It is important as a consumer to know what different types of therapies are available. There are many different theories our therapists pull from to make sure to target the concerns you bring to therapy. We encourage you to talk with your therapist about your treatment and to ask questions about what therapeutic approach is being taken. Below is some information on commonly used therapeutic approaches:

Cognitive Therapy

First, lets learn about cognitive therapy. Cognitive therapies focus on changing one’s attitude, perceptions and perspectives towards both oneself and situations to healthier and more positive ones. Many people develop cognitive distortions that require examination. Examples of cognitive distortions include: mind reading, over generalizing, exaggeration or minimization, self-fulfilling prophecies and more.

The Cognitive approach operates under the idea that our perceptions create our realities; therefore if we can learn to view things in a more positive and healthy light our lives will likely be improved. Cognitive therapy can help you to become more aware of potential biases in your thinking and helping to become more cognizant of making conscious changes in your attitude and thought responses to life experiences or events.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Second is CBT which emphasizes the need for a change in the way one is thinking to promote and maintain behavior change. Behavior therapy is founded on the idea that our behaviors are maintained based upon the consequences of the behavior. CBT involves learning new skills (e.g. communication, problem solving, etc…) through Cognitive techniques and learning how to reinforce desired behaviors in both yourself and others.

According to a 2012 review of the research done by the National Institutes of Health, they concluded “the evidence-base of CBT is very strong, and especially for treating anxiety disorders.” Cognitive Behavioral Therapy has been show to also be effective in helping with stress management, bulimia, children with internalizing disorders and addiction to cannabis or nicotine.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

Next we want to tell you about DBT which is a form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy that focuses on developing healthier coping skills for those who struggle more significantly with emotion regulation and managing distress. DBT is a treatment developed for treating severe and persistent emotional and behavioral issues. Also, it focuses on treating concerns including self-injury, personality disorders, emotion regulation disorders, suicide and more.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy has been found to be especially helpful for those who are struggling with one or more of the following:

• Managing Emotions
• Cutting and Self-Injury
• Anger Management
• Suicidal Ideation
• Interpersonal Conflicts
• Confusion About Oneself

It was developed by Marsha Linehan and was originally developed to treat Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Linehan observed that people with BPD tend to have difficulty regulating emotions. Though the treatment was originally developed to treat BPD, research has shown it is helpful in treating depression, anxiety, self-harm and eating disorders.

In the DBT, you will learn about five key areas:

• Core Mindfulness – learn to stay present, mindful and live in the moment
• Emotion Regulation – learn ways to manage strong emotions
• Distress Tolerance – learn how to stay nonjudgmental and accepting
• Interpersonal Effectiveness – learn how to improve your relationships with others
• Walking the Middle Path – learn how to look at all sides of a situation and find balance

Collaborative Counseling offers both individual DBT and group DBT services.

Narrative Therapy

As humans, we are meaning making machines and we constantly make meaning of our lives and experiences. Narrative therapy helps you separate the stories you tell yourself from who we actually are. It views problems we experience as something separate from us and is sometimes described as therapy focused on “re-authoring” or re-storying” the stories of our life. Narrative therapy tends to be a process requiring curiosity. And you learn your own perspectives within your story about yourself, what has happened, other people and events in your history.

Narrative therapy focuses on the stories of your life and how you have come to interpret yourself, others and the world around you. Life is complicated, so we find ways to explain and make meaning of it. These explanations, the stories we tell ourselves, organize our experiences and shape our behavior. Through processing your narratives (stories of your life) and looking at how you have interpreted these experiences. And you may find different interpretations to be more helpful.

Solution Focused Therapy

Solution Focused therapy focuses on empowering you to use your resourcefulness and skills to manage your problems. This is considered a brief therapy meaning you can expect a short-term therapy that focuses on the current concerns and learning to solve your own problems. This therapy focuses on your strengths and the skills you have demonstrated from solving other problems in your life. Through this process you learn to use your skills and abilities to solve your current concerns or problems.

Humanistic (Person-Centered)

Humanistic psychology focuses on having empathy, warmth and positive regard for clients in counseling. Therapists operating from a Humanistic perspective believe you know the direction you need to head in and that you are the expert of yourself and your life. Humanistic therapists tend to have a focus on helping clients to move towards self-actualization, which is about helping you to become the best you can.

Humanistic therapies tend to focus on developing self awareness, mindfulness and other skills to help you change your state of mind and behavior. This therapy aims to help you to be more in alignment with who you want to be or become. You can expect more of a focus on the positive aspects of yourself in therapists who utilize this approach.

Interpersonal Therapy

Interpersonal therapy focuses on interpersonal relationships and improving social functioning. This therapy focuses on conflicts, changes in life, grief and interpersonal deficits. It teaches you how to improve the above areas to enable you to have better relationships and social connectedness. Like Solution Focused Therapy, this approach tends to be brief and time limited.

We hope that knowing more about your options for different types of therapies is helpful. Please feel free to learn more at www.collaborativemn.com or call us at 763-210-9966.