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Therapy does not solve your problems, it supports your efforts to increase your coping skills, which in turn increases your problem solving skills . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY: CBT is a psychological approach based on scientific principles and which research has shown to be effective for a wide range of problems. The cognitive component in Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapy refers to how people think about and create meaning about situations, symptoms and events in their lives and develop beliefs about themselves, others and the world. Cognitive therapy uses techniques to help people become more aware of how they reason, and the kinds of “automatic thought s” that spring to mind and give meaning to things. CBT is based on the scientific fact that our thoughts cause our feelings and behaviors, not external things, like people, situations, and events. The benefit of this fact is that we can change the way we think to feel & act better even if the situation does not change.
DIALECTICAL BEHAVIORAL THERAPY: DBT assumes that emotions themselves, their intensity, duration, and perceived nonspecific manifestation are the primary causative factor in psychological stress. DBT presumes that the emotional intensity is caused by dialectic (two opposing thoughts or feelings) between self and their environment. DBT is a therapy approach which is effective for clients who experienced intense emotional pain that they attempt to avoid or escape. They attempt to escape from feeling what they feel, in spite of the fact that they still report intense emotional discomfort. A central principle of DBT, therefore, it is that acceptance of emotional pain decreases it. DBT believes that clients are doing the best they can, and they need to do better; while clients may not have caused all their problems, they are responsible for finding their solutions. DBT has four components: MINDFULNESS, DISTRESS TOLERANCE, EMOTIONAL REGULATION SKILLS, AND INTERPERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS SKILLS.
STRESS MANAGEMENT: We live in a stressed-out society. We are stressed-out by finances, family problems, family conflicts, marital problems, parenting problems, occupational problems, medical problems and a host of anxiety provoking situations on a daily basis. Most individuals have minimal ability to reduce the stressors in their life. It is this “stress response” that creates the “Chronic Stress Syndrome.” What that may mean for you: [Depression, Anxiety, Fatigue, Disturbed Sleep, Irritability, Anger Outbursts, Decreased Concentration, Decreased Motivation, Decreased Energy, Aches and Pains, Weight Loss or Weight Gain, Indecisiveness, Chronic Worry, Loss of Interest in Activities, Loss of Pleasure In Activities, Feeling Overwhelmed, Feeling Inadequate, Feeling Agitated & Restless]. Although an individual may not have all of them, and although the symptoms may be mild to moderately intense, early treatment can help to prevent further decline and impairment in daily functioning. Treatment depends on the severity of the symptoms; mild, moderate, severe, and the length of time the symptoms have existed; several weeks, several months, six months, 12 months, or perhaps several years. TREATMENT INCLUDES: Behavioral Changes: Diaphragmatic Relaxation,, Autogenic/Biofeedback, Progressive Relaxation, Hypnosuggestive Relaxation. Cognitive Changes: Changing Distorted Thinking, Emotional Regulation. Exercise, Nutritional Changes, Social Support Development, Therapy & Counseling.
BEHAVIORAL MARITAL THERAPY: BMT believes that to improve the quality of a marriage/ relationship, it is imperative that the partners change their behavior patterns. The substance of marriage has two ingredients: (1) the way the partners behave to each other,and (2) the personal feelings which the behavior exchanges produce. The totality of a marriage/relationship is determined by "how the spouses behave in relation to each other." (The behavior of one spouse is often a reaction to changes in his partner's behavior; the reaction, in turn, causes additional changes in the pattern's behavior ....it becomes an action-reaction circular pattern. BMT helps partners change their own actions and reactions to change the negative patterns for a more satisfying and fulfilling relationship. BMT has six major components, 1. Commitment, 2. Communication, 3. Cherishing Behaviors, 4. Performance Behaviors, 5. Decision Behaviors, & 6. Conflict Behaviors. This marital therapy model was researched and developed by Dr. Don D. Jackson & W. J. Lederer of the Mental Research Institute in Palo Alto, CA. The Mirages of Marriage, 1968.
EYE MOVEMENT DESENSITIZATION REPROCESSING: EMDR works in the brain. Studies indicate trauma jolts a person’s left and right brain waves out of synch.It is believed that EMDR prompts a physiological change on a neurological level. When a trauma occurs, there is a pathological change of neural elements as a result of the over-excitation. EMDR seems to restore harmony in the brain. EMDR is not hypnosis. During the EMDR eye movement, one is in a waking state and not as suggestible as one might be during hypnosis, therefore, the client is very much in control of thoughts, images and feelings. EMDR is a “natural process”, of eye movementin which the client and the therapist become partners in a journey that is designed to access, unblock, process, and integrate material that once was blocked. The ultimate goal is to gain freedom from emotional blockages and move on with life. EMDR is designed to be used by a trained clinician within the context of psychotherapy. It has been used with children, adolescents, and adults with a verity of symptoms and issues, such as depression, anxiety, phobias, and post-traumatic stress disorder. It also assists in resolving negative feelings which cause difficulties in one’s present life. EMDR has been used with clients experiencing chronic pain, HIV/AIDS, panic attacks, dissociative disorders, etc. EMDR has been used extensively for the treatment of post-traumatic stress reactions experienced after a critical incident whether it be with victims of current trauma or past trauma. Both victims of natural disasters as well as sexual assaults and auto accidents have benefited from EMDR. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) was developed by Francine Shapiro, Ph. D., from the Mental Research Institute in Palo Alto, CA, in 1987. In 1989 it became widely used in the treatment of Vietnam veterans. Numerous research studies have been done, and are continuing regarding the validity and reliability of EMDR.
ATTENTION DEFICIT/HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER: (ADHD) is a diagnosis that is used by clinicians to classify children and adults with certain kinds of attention problems. Although, ADHD is commonly presented as a problem with behavior, it is actually a neurological condition in which the brain (more specifically, the frontal lobe) processes information too slowly and inconsistently. Even though the person may have a high IQ, the brain is not transmitting rapidly or consistently enough for the person to understand or remember complex messages. There also may be problems with the control of impulses-that is, doing something or saying something before thinking enough about it. Perhaps half of the children with ADHD are hyperactive, but half are not. (Adults with ADHD may be nervous, restless, or tense but are not generally hyperactive.) There also may be problems in reading, controlling anger and frustration, too easily distracted, being disorganized and having difficulty staying focused. Sometimes people with ADHD who get bored easily try to keep alert by being too active or daydreaming. Up to a third of individuals with ADHD also have a learning disability. (Adults with ADHD may be nervous, restless, or tense but are not generally hyperactive). There also may be problems in reading, controlling anger and frustration, being too easily distracted, being disorganized and having difficulty staying focused and daydreaming.
TEST OF VARIABLES OF ATTENTION: The TOVA is an ADD/ADHD assessment facilitated at Arrowhead Behavior Health. It is a computerized Continuous Performance Test, (CPT). Its development began in the 60s and it has been extensively researched and revise since then. It is sufficiently long (21.6 minutes) to accurately measure attention during both boring and stimulating tasks. There are actually two TOVA’s– the TOVA is a visual test, and the TOVA-A is an auditory test. Thus it measures both visual and auditory attention. This is an important feature since 10-12% of people with ADHD have problems with auditory but do not have problems with visual information processing. The TOVA measure’s attention and inattention- the correct and incorrect responses to the target, it also measures impulsivity (or “disinhibition”) -incorrect responses to the non-target. Also, Reaction Time (“brain speed”) -how long (in milliseconds) it takes the brain to respond to the targets. Speed is important because people with ADD/ADHD usually respond much slower than normal, and speed is very sensitive to medication. It also measures incidence of Variability-how consistently or inconsistently the brain responds to the targets. This is the most important measure-persons with ADD/ADHD are much more inconsistent than normal. Most of the time only Behavioral rating scales or questionnaires are used for an assessment. There are some limitations to Behavior ratings or questionnaires that are used to describe behavior. Ratings do not measure ADHD, and they do not diagnose ADHD. They simply measure behaviors and not necessarily very reliably. Ratings are typically done by teachers or parents and sometimes by the person with ADHD. Ratings are pretty subjective and significantly influenced by the mood & attitude of the rater and the setting in which the behavior is observed. Behavioral ratings can be helpful but unfortunately they do not measure attention. Instead they measure behaviors like activity level and frustration tolerance. Dr. Corman, ADD, LLC. 2005
FAMILY THERAPY
Family therapy is a way of working with people with problems. It is based on the idea that the behaviour of individuals and families is influenced and maintained by the way other individuals and systems interact with them. This way of working involves engaging with the whole family system as a functioning unit. But family therapy is more than this. It embraces work with smaller systems (including individual work) and bigger systems than the family. No one is an island, according to the old saying, and so it should be recognized that no psychological problem is ever a purely individual problem. Therefore, any psychological distress felt by an individual has roots in society at large. Family Systems Theory teaches, all too often a child will be marked as a “problem,” the “scapegoat” or “black sheep” of the family—the Identified Patient, in Family Systems language—when really the entire family is locked into some dysfunctional pattern of interaction. The beginning of the solution to all family problems is to realize that just as plants can’t grow in chalky soil unless you add to the soil whatever is needed to make it healthy, so children—and marriage partners—can’t grow unless you give them whatever support and encouragement they need to become independent and responsible. No one can grow in the “chalky soil” of pre-existing desires and expectations. And what a child or partner needs might not be what you had expected—or wanted. Therefore, it’s important for all family members to be aware of what other members are experiencing, and healthy communication within a family becomes an essential element of this awareness. All too often, communication becomes unhealthy and takes the form of • sarcasm; • innuendoes and hints; • not saying anything at all. In contrast, healthy communication is direct, immediate, and clear, and it is a good model for learning healthy assertiveness. It depends on Facts, Opinions, Emotions, and Needs. www.guidetopsychology.com/famlytx, 2005
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