic stress and mood disorders resulting from abuse, violence, or grief. If the client is a child, TF-CBT often brings non-offending parents or other caregivers into treatment and incorporates principles of family therapy.

Early trauma can lead to guilt, anger, feelings of powerlessness, self-harm, acting out, depression, and anxiety. Post-traumatic stress disorder, which affects children and adults, can manifest in a number of ways, such as negative recurring thoughts about the traumatic experience, emotional numbness, sleep problems, difficulty concentrating, and extreme physical and emotional responses to anything that triggers a memory of the trauma.

By integrating the theories and techniques of several therapeutic interventions, TF-CBT can address and improve the symptoms of post-traumatic stress in youth. The goal of the treatment is to help the patient develop a sense of safety and security, to repair or develop healthy social skills, and for the caregiver to feel more confident in their ability to help the child in a productive manner.

Family systems therapy is a form of psychotherapy that helps individuals resolve their problems in the context of their family units, where many problems are likely to begin. Each family member works together with the others to better understand their group dynamic and how their individual actions affect each other and the family unit as a whole. One of the most important premises of family systems therapy is that what happens to one member of a family happens to everyone in the family.

Many psychological difficulties begin early in life and stem from relationships within the family of origin, or the family one grows up in, even though these problems often surface later in life. Families in conflict, as well as couples and individuals with concerns related to their families of origin, can benefit. In addition to family conflict, this treatment approach can be helpful for substance use disorder, families with a substance addict member, depression, anxiety, as well as many other diagnoses.

Treatment for drug and alcohol addiction is not a one-size-fits-all approach, and the most effective treatment plans are tailored to meet the individual needs of each person. Comprehensive drug and alcohol work often involves more than one therapeutic modality and treatment approach. Some benefits of seeking professional addiction treatment include access to mental health and medical professionals, addressing the root causes of addiction, learning or improving life skills that may have been neglected during the course of active addiction, treating underlying mental health and co-occurring disorders, and developing relapse prevention strategies, among many other treatments.

If during the course of counseling, we identify a problem with substance use affecting your life and relationships, many treatment options are available. Many options allow an individual to continue working. All referrals will be handled with the utmost confidentiality. In addition, I can help navigate the insurance and work with specialized treatment centers to transition in the most seamless way possible. Employers do NOT have to know an employee is in treatment under HIPPA and in many cases cannot terminate you for required medical treatment/time away. Please know all substance use disorders DO NOT require inpatient treatment. I will work with you to determine if use is creating health, relationship, or work issues for you.

Treatment for drug and alcohol addiction can include placement in a dexox program, enrollment at a residential treatment center, a partial hospitalization plan, intensive outpatient program, and are often offered in tandem with individual or group counseling. Depending on the individual needs of the client, action can be taken for any level of care including individual and family counseling.