May 2024
🐰🐰 Exploring Paths to Healing: A Guide to Different Therapy Approaches
"I believe that a different therapy must be constructed for each patient because each has a unique story." – Irvin D. Yalom
“Sadly, too often, the stigma around mental health prevents people who need help from seeking it. But that simply doesn’t make any sense. Whether an illness affects your heart, your arm, or your brain, it’s still an illness, and there shouldn’t be any distinction. We should make it clear that getting help isn’t a sign of weakness.” - Michelle Obama
The only constant is change...
In the world of psychotherapy, there are a number of therapy approaches, each with its own unique path towards healing and personal growth. This month let’s look at a few of the modalities that I draw from: Narrative Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Psychodynamic Therapy. We’ll take a look at how each modality works, what you can do to prepare for your sessions, and how we will assess your progress.
Narrative Therapy
At the heart of Narrative Therapy lies the power of storytelling. This approach acknowledges that we construct our realities through the narratives we tell ourselves about our lives. The therapist acts as a collaborator, guiding clients to explore and reconstruct these narratives, empowering them to reinterpret their experiences in a way that fosters resilience and agency.
How it Works:
Externalizing Problems: Narrative Therapy encourages clients to externalize their issues, separating them from their identities. By viewing problems as separate entities, individuals can gain a sense of control and perspective over their challenges.
Re-authoring Stories: Through dialogue and reflection, clients are invited to rewrite their life stories, emphasizing strengths, values, and preferred narratives. This process enables them to craft new, empowering perspectives that shape their present and future.
Preparation:
Before your session, take some time for self-reflection. Consider the stories you tell yourself about your life and the challenges you face.
Bring any journals, artwork, or meaningful objects that represent your experiences. These can serve as valuable starting points for exploration.
Goal-Setting:
Think about the narratives you wish to rewrite or reshape. What aspects of your story do you want to change or reclaim?
Set specific goals for your sessions, such as reframing negative experiences, identifying strengths, or creating alternative narratives that align with your values.
Progress Tracking:
Notice shifts in how you perceive and talk about your experiences. Are you beginning to view challenges from a different perspective?
Pay attention to moments of empowerment or newfound insights. These are signs that your narrative is evolving in a positive direction.
Solution-Focused Therapy
As its name suggests, Solution-Focused Therapy directs attention towards solutions rather than dwelling on problems. Grounded in the belief we already possess the resources to create positive change, this approach focuses on identifying and amplifying these strengths to achieve desired outcomes efficiently.
How it Works:
Identifying Goals: Therapists collaboratively work with clients to identify clear, achievable goals. By envisioning the desired future, clients gain motivation and direction.
Scaling Questions: Solution-Focused Therapy often employs scaling questions to gauge progress and amplify small successes. By acknowledging incremental improvements, clients build confidence and momentum towards their goals.
Preparation:
Reflect on times in your life when you've successfully overcome challenges or achieved goals. What strengths and resources did you draw upon?
Consider what you hope to accomplish through therapy and what a future without your current struggles might look like.
Goal-Setting:
Identify clear, specific goals that align with your values and aspirations. What changes do you want to see in your life, and how will you know when you've achieved them?
Break down larger goals into smaller, actionable steps that you can work towards between sessions.
Progress Tracking:
Keep a journal or log of small victories and moments of progress, no matter how seemingly insignificant.
Notice shifts in your mindset and behavior as you implement solutions and make changes. Celebrate these milestones as indicators of growth and resilience.
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Trauma-Focused CBT is tailored specifically for individuals who have experienced trauma, aiming to address the complex interplay between thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that arise from traumatic experiences. This approach integrates cognitive-behavioral techniques with trauma-informed care to promote healing and recovery.
How it Works:
Psychoeducation: Clients learn about the physiological and psychological effects of trauma, gaining insights into their reactions and symptoms.
Skill-Building: Therapists teach coping skills such as grounding techniques, emotion regulation, and cognitive restructuring to help clients manage distressing symptoms and navigate triggers effectively.
Preparation:
Be prepared to engage in exercises and discussions that may bring up difficult emotions or memories. Practice self-care techniques that help you regulate your emotions and feel grounded.
Communicate any specific triggers or sensitivities to your therapist, so they can tailor the therapy to your needs.
Goal-Setting:
Collaborate with your therapist to set trauma-specific goals that address your unique needs and concerns. These may include reducing symptoms of anxiety or PTSD, improving coping skills, or rebuilding a sense of safety and trust.
Break down larger goals into manageable steps, focusing on gradual exposure to triggers and the development of healthy coping strategies.
Progress Tracking:
Notice changes in your symptoms and emotional responses over time. Are you experiencing fewer flashbacks or nightmares? Are you better able to manage feelings of anxiety or dissociation?
Monitor improvements in your ability to cope with triggers and navigate challenging situations. Celebrate moments of resilience and self-compassion as signs of progress and healing.
Psychodynamic Therapy
Rooted in the theories of Freud and Jung, Psychodynamic Therapy delves into the unconscious mind, exploring how past experiences and relational dynamics influence present thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. This approach emphasizes self-awareness, insight, and the therapeutic relationship as catalysts for change.
How it Works:
Uncovering Unconscious Patterns: Through free association, dream analysis, and exploration of transference and countertransference, clients gain insight into unconscious patterns that shape their lives.
Working Through Resistance: Psychodynamic Therapy acknowledges and addresses resistance as a natural part of the therapeutic process, helping clients confront and overcome barriers to change.
In conclusion, while each psychotherapeutic approach offers a distinct lens through which to view and address mental health challenges, they all share a common goal: to empower individuals on their journey towards healing and wholeness. Whether through restructuring narratives, amplifying strengths, processing trauma, or exploring the depths of the unconscious, the path to healing is as varied and unique as the individuals who walk it.
Preparation:
Prepare to engage in open and honest exploration of your thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Reflect on any recurring patterns or themes in your life that you'd like to explore further.
Keep an open mind and be willing to delve into the deeper layers of your psyche, even if it feels uncomfortable at times.
Goal-Setting:
Collaborate with your therapist to identify underlying patterns and dynamics that may be contributing to your current struggles. What unresolved conflicts or past experiences do you want to explore?
Set goals for gaining insight, resolving inner conflicts, and developing a deeper understanding of yourself and your relationships.
Progress Tracking:
Notice shifts in your awareness and understanding of your inner world. Are you gaining new insights into your motivations, fears, and desires?
Pay attention to changes in your relationships and interactions with others. Are you developing healthier boundaries, communication skills, and coping mechanisms?
Unique & special May holidays:
Some of my favorites:
National month for: Gifts from the Garden
May 3 World Press Freedom Day
May 18 International Museum Day
May 31 World No Tobacco Day
I'm grateful to know you and I thank you for letting me be a part of your journey. Please let me know if there is anything more I can be doing to support you.
"In therapy, I see myself in the mirror differently." – Ricky Williams
Helpful Numbers:
I recommend adding these to your contacts in your phone. If you don't need them, you might be able to share them with someone who does.
Suicide Prevention Lifeline: the new 988 line is live! 988 is the new Suicide Prevention Lifeline number. It's exciting to have an easy-to-remember number available to access crisis support quickly. The old number remains active as well: 1-800-273-8255
Text crisis line... you can send a text to 741741 and just write HOME and someone will get right back to you. https://www.crisistextline.org/text-us/
Trans Lifeline: (877) 565-8860
National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-7233
Credits:
