Approaches to counselling
These words guide my practice and work with my clients, and echo the reason I believe this varied approach to therapy is so important:
We adapt to adversity by orienting to our strengths, attending to our pain, and taking charge of the narrative that defines our lives. I believe that we all have the capacity to overcome adversity. However, this requires that we have compassionate support and intelligent guidance. Our injuries do not occur in a vacuum, so our healing cannot occur in one either. Our hurts and losses need to be repaired interpersonally. We cannot heal alone.
Dr. Arielle Schwartz
Counselling therapy uses various approaches to explore and be curious about these main aspects of lived experiences:
Our Behaviour (our actions)
Our Affect (our emotions)
Our Sensations (our senses)
Our Imagery (ability to think in pictures)
Our Cognitions (language-based thinking)
Our Interpersonal Relationships (social & intimate connections)
Our Narrative (stories)
Types of counselling used
In the world of trauma recovery, innovative approaches that merge different disciplines hold immense potential. In my opinion, there is no cookie-cutter, one size fits all to therapy approach. We are all unique humans with our lived experiences that have shaped us to this point in time. It is important to me that I meet my clients where they are, and find ways of healing that fit the client and their ways of feeling 'safe enough,' both in the counselling room and in their world. A variety of different types of treatments may be employed in multimodal therapy. Below is a list of some of the most common types that I utilized in my work with clients. Together, the client and I investigate with compassion and curiosity how the past has shaped us, what we want to keep of the blueprints, and what the client wants to change or alter going forward.
Cognitive Therapy
This type of psychotherapy focuses on the patient’s thoughts and beliefs as being central to their psychological problems or symptoms, rather than focusing on childhood experiences or current events as the cause.
Somatic Therapy
This approach recognizes that our bodies play a crucial role in processing emotions and trauma. It goes beyond traditional talk therapy by incorporating body awareness, movement, and conscious breathing. Somatic therapists work with physical tension patterns and help clients release emotional energy held in the body
Behaviour Therapy
Behaviour therapy focuses on observable behaviours rather than on internal feelings or thoughts, which can be difficult to directly observe. It has been criticized for ignoring unconscious processes that may influence behaviour. However, it is an extremely well-researched treatment, with a long history of being effective when combined with cognitive therapy.
ACT is a type of therapy based on the idea that psychological and emotional difficulties occur when people don’t accept their experiences, resist participating in life or detach from others. Through this form of treatment, patients learn to be mindful of their thoughts and feelings without struggling against them or avoiding them entirely.
Mindfulness therapy incorporates awareness of thoughts, emotions, feelings, surroundings, and situations. It involves conversations that help a person develop greater awareness of their thoughts and the world around them. This increased awareness helps them avoid destructive or automatic responses or habits. Relaxation training through techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, or yoga can reduce stress and anxiety and help people to feel more peaceful. These approaches might involve the help of a therapist or they may be self-directed.
It is an approach to therapy 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.
Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT)
This therapeutic approach helps those struggling with shame and self-criticism. It’s particularly useful for individuals who have experienced early abuse or neglect
The goal of DBT, which is a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy, is to help the patient develop better emotional regulation and distress tolerance skills. This form of treatment was originally developed to treat borderline personality disorder, although it has been shown to be efficacious in treating other disorders as well.
It focuses on what is happening in the body and the nervous system, and explains how our sense of safety, danger or life threat can impact our behavior. Polyvagal Theory gives us a scientific framework that supports the integration of physiological (“bottom-up”) therapies with cognitive (“top-down”) approaches to help change and improve how we feel, think and connect with others.
This type of therapy helps patients explore the interactions between their mood and interpersonal relationships, especially within a social context. It can be used to identify difficulties that may contribute to mental health issues and teach skills for resolving interpersonal problems.
EMDR is a structured protocol for treating post-traumatic stress and related emotions, beliefs, and sensations. It already includes somatic awareness, but therapists with training in somatic interventions enhance embodiment and work with nervous system dysregulation associated with trauma. In summary, somatic EMDR helps individuals process trauma by integrating body awareness, movement, and eye movements during therapy sessions. It’s a powerful combination that supports healing and recovery
Some couples may benefit from treatment that focuses on the emotional aspects of their relationship, which can help them to communicate more effectively and create a deeper connection.
Benefits of Using Various Modalities in Therapy
Using techniques from different modalities can help to increase the cleints motivation for recovery because they are able to take more control over their treatment process, inside of the room and most importantly outside the room.
Clients often feel more satisfied with their treatment if they are able to choose the specific techniques that will be best for them rather than engaging in treatment that is imposed by a therapist.
Can have an effect on a wide range of conditions.
Is often more cost-effective than other treatment options, especially when it comes to treating patients who have multiple mental or physical conditions that could be addressed through several different types of therapies.
Therapists are able to focus treatment on the issues that are most relevant to the patient's condition and experience by utilizing interventions from different modalities rather than just one.
Clients may respond more quickly to treatment that utilizes several different techniques at once.