I trained in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Therapy, and this is an approach I very much enjoy using with clients. This type of therapy can help us to reduce stress in our lives by using meditation and mindfulness techniques. Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present with the awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment, while using a gentle, nurturing lens. It involves using acceptance, meaning that we pay attention to our thoughts and feelings without judging them, and without believing, for instance, that there is a "right" or "wrong" way to think or feel in a given moment. When we practice mindfulness, our thoughts tune into what we are sensing in the present moment rather than rehashing the past or imagining the future. Mindfulness is a quality that every human being already possesses, it is not something you have to conjure up, you just have to learn how to access it. Per the example I gave above, we first noticed the part of us that was feeling sad, accepted that part just as it was, and allowed it to be there without criticizing it in any type of way. We were then able to understand why the sadness was there and how it was affecting us. When we are practicing mindfulness regularly when our thoughts and emotions come up, this can help us to connect and be more present with ourselves, others and our surroundings. Therefore, we can start to have deeper, richer and more meaningful experiences within our everyday lives. 

This is one of my favorite therapies to do with clients because of how easy it is to teach and to learn. I had the privilege to train with the founder of Self-Compassion Therapy, Kristen Neff,and I have been using this therapy with clients and with myself for many years. I believe this therapy is essential in order to heal and recover from whatever we are going through and is a necessary foundation to feeling better long term. This type of therapy is exactly what is says it is, which is, learning how to be compassionate towards ourselves. Often times we can be hard on ourselves with many different things that are going on in our lives. We might do this by using harsh language in which we may call ourselves names and/or beat ourselves up for making mistakes. While we think this type of language might motivate us to do better, it often does the exact opposite, and can leave us feeling much worse, which in turn, can make us feel more depressed and more anxious. The good news is, there is a lot of research done on self-compassion therapy that shows the more compassionate we are towards ourselves the better we will feel in the long-term. If you are interested in learning how to use self-compassion therapy, feel free to read through an article I wrote, which can be found in "Articles" under the Resources tab.

I was fortunate to have trained in internal family systems therapy (IFS) over the course of a year when I was completing my masters degree, and I was trained by a clinical therapist who was well versed in this therapy. This type of therapy helps clients to identify, relate to and understand that there are different parts that make up each individual. With the example I gave above, this therapy would say that "Not all of you are sad, but only one part of you is." There will be other parts of you that will have difficult emotions attached in addition to the sadness, which might be anger, frustration, disappointment and so on. One of the goals with this therapy is to understand that all of these parts is what makes a person whole, not just one part. After this is understood, the goal is to take each of those parts you are going through and to help you explore your thoughts, feelings and behaviors in relation to how they are affecting you. Once this is completed, the next step is to help you to build a friendship with each part, and to help you to get to know each part in an intimate way. As you begin to spend time getting to know each of your parts and how they operate in your life, you can then begin to create a healthy and positive change. 

Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) is one of the most popular and most effective treatments for numerous mental health issues. This is a therapy I learned when I first started training as a clinician. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to go to the CBT institute where I learned first-hand how to use CBT with clients who have depression and anxiety. To break down CBT in simple terms, this therapy is about how our thoughts affect our feelings and how our feelings affect our behaviors. Per the example I gave above, CBT can help us reframe negative thought patterns into healthy thought patterns. This can be done by helping you to step out of a situation you are in and to look at it in a more objectionable way without your emotions being involved, which is often done through reframing situations. Once you can reframe a situation and look at it in a healthier way, you will then begin to think and feel better. One of the reasons why CBT works so efficiently and rapidly is because it points out inaccurate negative thinking patterns very quickly, and challenges us to make immediate changes. Often times we can see progress within just a few weeks.