Specialized Approaches
Trauma and Attachment-Focused Therapy
Trauma can take a significant toll on the mind and body by disrupting our sense of safety and attachment. By using gentle, attachment-focused strategies, we can work together to help you feel secure, rebuild trust, and strengthen your connection to yourself and others.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a well researched treatment modality, which has proven to be effective in helping individuals heal from trauma, anxiety, depression, dissociation, and more. While it may sound strange, EMDR works by having individuals focus on a distressing memory while the clinician simultaneously uses back-and-fourth (bilateral) movements for the individual to follow - most commonly with their eyes. This helps to facilitate the natural healing process of the brain, and has been shown to reduce the vividness, arousal, and emotional intensity of traumatic experiences.
Schema Therapy
Schema Therapy is an evidence-based therapeutic approach that assists individuals in addressing long-standing, unhelpful patterns of thought, emotions, and behaviours. Often referred to as maladaptive schemas, these patterns often stem from difficult past experiences, and can significantly impact the beliefs we carry about ourselves, others, and the world around us. Schema therapy supports us in understanding the origin of our schemas, challenging their validity, and replacing them with more adaptive schemas. This aids us in healing from difficult past experiences and developing a more positive sense of self.
Somatic Experiencing
Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a therapeutic approach that has demonstrated to provide an effective way of healing trauma and restoring our sense of safety and wellbeing. One thing that sets Somatic Experiencing apart from other approaches is its recognition that trauma does not only impact us psychologically, but also somatically. That is, SE acknowledges that our bodies store the memories and sensations associated with trauma, often leading to a dysregulated nervous system and ongoing hyperarousal or dissociation. By gently tuning in to the physical sensations, SE aids us in releasing the stress and unresolved trauma held within our bodies.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is an approach that stems from traditional Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), which has proven to be effective in treating a wide range of mental health concerns. The primary goal of ACT is to assist individuals in increasing psychological flexibility. This is done by teaching individuals to decrease emotional avoidance and denial, while accepting uncomfortable emotions as appropriate responses to challenging experiences. With this understanding, individuals learn to accept hardships outside of their control, manage uncomfortable thoughts and feelings, and commit to taking actions that align with their personal values and give their life a sense of meaning and purpose.
Compassion-Focused Therapy
Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) is a therapeutic modality that supports individuals in overcoming self-criticism and shame, which is often the result of early experiences of abuse or neglect. CFT teaches clients how to foster self-compassion and other-oriented compassion. This approach has demonstrated to be effective in emotional regulation, and facilitating feelings of safety, self-acceptance, and comfort.