Therapy

Cognitive Behavior Therapy:

Children, Adolescents, and Adults

Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) is an evidenced based treatment that has shown to be effective for a range of problems and diagnoses in children, adolescents, and adults. CBT is time limited, solution focused, and collaborative. CBT is goal-focused, so we will work with the client to identify their specific goals in coming to treatment. Treatment will be tailored to meet each individuals’ specific needs. In CBT, clients are first taught to understand the link between thoughts, feelings, and behavior. We will identify unhelpful thinking patterns and problematic behaviors that can lead to undesired or strong emotions such as depression, anxiety, and anger. Clients are then taught a range of coping strategies targeted at restructuring thoughts, developing new patterns of behavior that are more effective, and how to cope with unwanted emotions. Clients are given a range of strategies to practice in between sessions to help generalize skills into daily life. Research supports the effectiveness of CBT alone, or in conjunction with medication. When working with children and adolescents, parents are an important component of treatment. For younger children, parents are taught coping skills along with children so that parents can serve as “coaches” in between sessions to help the child generalize the skills. We provide individual CBT for children, adolescents, and adults.

Mindfulness strategies have been shown to be an effective component in CBT for depression and anxiety, among many other difficulties. Mindfulness can be particularly useful for stress reduction. Mindfulness helps clients increase awareness of thoughts and feelings in the present moment, without trying to change it. These strategies are incorporated into therapy as appropriate.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy:
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is an evidenced based treatment designed to help people with significant difficulty managing their emotions. It is a comprehensive treatment that includes both individual therapy and skills training. For adolescents, the skills are taught to the adolescent and the parents. DBT is a type of cognitive behavior therapy that is both compassionate and focused on problem-solving. Skills are aimed at helping people improve in the following the areas: mindfulness, emotion regulation, interpersonal relationships (including family relationships), and distress tolerance. DBT has a large body of research supporting its effectiveness with both adults and adolescents. We conduct both individual therapy sessions and skills training sessions for adolescents or adults in need of more intense treatment. However, we do not offer a comprehensive DBT program.

Parenting:
Parents often report struggling with how to effectively parent their child. We work with parents to provide support and teach skills so that parents feel more empowered. Parenting work can be done as an adjunct when the child is in individual CBT, or we can work with the parents alone. Parents are taught to increase awareness of their child’s emotions and behavior, improve communication with their child, and to learn ways to positively reinforce their child to increase desired behaviors and decrease unwanted behaviors. Parents learn a range of coping strategies to increase mindfulness and the ability to be present with their child, to effectively problem solve while also validating the child, to deal with their own emotions in response to their child’s behavior, and to improve their overall relationship with their child. Parent skills training has been shown to be an important aspect of CBT for children and adolescents who have behavioral difficulties (including ADHD and Oppositional Defiant Disorder).

We also provide support for new moms, or parents who are going through a difficult life transition (i.e., child going to college, going through a divorce).

Couples Therapy:
Couples therapy can be useful for couples who simply want to improve communication, or who are in more severe relationship distress. We have expertise in treating couples utilizing Integrative Behavioral Couples Therapy (IBCT) and also Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). IBCT is a treatment developed and researched by Drs. Andrew Christensen and Neil Jacobson that combines teaching couples behavioral strategies while also helping them utilize acceptance based approaches. DBT has been adapted by Dr. Alan Fruzzetti to teach couples ways of increasing relational mindfulness, improve validation of the partner, and learn distress tolerance skills. Regardless of the specific therapeutic approach, we work collaboratively with couples to identify their treatment goals, increase validation and awareness of the partner’s needs, and learn coping strategies to increase conflict resolution and improve communication.

Areas of Expertise:

  • Depression
  • Bipolar Disorder
  • Postpartum Anxiety and Depression
  • Generalized Anxiety Disorder
  • Worry
  • Panic Disorder
  • Social Anxiety
  • Specific Phobias
  • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
  • Separation Anxiety
  • Test/performance anxiety
  • Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
  • School anxiety and refusal
  • Relationship or interpersonal stress
  • Emotion regulation difficulties
  • Stress management
  • Life adjustment concerns including:
    • Adjusting to a divorce or loss
    • Change in school
    • New phase of life (e.g., beginning college or new job)
    • Bullying
    • Adjustment to parenthood
  • Self-esteem and assertiveness
  • Perfectionism
  • Body image and eating concerns