Information About Therapies
Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR)
EMDR supports the brain to resume its natural healing process. The therapy is designed to help clients process their upsetting and/or traumatic memories in the brain in order for the client to still have these memories but not have the same level of upset or be re-traumatized when they think of them. The therapy includes alternating sounds, physical tapping or eye movements (hence “eye movement” in EMDR’s title).
EMDR is a therapy that has been extensively researched and proven to be an effective psychotherapy method to help clients recover from trauma and other distressing life experiences including anxiety, depression, PTSD and panic disorder. It has also been found to be effective for many other issues that may bring a client to therapy including, but not limited to, grief, sleep issues, substance misuse and phobias.
As an EMDR trained clinician I am able to provide EMDR therapy to a variety of clients to support their therapy goals.
Somatic Therapy
Somatic Therapy is an umbrella term that covers multiple types of somatic based therapies including, but not limited to, mindfulness therapies, certain psychotherapies, and movement therapies. The common foundation in Somatic Psychology is the concept that difficult life experiences contribute to the patterns of tension in the body and building body awareness helps us access an internal source of wisdom that guides the healing processing. Somatic therapy involves engaging a client’s body awareness and implementing body-based interventions at each individual client’s own pace to insure healing can take place.
Because disturbing emotions often show up in the body in debilitating ways somatic therapy’s goal is to reduce these negative effects. Somatic therapy can potentially help client’s facing depression, anxiety, self-esteem problems, trust and intimacy issues, complicated grief and PTSD.
My training in Somatic Therapy has informed my holistic framework for understanding and working with trauma from a body-centered perspective. Therefore, I can explore different practical tools that help clients access their innate wisdom that support their unique healing process.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
There is ample scientific evidence that CBT is an effective form of therapy. CBT has been found to be effective in treating a range of issues including, but not limited to, depression, anxiety, substance misuse and marital problems. The basis of CBT is focused on a client’s thinking; understanding how that thinking has led to their presenting issues (a.k.a. why a client comes to therapy) and how to help them change their thinking patterns. It also includes helping understanding one’s own thinking and behaviour as well as those around them. CBT involves using practical problem-solving skills to cope with difficult situations.
My Masters program had a CBT focus and I use this as a foundation in my therapy approach with clients as a launching off place because I find CBT can be beneficial to help build a client’s understanding of themselves and add to their coping strategies.