Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
ACT, or Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, is a form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). It is sometimes distinguished from earlier forms of CBT and may be called a third-wave CBT model because it focuses even more on behavior, values, and choice and has a refined approach to working with thoughts, or cognition. From an ACT perspective, it is how you relate to and respond to thoughts and feelings that create struggle rather than the specific thoughts and feelings themselves. It is the power of thoughts and feelings to throw you off track in life and to keep you from living your life the way that you want that is the problem. Through an integrative and personalized ACT-oriented approach, we consider psychological processes (thinking, feeling, attention, perspective taking, motivation, and behavior) in addition to biological and social / cultural factors when deciding how to best support you to meet your goals.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, TEAM-CBT (Testing, Empathy, Agenda Setting, Methods)
TEAM-CBT is a form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy developed and popularized by Dr. David Burns. TEAM stands for Testing, Empathy, Agenda Setting, and Methods. It differs from standard, classical CBT, in that it adds more of the “E” (empathy) and “A” (agenda-setting) to traditional CBT. More Empathy means feeling heard, understood, validated, and respected by your therapist. More Agenda-setting means clients set the course for change, and that they do so with new insight into what matters to them deeply.
Mindfulness-Based Therapies
Mindfulness-based therapy includes Mindful Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), and Self Compassion. Mindfulness based therapies are much more than a collection of practices or another mindfulness app. They combine the ideas of cognitive and behavior therapy with meditative practices and attitudes based on the cultivation of mindfulness. They are also designed in response to your unique patterns of relating to your inner and outer experience.
Communications Training: Non-Violent Communication (NVC) and TEAM-CBT 5 Secrets of Effective Communication
NVC is about a lot more than communication. It is about retraining yourself to see yourself and others through a lens of clarity, connection, and motivation. When seen this way, everything you do, you do in an attempt to meet an important underlying need or because it aligns with your deepest values. The same is true for others. Your thoughts, feelings, and actions reveal what matters to you. This matches perfectly with the underlying assumptions of the other Cognitive Behavioral Therapy approaches I use. NVC is especially helpful in learning new communications skills to build connection, cooperation, and understanding with others, even when there is a history or pattern of conflict.
TEAM-CBT also includes a powerful set of methods for improving your communication. It isolates 5 specific, trainable effective communication skills which can support you in both personal and professional relationships, the “5 Secrets” of Effective Communication: Disarming, Thought and Feeling Empathy, Inquiry, I-Feel statements, and Respect.
Productivity / Executive Functioning Skills / Habit Development
What specifically do you want to get better at, and where do you get stuck? How do you want to be spending your time? I draw from a wide range of productivity strategies, behavior training, executive skills coaching, and habit development tools to customize supports specific to your goals, your environment, and your unique strengths and challenges. The following are a list of researchers, approaches, or habit development specialists whose work I am familiar with and incorporate: Cal Newport (Computer Science Professor / Productivity Author) , Katy Milkman (Researcher), James Clear (Author, Atomic Habits), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and ADHD Clinical Application- especially as taught by Russell Barkley, David Nowell, and Dawson Guare.