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Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of psychological treatment that has been demonstrated to be effective for a range of problems including depression, anxiety disorders, alcohol and drug use problems, marital problems, eating disorders and severe mental illness. It is focused on creating positive changes in thinking or behavioral patterns. In many studies, CBT has been demonstrated to be as effective as, or more effective than, other forms of psychological therapy or psychiatric medications, and can lead to significant improvement in functioning and quality of life.

CBT therapists emphasize what is going on in the person’s current life, rather than what has led up to their difficulties. The focus is on moving forward in time to develop more effective ways of coping with life.

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) treatment is a type of psychotherapy — or talk therapy — that utilizes a cognitive-behavioral approach. DBT emphasizes the psychosocial aspects of treatment.

The theory behind the approach is that some people are prone to react in a more intense manner toward certain emotional situations, primarily those found in romantic, family and friend relationships. DBT theory suggests that some people’s arousal levels in such situations can increase far more quickly than the average person’s, attain a higher level of emotional stimulation, and take a significant amount of time to return to baseline arousal levels. Because few people understand such reactions — most of all their own family and a childhood that emphasized invalidation — they don’t have any methods for coping with these sudden, intense surges of emotion. DBT is a method for teaching skills that will help in this task.

Evidence-Based Therapy (EBT), more broadly referred to as evidence-based practice (EBP), refers to any therapy that been proven effective in peer-reviewed scientific experiments, rather than those based solely on theory.Two of the main goals behind evidence-based practice are increased quality of treatment, and increased accountability. Meeting these goals will make it more likely that patients will only pay for and undergo treatments that have shown to be effective.

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is a type of psychotherapy that involves a combination of cognitive therapy, meditation, and the cultivation of a present-oriented, non-judgmental attitude called “mindfulness.” It is sometimes used to help patients with chronic depression learn how to avoid relapses by not engaging in those thought patterns that perpetuate and worsen depression. ​A primary assumption of cognitive therapy is that thoughts precede moods and that false self-beliefs lead to negative emotions such as depression. The goal of cognitive therapy is to help you recognize and re-assess your patterns of negative thoughts and replace them with positive thoughts that more closely reflect reality.

The MBCT program is a group intervention that lasts eight weeks. During this time, participants might be taught what’s known as the 3-minute breathing space technique that focuses on observing one’s experience (How are you doing right now?), focusing on breath, and attending to the body and physical sensations. Other techniques include body scan exercise, yoga, walking and sitting meditations, sitting with thoughts, sitting with sounds, and mindfulness stretching. Much of the practice is done outside of class.

Motivational interviewing is a directive, client-centered counseling style for eliciting behavior change by helping clients to explore and resolve ambivalence. There are as many variations in technique as there are clinical encounters. The spirit of the method, however, is more enduring and can be characterized in a few key points.

1. Motivation to change is elicited from the client, and not imposed from without.
2. It is the client’s task, not the counselor’s, to articulate and resolve his or her ambivalence.
3. Direct persuasion is not an effective method for resolving ambivalence.

4. The counseling style is generally a quiet and eliciting one.
5. The counselor is directive in helping the client to examine and resolve ambivalence.
6. Readiness to change is not a client trait, but a fluctuating product of interpersonal interaction. The therapist is therefore highly attentive and responsive to the client’s motivational signs.
   7. The therapeutic relationship is more like a partnership or companionship than expert/recipient roles. are characteristic of a motivational interviewing style.

Solution-focused therapy, also called solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) places far more importance on discussing solutions than problems. Of course, you must discuss the problem to find a solution, but beyond understanding what the problem is and deciding how to address it, solution-focused therapy will not dwell on every detail of the problem you are experiencing.

Solution-focused brief therapy doesn’t require a deep dive into your childhood and the ways in which your past has influenced your present. Instead, it will root your sessions firmly in the present while working toward a future in which your current problems have less of an impact on your life. SFBT therapists aim to bring out the skills, strengths, and abilities that clients already possess rather than attempting to build new competencies from scratch.

SFBT has been successfully applied in individual, couples, and family therapy. The problems it can address are wide-ranging, from the normal stressors of life to high-impact life events. The only realm in which SFBT is generally not recommended is that of the more extreme mental health issues, such as schizophrenia or major depressive disorder.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most commonly diagnosed mental disorder of children, but can also affect teens and adults. More common with boys than girls, it’s usually discovered when a child exhibits trouble with impulse control or paying attention. Likewise, adults with ADHD may have trouble managing time, being organized, setting goals, and holding down a job. They may also have problems with relationships, self-esteem, and addiction.

Fear and anxiety often occur together but the terms are not interchangeable. Anxiety is an unpleasant sense of apprehension that is often a response to an imprecise or unknown threat. It can be accompanied by many uncomfortable sensations, which may include headaches, pain or numbness, accelerated heart rate, shortness of breath or dizziness.

Fear is an emotional response to a definite threat. When faced with fear, most people will experience the physical reactions that are described under anxiety. But the subtle distinctions between the two may be important for treatment strategies.

Sadness, and having a loss of interest in daily activities are familiar feelings for all of us. But if they persist, the issue may be depression. It may be triggered by a major life event, such as bereavement or the loss of a job. However, doctors only consider feelings of grief to be part of depression if they persist.

Depression is twice as common in women as men, and can also impact teens and college students. It is an ongoing problem that can last for several weeks, months, or years. Symptoms include anxiety, irritability, fatigue, loss of appetite or sexual desire, dwelling on negative thoughts, and recurrent thoughts of death or suicide.

Religious trauma occurs when an individual struggles with leaving a religion or a set of beliefs that has led to their indoctrination. It often involves the trauma of breaking away from a controlling environment, lifestyle, or religious figure.

Adjusting to change can be difficult with even positive life transitions.  Other transitions, such as moving, retirement, or entering the “empty nest” phase of life may cause a significant amount of stress.

Because change can cause stress, it can have an effect on one’s daily life. A person facing a big change might, for example, experience depression, anxiety, or fatigue; have headaches; develop trouble sleeping or eating well; or abuse drugs and alcohol.

Self-esteem is an individual’s subjective evaluation of his or her own worth. Self-esteem encompasses beliefs about oneself (for example, “I am unloved”, “I am worthy”) as well as emotional states, such as triumph, despair, pride, and shame.

Self-Image

Self-image also refers to how you see yourself, but it can be based on false and inaccurate thoughts about ourselves and is generally not completely in line with objective reality or with the way others perceive us.

Self-Worth

Where self-esteem is what we think, feel, and believe about ourselves, self-worth is the more global recognition that we are valuable human beings worthy of love.

Self-Confidence

Self-confidence is about your trust in yourself and your ability to deal with challenges. It is based more on external measures of success and value than the internal measures that contribute to self-esteem.

Self-Efficacy

Self-efficacy refers to the belief in one’s ability to succeed at certain tasks. Unlike self-esteem, self-efficacy is more specific rather than global, and it is based on external success rather than internal worth.

Self-Compassion

Being self-compassionate means we are kind and forgiving to ourselves, and that we avoid being harsh or overly critical of ourselves. Self-compassion can lead us to a healthy sense of self-esteem, but it is not in and of itself self-esteem