Therapeutic Models
Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR)
Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) allows a client to access memories of a trauma/conditioning event in very specific ways. Combined with eye movements, tapping or audio bilateral stimulation and guided instructions, accessing those memories helps the client reprocess the impact of a negative event. That reprocessing helps “repair” the mental injury from that memory which can impact client's negative view of self, others and the world. EMDR can alleviate and even completely eradicate symptoms of trauma, depresion, anxiety, OCD as well as other mental health challenges.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
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. Numerous research studies suggest that CBT leads to significant improvement in functioning and quality of life.
Narrative Therapy
Michael White and David Epston developed Narrative Therapy in 1980. They thought that an individual should see themselves as making a mistake, rather than seeing themselves as bad, per se. In this approach, the individual is respectful of the self and does not point blame or judgment inward. A good narrative helps a person to process and clarify what they experience.
Internal Family Systems
Internal Family Systems (IFS), developed by Richard Schwartz in the 1980s, is a therapy model built on the idea that the mind is naturally made up of multiple “parts,” each with its own feelings, beliefs, and role, and that this multiplicity is normal rather than pathological. Parts fall into three groups: Managers (proactive protectors that keep life running through planning, perfectionism, and control), Firefighters (reactive protectors that jump in when pain breaks through, via substance use, binging, dissociation, or rage), and Exiles (young, vulnerable parts that carry the pain, shame, and fear from earlier experiences, often trauma, and get locked away). Beneath the parts is the Self, a core of calm, curiosity, compassion, clarity, confidence, courage, creativity, and connectedness (the “8 C’s”) that is never damaged and can lead the system. Analogy: think of a family where the Self is the capable parent, the Managers are the over-anxious relatives running the household, the Firefighters are the ones who bolt out the door when things get hot, and the Exiles are the hurt kids hidden in the basement.