Common Therapy Modalities
Talk Therapy
Talk Therapy is a form of mental health treatment where individuals engage in conversations with a psychotherapist. The goal is to explore thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and experiences in a safe and non-judgmental environment.
There are various forms of talk therapy, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Psychodynamic Therapy, and Person-Centered Therapy, each tailored to different issues or approaches to healing. A therapist may choose to pull from a combination of these modalities or choose one based on the client's needs. Talk therapy is highly adaptable and can be short-term or long-term, depending on an individual’s needs and goals.
This modality can address a variety of mental health issues, such as anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship problems, or general everyday stress.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on shifting the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of an individual. It is used to help individuals identify and change negative patterns of thinking and behavior that are causing problems in their lives.
Some core concepts in CBT include:
Thought-Feeling-Behavior Cycle: The core of CBT is understanding how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are connected. For example, a negative thought (“I’m not good enough”) can lead to negative emotions (feeling sad or anxious), which then might result in negative behaviors (withdrawing from social activities).
Cognitive Distortions: CBT helps people recognize negative or distorted thinking patterns. These are automatic, irrational thoughts that often make situations seem worse than they are, such as thinking, “I’m a failure” or “Nothing ever goes right.”
Behavioral Changes: CBT encourages shifts in behavior that will decrease negative thoughts and experiences. Interventions may include exposure therapy to reduce fears around a particular event, or a behavioral “activation” plan to increase positive behaviors.
Each CBT intervention is designed to help individuals make gradual, sustainable changes to their behavior, which in turn helps improve emotional regulation and overall mental health.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy designed to help people manage intense emotions, improve relationships, and handle stress in healthier ways. It was originally developed to treat individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD), but it’s now used for a variety of mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and substance abuse.
There are four core categories of skills in DBT:
Mindfulness: This involves learning to stay present in the moment without judgment. Mindfulness skills help individuals become more attuned to their thoughts, feelings, and surroundings, so they can respond thoughtfully, rather than reacting impulsively.
Distress Tolerance: This teaches skills to handle painful or difficult emotions and situations without making them worse. It’s about learning how to cope with crises in a healthy way instead of turning to harmful behaviors (like self-harm or substance use).
Emotion Regulation: These skills help individuals understand and manage their emotions more effectively. Emotion regulation tools are about identifying emotions, reducing emotional vulnerability, and increasing positive emotions in day-to-day life.
Interpersonal Effectiveness: This focuses on improving relationships by teaching skills for healthy communication, setting boundaries, and handling conflicts. It helps individuals express their needs while maintaining respect for themselves and others.
Throughout DBT, the therapist helps individuals to take a "dialectical" approach, which means balancing two opposing forces: acceptance and change. The goal of DBT is ultimately to help people accept their emotions and experiences as they are, while also working to change harmful behaviors.
With psychotherapy…
We can help you better understand your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors so that you can develop new coping strategies and ways of thinking that improve your overall well-being.