Counselling Approaches
While the counselling process overall provides support, guidance and skill building, there are various treatment modalities that your counsellor can use. Here is information about treatment modalities (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Somatic Experiencing and EMDR) we use most often at Viewport Counselling:
What is CBT?
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a type of psychotherapy that helps people understand and change their thought patterns and behaviors that don’t work for them, their values and/or their goals. It’s a practical approach that focuses on the present moment and how your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are interconnected.
How Does CBT Work?
CBT helps you identify negative thought patterns and behaviors that may be contributing to your emotional distress. By recognizing and challenging these negative thoughts, you can learn to replace them with more positive and realistic ones. This can lead to improved mood, reduced anxiety, and healthier behaviors.
Key Techniques in CBT:
Cognitive Restructuring:
Identifying negative thoughts
Challenging negative thoughts
Replacing negative thoughts with more helpful thoughts
Behavioral Activation:
Increasing engagement in enjoyable activities
Setting achievable goals
Overcoming obstacles to positive behavior
Exposure Therapy:
Gradually facing fears and anxieties
Building tolerance to distressing situations
Benefits of CBT:
Effective for a wide range of mental health conditions: CBT has been shown to be effective for conditions such as depression, anxiety, panic disorder, phobias, and OCD.
Practical and goal-oriented: CBT is a structured approach that helps you set specific goals and track your progress.
Teachable skills: CBT equips you with valuable skills that you can use to manage your mental health long-term.
Focuses on the present: CBT focuses on current thoughts and behaviors rather than dwelling on the past.
Is CBT Right for You?
If you're struggling with negative thoughts, feelings, or behaviors, CBT may be a helpful option. If you would like more information, please click below to book your free 15 minutes consultation that is available for potential first time clients.
What is Somatic Experiencing?
Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a body-centered therapy that helps people heal from the physical and emotional effects of trauma. It focuses on the idea that traumatic experiences can get stuck in our bodies, leading to ongoing stress and difficulty functioning.
How Does SE Work?
Counsellors trained in Somatic Experiencing aim to respectfully and slowly guide their clients to connect with their bodies and release trapped energy. When we experience trauma, our bodies often go into a state of high alert (fight, flight, or freeze). We may experience a huge influx of emotions including panic, anger, or anxiety giving us the fuel to attempt to fight or run away to protect us. Fight or flight are the trauma responses that are talked about the most. However, sometimes our nervous system may recognize that numbing, freezing and dissociating could be the best response to trauma to minimize the potential harm. In addition to fight, flight or freeze, our nervous system may also pick fawning as a defense mechanism. Fawning is a trauma response where a person tries to please others to avoid conflict. It is a learned strategy that leads the person to sacrifice their own needs to make others happy.
When we experience pervasive trauma or chronic stress, our nervous system may automate our coping mechanism. We may even find ourselves using these responses when we are not in danger. SE recognizes that trauma affects our nervous system, leading to dysregulation and difficulty managing stress. SE views the body and nervous system as a powerful tool for healing. By connecting with bodily sensations, we can release trapped energy and restore balance. SE uses gentle techniques to help people process trauma at their own pace.
The SE Process
A Somatic Experiencing therapist will work with you to:
Create a safe and supportive environment: Your counsellor will work towards establishing a trusting relationship with you hoping to create a safe environment for you to connect with your nervous system and your body and process your trauma. Your counsellor will provide you with information around trauma and Somatic Experiencing. Your counsellor and you will also work on learning new coping skills and/or enhancing your existing resources.
Identify and track sensations: You will learn to notice and track physical sensations in your body, such as tension, tightness, or numbness. You will work towards increasing your self-awareness.
Gently release trapped energy: Your therapist will guide you through gentle exercises and techniques to process your trauma and release the energy stored in your body.
Integrate the experience: As you release trapped energy, you will integrate the experience into your overall sense of self.
Potential Benefits of SE:
Reduced symptoms of anxiety, depression, somatization and PTSD
Enhanced ability to cope with stress
Increased self-awareness and self-compassion
Greater emotional resilience
Is SE Right for You?
If you've experienced trauma or chronic stress, SE may be a helpful option. It can be particularly beneficial for those who have not benefited from talk therapy. If you are interested in hearing more about how SE may support you in your healing and growth, please click below to book your free 15 minutes consultation.
What is EMDR?
EMDR is a counselling treatment approach that aims to help people heal from the symptoms and emotional distress caused by traumatic life experiences. EMDR is believed to help the brain process traumatic memories in a more adaptive way. The bilateral stimulation is thought to trigger a natural healing process, allowing the brain to reprocess and integrate disturbing memories.
It's a structured therapy that involves focusing on a traumatic memory while simultaneously experiencing bilateral stimulation, typically in the form of eye movements. This bilateral stimulation can also be achieved through tapping or auditory tones. Prior to bilateral stimulation, EMDR works on history taking, preparating and assessment phases
History Taking: The therapist will gather information about your past and present experiences, including any traumatic events.
Preparation: You and your therapist will develop coping skills to manage distressing thoughts and emotions.
Assessment Phase: You'll identify a specific traumatic memory to target during the therapy sessions.
Processing Phase: You'll focus on the traumatic memory while simultaneously experiencing bilateral stimulation. This helps to reduce the intensity of the memory and associated emotions.
Installation Phase: The therapist and client work together to identify a positive belief that is relevant to the traumatic memory. This belief should be realistic, specific, and empowering. For example, if the traumatic memory involves a fear of failure, a positive belief might be "I am capable and competent." While the client holds the positive belief in mind, they are guided through bilateral stimulation (eye movements, tapping, or auditory tones). This helps to strengthen the neural connection between the positive belief and the traumatic memory. After each set of bilateral stimulation, the client rates the validity of the positive belief on a scale of 0-7. A rating of 7 indicates complete acceptance of the belief. The therapist continues to guide the client through bilateral stimulation, reinforcing the positive belief until it feels fully integrated.
Body Scan: You'll focus on any remaining physical sensations related to the trauma.
Closure: You'll end each session with a grounding technique to help you feel calm and centered.
Is EMDR Effective?
EMDR is a well-researched therapy and has been shown to be effective in treating a variety of conditions, including:
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Anxiety disorders
Panic disorder
Phobias
If you are curious about how EMDR can help, please book a free 15 minutes consult, a virtual appointment that may allow you to see if our services and/or EMDR is the right fit.