Prayer Flags on the Open Sky
About Different Therapies
Counseling is a journey, actually it's a chapter in the journey you're already on. We are all on a journey made unique by our personality, history, genetics, beliefs, choices and the actions we take. Like any journey there will be challenges on the way and there are likely to be periods of struggle and discomfort.
In this metaphor the goal of the journey of counseling is, broadly speaking, to feel happier, more connected, to have greater insight into how you function, and to have more tools for more skillful living. My job as counselor is to suggest different modes of travel, routes, places to explore, rest stops, and vantage points on the way. I want to help you meet your goals.
There is no one therapy that works for everyone in every situation. To that end I am trained in and use a number of different therapies. Depending on what you want to get out of counseling it may be appropriate to use one or more than one therapy.
Gestalt Therapy
Gestalt Therapy provides the foundation of my approach to therapy; it's concerned with the experience of this present moment, wholeness, and creating spaciousness, from which appropriate change naturally arises. When we hide, repress, or deny the parts of ourselves that are uncomfortable or make us feel unsafe or that we have come to believe are unacceptable, that doesn't mean they are gone. And it doesn't mean they no longer have any affect on us. Gestalt therapy seeks to create space by reintegrating those parts using curiosity, inquiry, experimentation and insight.
EMDR - Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
During times of emotional distress our nervous system may not be able to completely process the difficult or traumatic situation playing out around us. EMDR is a way to complete the process of integrating difficult experiences by supporting the nervous system's natural ability to process challenging events. EMDR uses attentiveness, imagination and alternating engagement of both sides of the brain.
CBT - Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Everyday functioning is affected by the understandings and misunderstandings of our interactions with others. CBT teaches skills to promote tolerance of intense emotions along with a rigorous exploration of the thought process to promote changes in feelings and behavior. CBT can also be used to address trauma by using desensitization and exposure techniques.
In this metaphor the goal of the journey of counseling is, broadly speaking, to feel happier, more connected, to have greater insight into how you function, and to have more tools for more skillful living. My job as counselor is to suggest different modes of travel, routes, places to explore, rest stops, and vantage points on the way. I want to help you meet your goals.
There is no one therapy that works for everyone in every situation. To that end I am trained in and use a number of different therapies. Depending on what you want to get out of counseling it may be appropriate to use one or more than one therapy.
Gestalt Therapy
Gestalt Therapy provides the foundation of my approach to therapy; it's concerned with the experience of this present moment, wholeness, and creating spaciousness, from which appropriate change naturally arises. When we hide, repress, or deny the parts of ourselves that are uncomfortable or make us feel unsafe or that we have come to believe are unacceptable, that doesn't mean they are gone. And it doesn't mean they no longer have any affect on us. Gestalt therapy seeks to create space by reintegrating those parts using curiosity, inquiry, experimentation and insight.
EMDR - Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
During times of emotional distress our nervous system may not be able to completely process the difficult or traumatic situation playing out around us. EMDR is a way to complete the process of integrating difficult experiences by supporting the nervous system's natural ability to process challenging events. EMDR uses attentiveness, imagination and alternating engagement of both sides of the brain.
CBT - Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Everyday functioning is affected by the understandings and misunderstandings of our interactions with others. CBT teaches skills to promote tolerance of intense emotions along with a rigorous exploration of the thought process to promote changes in feelings and behavior. CBT can also be used to address trauma by using desensitization and exposure techniques.
