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Therapeutic Approaches

Some therapists discourage against providing details around theoretical orientation or therapeutic approaches to avoid confusing or overwhelming those seeking therapy. Some of you, however, may want to know and understand these, and you can find the information below.  

Think of learning about a therapist’s approach like buying a car. You may not care where the spark plugs or hubcaps come from (theoretical framework such as cognitive, humanistic, existential, etc.) but you may be interested in how they fit with your car to help it run efficiently and protected (tools and strategies) and what the overall performance will be when you drive your car (outcomes).  You want to know if I am going to have what you need to improve your current situation.


Cognitive Therapy:  Focuses on how negative beliefs influence your view of yourself, others, and the world around you. You will learn how to identify these beliefs and develop a more healthy and balanced way of thinking and coping. I am trained in CBT, CPT, and Solution-Focused Therapies.

Grief Therapy:  Focuses on processing any loss through exploration and discussions and to learn to restore your capacity for joy and satisfaction in your life through the recognition and resolution of what is complicating this natural grief process for you. I have training in various grief therapy approaches.

Meaning-Centered Therapy: Focuses on sustaining and enhancing meaning through reframing your experiences with illness, loss, caregiving, or any life transition. This re-discovery of meaning in life can enhance well-being, reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, reduce hopelessness, and improve coping skills. I am trained in Meaning-Centered Psychotherapy.

Other Approaches: I will often use aspects of these approaches in our work together.  Here are some brief descriptions about each:

  • Acceptance and Commitment:  This is a mindfulness approach that teaches how to identify, acknowledge, and accept feelings and thoughts while remaining in the present.
  • Emotionally-Focused:  This approach is rooted in attachment theory and teaches how to understand and move from the connections between negative processing and interaction patterns and the distress these create.
  • Medical Crisis Counseling:  This approach focuses on coping with distress and loss associated with diagnosis or exacerbation of chronic illness or the aftermath of a serious accident or injury and its impact on quality of life.
  • Dignity Therapy:  This approach provides a framework of generativity questions that guide those facing end of life or changing life circumstances in sharing thoughts about various aspects of life.