🔊 although I use the teachings from these modalities - they are not everything.

I decenter pathologizing and recenter the individual as a whole being and the expert of their life.

is to reconnect to the humanization of therapy, to reclaim therapy, to include systems and oppression into our therapy practices and analysis, and to re-humanize therapists (bring them down from some pedestals), as well as to center the person and their cultural and political identities back into the Work.

Decolonizing therapy is an approach and process toward healing from the dehumanizing effects of colonization, imperialism, state-sanctioned violence, and systemic oppression.

Decolonizing therapy is also about challenging a very hostile, violent, and white-dominated system that has a history of “lobotomizing” and pathologizing dissent. -Dr. Jennifer Mullan 

focuses on supporting individuals with current, consistent, on-going and/or past experience of trauma and complex trauma. Trauma focused therapy supports individuals to understand, process, work with and navigate their traumatic experiences.

When a person experiences trauma, it triggers heightened activity in the part of the brain known as the amygdala. This is involved in the regulation of emotions and memory processing.

Research shows the amygdala can be slow to recover from high-intensity trauma. This leads to heightened reactions to everyday stimuli, even in people who seem to recover and don't develop PTSD.

Trauma therapists have additional training in trauma and use skills and strategies that are designed to help people move through, navigate and process the effects of traumatic events without re-traumatizing.

Trauma therapy can help you process your feelings, emotions, somatic and body memories of traumatic events and learn to prioritize community-care, self-care, be patient with yourself, and find ways to not be controlled by your traumatic experience and the impacts of trauma.

focuses on the relationships we have with ourselves and others, emphasizing how these connections shape our experiences, well-being and emotions. In this collaborative process, the therapist and client explore how past experiences, including trauma, influence current feelings and behaviors. By adopting a trauma-informed approach, relational therapy promotes healing, resilience, and a deeper understanding of oneself and one’s relationships.

Trauma-Informed Principles:

Safety: The therapeutic environment is designed to feel safe and supportive. This means creating a space where clients can express themselves without fear of judgment or re-traumatization.

Trustworthiness: The therapist is transparent about the process and maintains clear boundaries. This helps build trust, which is essential for clients who may have experienced betrayal or loss of safety in their past.

Empowerment: Clients are encouraged to take an active role in their therapy. This means they can express their needs, set goals, and make choices about their healing journey, fostering a sense of control.

Collaboration: The therapist and client work as partners. The therapist listens and validates the client’s experiences, helping them to understand how their relationships and past traumas affect their current life.

Cultural, Historical, and Gender Issues: The therapy acknowledges and respects the diverse backgrounds and experiences of clients, understanding that trauma can be influenced by cultural and societal factors.

is based on attachment theory and explores how one’s childhood experiences might impact their ability to form meaningful bonds as adults. Though attachment therapy is often recommended for those who had negative childhood experiences, anyone struggling to foster deep connections with others might benefit therapy.

“In attachment-based therapy, therapists work with people who need help rebuilding trust in relationships, especially because people with dysregulation of attachment tend to fall into difficult interpersonal relationships,” notes Dr. Caroline Fenkel, DSW. She continues, “It really boils down to doing inner-child work. And by that, I mean the therapist helps you get in touch with your inner child in a literal sense—the person you were when you were first wounded or traumatized or abandoned. From there, the therapist helps you to ‘re-parent’ that version of yourself with love and patience, and compassion.” It's almost like switching to a new narrator in your mind. One who is more loving of yourself and believes in you—versus one that fosters fearful thoughts of others abandoning, hurting, or disappointing you.

Attachment theory can also help you realize that you’re capable of taking care of yourself without relying solely on others to bring you a sense of purpose. 

Attachment based therapy supports you in building a secure relatonship with yourself therefore supports you in building secure attachments to others, which is the foundation to deep connections and sustainable and reliable community.

is an approach to psychotherapy that identifies and addresses multiple sub-personalities or families within each person’s mental system. These sub-personalities consist of wounded parts and painful emotions such as anger and shame, and parts that try to control and protect the person from the pain of the wounded parts.

The sub-personalities are often in conflict with each other and with one’s core Self, a concept that describes the confident, compassionate, whole person that is at the core of every individual.

IFS focuses on healing the wounded parts and restoring mental balance and harmony by changing the dynamics that create discord among the sub-personalities and the Self. 

of Experiential Psychotherapy, a body-centered approach, combines somatic awareness with experiential techniques to promote psychological and spiritual growth and transformation.

Hakomi theory holds the body to be a window to unconscious psychological material, and trained practitioners work to help those in therapy identify somatic indicators of unconscious beliefs and then bring these indicators into awareness, thus aiding the process of change.

Hakomi integrates principles of Eastern philosophy, primarily Buddhism and Taoism, emphasizing concepts such as mindfulness, loving presence, and empathy. 

is an approach to psychotherapy that includes recreational activities, various expressive modalities, and other physical and emotional activities. Children, teens, and adults can learn to identify and focus on their feelings through hands-on activities, internal exploration and/or role-play. The goal is to improve overall well-being and move through distressing, challenging, conflicting emotions.

Types of Experiential Therapy include Play therapy, Narrative therapy, Crafting, Roleplay, Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), Dance therapy, Meditation, Guided Visualization, and Somatic Exercises.

is effective for trauma by promoting acceptance of distressing thoughts and feelings rather than avoidance.

Key components include:

Acceptance: Encourages individuals to accept traumatic memories and emotions, reducing the struggle against them.

Cognitive Defusion: Helps distance from unhelpful thoughts, minimizing their impact.

Mindfulness: Fosters present-moment awareness, allowing individuals to observe their experiences without judgment.

Values Clarification: Assists in identifying core values, empowering meaningful actions despite trauma.

Committed Action: Encourages taking steps toward values, helping regain a sense of agency.

Self-as-Context: Promotes a sense of identity separate from trauma, fostering resilience.

Overall, ACT helps individuals navigate their experiences, fostering acceptance and a meaningful life alongside their challenges.

Techniques such as play therapy are commonly used to engage younger children and help them express their feelings nonverbally. Children’s sessions are often more structured, using games and other activities to facilitate communication and learning. Parental involvement is often crucial as it helps reinforce therapeutic concepts and techniques outside of therapy. We will use directive and non-directive play therapy, depending on the individuals needs.

Adolescent therapy falls in between adult and child therapy. Therapy for teens addresses specific developmental issues, including puberty, gender identity, sexuality, intersecting positionalities, social and peer pressures, family concerns, and academic challenges. It also typically involves more structured sessions, tailored engagement and communication styles, and requires parental consent for minors. However, an essential focus in teen therapy is providing a zone of privacy where they can explore their growing independence and have a safe space to express personal matters independently of their parents. What adolescents share is confidential in therapy.

Overall, adolescent therapy offers the same therapeutic experience as adult therapy for teens. However, it primarily focuses on issues of adolescent development and provides support for issues that teens face while tailoring the experience to their communication styles and needs.

is a process in psychology and neuroscience that refers to the way memories are re-stabilized after they have been retrieved. When a memory is recalled, it becomes temporarily malleable and can be altered before it is stored again. This process allows for the integration of new information or the modification of existing memories based on new experiences or insights.

The key stages of memory reconsolidation include:

Retrieval: When a memory is recalled, it is brought into a labile state, meaning it is susceptible to change.

Modification: During this period, the memory can be updated or altered. This can happen through new experiences, emotional responses, or even therapeutic interventions.

Restabilization: After a certain period, the memory is re-stored in a more stable form, which may include the modifications made during the retrieval phase.

This process has important implications for understanding how memories can be changed, the nature of traumatic memories, and the potential for therapeutic approaches in treating conditions like PTSD, where unhelpful memories may be reprocessed to reduce their emotional impact.

Here are a few therapeutic modalities that are used to support memory reconsolidating:

Psychodynamic Therapy focuses on unconscious processes as they are manifested in the person's present behavior. The goals of psychodynamic therapy are client self-awareness and understanding of the influence of the past on present behavior.

*IFS

*Somatic Experiencing

*Mindfulness-Based Therapies

*Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

*Play Therapy

Coherence Therapy is a therapeutic approach that focuses on resolving emotional and cognitive processes underlying symptoms. It emphasizes the importance of aligning conscious beliefs with unconscious emotional experiences.

Key aspects include:

*Emotional Learning: Symptoms arise from unresolved emotional experiences that need integration.

*Unconscious Beliefs: Clients explore hidden beliefs contributing to their difficulties.

*Integration: The goal is to help clients integrate these experiences, leading to symptom resolution.

*Client-Centered: The therapist collaborates with the client to facilitate understanding and healing.

*Brief and Focused: It aims for significant change in a relatively short time.

Overall, Coherence Therapy helps create coherence between conscious and unconscious experiences, promoting healing and personal growth.

Person-Centered Therapy to relying on your own wisdom and strength because individuals have a tendency towards self-actualization and the desire to discover and uncover their potential.

Feminist Therapy to  analyze the impact of broader systemic issues and advocate for justice and liberation.

Systems Therapy

Narrative Therapy to create empowering stories by rewriting unhelpful ones.

Culturally Responsive/Affirming Therapy to approach situations with an understanding of and respect for your needs and cultural values.

Gender Affirming Therapy 

Multigenerational Family Systems Therapy seeks to identify how the family's current challenges is a result of generational patterns.

Solution Focused Therapy and Coaching to build on top of your strengths and skills to reach your goals.

Strength Based Therapy to build on your own inner strengths instead of trying to fix “weaknesses or deficits”. Everyone has character strengths, core patterns of thinking and behaving that are adaptive and, when used intentionally, benefits the individual and those around them.