Cognitive Behavioral Therapies (CBT) are the most up-to-date evidence-based practices available for mental health issues such depression and anxiety. For anxiety, this includes exposure-based work, approaching your fears together in a safe, gradual, and manageable manner, and might include things like virtual reality simulations or watching films about your fears. For depression, we work on getting your energy up again and finding ways to improve your mood based on activities you used to enjoy more. This could be anything from a game of basketball to a game of laser tag. Each treatment plan is unique and tailored to your needs.
My therapy approach is holistic, rooted in mindfulness and language. This means being present and focused in each moment, experiencing your world to the fullest extent possible, and having the appropriate language to interpret and respond to your experiences in an effective manner. Treatment is not merely talking through problems or only talking about your parents and past. Most people seek help to address the here-and-now, and this becomes our collaborative goal.
I trained explicitly in providing exposure-based treatments of all kinds, and I am endorsed by the IOCDF (International Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Foundation) in providing cognitive-behavioral therapies for OCD. I also have familiarity working with Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) for emotion dysregulation, and train patients in learning to increase mindfulness.
Does Treatment work?
It is ultimately up to you. Most progress and change occurs outside of the office, where you put into practice what we discuss in your sessions. Therapy is like learning to play an instrument – practice leads to progress. John has hour-long piano lessons three times a week, but doesn’t practice at home. Jim has one hour-long piano lesson each week but practice three hours a day at home. Jim is much more likely to master the instrument and maintain longer-lasting gains.