Therapies

Uses acceptance and mindfulness strategies to increase psychological flexibility. You practice different ways of thinking to help you meet your individualized goals.

6 core processes of ACT

Acceptance:  Accepting that their will be a range of thoughts or emotions that can be positive, negative or anything in between.

Cognitive Diffusion: Seeing a thought as a passing event instead of a truth that drives your actions.

Being Present: You minimize planning for future “what ifs” so you can see more of what’s happening around you.

Self-As-Context: You aren’t solely defined by your experiences, thoughts or feelings.

Values: These values are yours and not driven by the influence of others.

Committed Action: You make changes that help you meet your goals. 

 Example Conditions: Addiction, Substance Use Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder

• A psychotherapy used to treat depression by helping individuals increase their engagement in rewarding and positive activities

Example Conditions: Behavioral Decline

• Uses principles of learning to change behavior, encouraging desired actions and discouraging unwanted ones through techniques like reinforcement and punishment

• Objective of Behavior Modification:

  • Changing specific behaviors with little consideration of a person’s thoughts or feelings

  • Behavior could be shaped through reinforcement and/or punishment

Example Conditions: ADHD, Autism, OCD

• Helps individuals change unhelpful thought and behavior patterns to manage mental health conditions and emotional problems.

• Sometimes CBT is the only treatment needed. Other times it's used along with other therapies or treatments such as medicines

Uses of CBT:

• Manage symptoms of mental conditions from coming back

• Treat a mental health condition when medicines aren't a good option.

Example Conditions: Depression, Anxiety, Eating Disorder

• Individual or group therapy for PTSD in which individuals learn ways to evaluate and change the upsetting thoughts about trauma.

• Trauma changes the way people think about the world

Example Conditions: PTSD

• Targets emotional dysregulation, impulsivity, and interpersonal difficulties through mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness skills.

Example Conditions: Borderline Personality Disorder, PTSD, Depression

• The ability to manage and respond to emotional experiences, which involves identifying your feelings and using strategies to respond constructively instead of impulsively.

Example Conditions: Mood Swings

• Targets obsessions and compulsions by gradually exposing individuals to feared stimuli while preventing ritualistic responses.

• The exposure component of ERP refers to practicing confronting the thoughts, images, objects, and situations that make someone anxious and/or provoke someone's obsessions.

• The response prevention part of ERP refers to making a choice not to do a compulsive behavior once the anxiety or obsessions have been “triggered.” 

Example Conditions: OCD

• A mental training practice that involves focusing on the present moment, often by paying attention to your breath, to increase awareness of your thoughts, feelings, and sensations without judgment

Example Conditions: Stress

• Guided conversations and prompts to evoke memories from a person's past to improve their mood, well-being, and self-esteem

Example Conditions: Memory Issues

• A behavioral therapy that teaches individuals how to improve their social and communication skills through structured instruction and practice

Example Conditions: Social Skills Training

• Establishing a consistent sleep schedule, creating a relaxing bedtime routine, and optimizing the bedroom for sleep

Example Conditions: Sleep Disturbance

• A medical treatment that supplements the body with hormones

Example Conditions: Trichotillomania (Hair-Pulling Disorder)

• A treatment for mental health issues and emotional distress that uses psychological methods, primarily talking, to help individuals change negative thought patterns, behaviors, and feelings

Example Conditions: Avoidant Personality Disorder