Therapies & Practices
At Cedarway Therapy we specialize in a multitude of various therapies & practices. Among our main specialties include: CBT, CPT, Prolonged Exposure, DBT, EFT, SFT, and Narrative Therapy. Learn more down below and feel free to contact us if you have any questions!
Cognitive
Behavioural
Therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a common type of psychotherapy. You work with a mental health counselor (psychotherapist or therapist) in a structured way, attending a limited number of sessions. CBT helps you become aware of inaccurate or negative thinking so you can view challenging situations more clearly and respond to them in a more effective way.
CBT can be a very helpful tool â either alone or in combination with other therapies â in treating mental health disorders, such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or an eating disorder. But not everyone who benefits from CBT has a mental health condition. CBT can be an effective tool to help anyone learn how to better manage stressful life situations.
Cognitive
Processing
Therapy
Cognitive processing therapy (CPT) is a specific type of cognitive behavioral therapy that has been effective in reducing symptoms of PTSD that have developed after experiencing a variety of traumatic events including child abuse, combat, rape and natural disasters.
CPT is generally delivered over 12 sessions and helps patients learn how to challenge and modify unhelpful beliefs related to the trauma. In so doing, the patient creates a new understanding and conceptualization of the traumatic event so that it reduces its ongoing negative effects on current life.
This treatment is strongly recommended for the treatment of PTSD.
Four essential parts
- Educating the patient about the specific post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and the way the treatment will help them.
- Informing the patient about their thoughts and feelings.
- Imparting lessons to the patient to help them develop skills to challenge or question their own thoughts.
- Helping the patient to recognize changes in their beliefs that happened after going through the traumatic event.
Prolonged
Exposure
Prolonged exposure therapy (PE) is a form of behavior therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy designed to treat post-traumatic stress disorder. It is characterized by two main treatment procedures â imaginal and in vivo exposures. Imaginal exposure is repeated ‘on-purpose’ retelling of the trauma memory. In vivo exposure is gradually confronting situations, places, and things that are reminders of the trauma or feel dangerous (despite being objectively safe). Additional procedures include processing of the trauma memory and breathing retraining.
Using Prolonged Exposure to Treat PTSD
Imaginal Exposure occurs in session with the patient describing the event in detail in the present tense with guidance from the therapist. Together, the patient and therapist discuss and process the emotion raised by the imaginal exposure in session. The patient is recorded while describing the event so that she or he can listen to the recording between sessions, further process the emotions and practice the breathing techniques.
With Vivo Exposure confronting feared stimuli outside of therapy is assigned as homework. The therapist and patient together identify a range of possible stimuli and situations connected to the traumatic fear, such as specific places or people. They agree on which stimuli to confront as part of in vivo exposure and devise a plan to do so between sessions. The patient is encouraged to challenge him or herself but to do so in a graduated fashion so as to experience some success in confronting feared stimuli and coping with the associated emotion.Â
Dialectical
Behaviour
Therapy
DBT was originally intended to treat borderline personality disorder (BPD), but it has been adapted to treat other mental health conditions. DBT can help people who have difficulty with emotional regulation or are exhibiting self-destructive behaviors (eating disorders and substance use disorders). DBT is sometimes used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Comprehensive DBT focuses on four ways to enhance life skills
- Distress tolerance:Â Feeling intense emotions like anger without reacting impulsively or using self-injury or substance abuse to dampen distress.
- Emotion regulation:Â Recognizing, labeling, and adjusting emotions.
- Mindfulness:Â Becoming more aware of self and others and attentive to the present moment.
- Interpersonal effectiveness:Â Navigating conflict and interacting assertively.
DBT offers a commonsense, multistage approach
- Stage 1: Treats the most self-destructive behaviour, such as suicide attempts or self-injury.
- Stage 2: Begins to address quality-of-life skills, such as emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness.
- Stage 3: Focuses on improved relationships and self-esteem.
- Stage 4: Promotes more joy and relationship connection.
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Emotion
Focused
Therapy
Emotion-focused therapy (EFT) is a therapeutic approach based on the premise that emotions are key to identity. According to EFT, emotions are also a guide for individual choice and decision making. This type of therapy assumes that lacking emotional awareness or avoiding unpleasant emotions can cause harm. It may render us unable to use the important information emotions provide.
In this approach to treatment, the therapist and the person in therapy collaborate in an active process. Both are viewed as equal contributors. The person in treatment, not the therapist, is seen as the person most capable of interpreting their emotional experience.
EFT is founded in the idea that emotions should be used to guide healthy, meaningful lives. Its theory is based on a scientific inquiry into the human emotional experience. Scientific study of human emotion has provided information about:
- How emotions are produced
- The importance of emotions to human functioning
- How emotions are related to thought and behavior
Solution
Focused
Therapy
Solution-focused therapy, also called solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT), is a type of therapy that places far more importance on discussing solutions than problems. Of course, you must discuss the problem to find a solution, but beyond understanding what the problem is and deciding how to address it, solution-focused therapy will not dwell on every detail of the problem you are experiencing.
When SFT is used
SFBT can stand alone as a therapeutic intervention, or it can be used along with other therapy styles and treatments. It is used to treat people of all ages and a variety of issues, including child behavioural problems, family dysfunction, domestic or child abuse, addiction, and relationship problems. Though not a cure for psychiatric disorders such as depression or schizophrenia, SFBT may help improve the quality of life for those who suffer from these conditions.
Narrative
Therapy
Narrative therapy is a style of therapy that helps people becomeâand embrace beingâan expert in their own lives. In narrative therapy, there is an emphasis on the stories we develop and carry with us through our lives.
Practitioners of narrative therapy believe telling oneâs story is a form of action toward change. The process of a narrative therapist might include:
- Helping people objectify their problems
- Framing the problems within a larger sociocultural context
- Teaching the person how to make room for other stories
The therapist and person in therapy identify and build upon âalternativeâ or âpreferredâ storylines. These storylines exist beyond the problem story. They provide contrast to the problem, reflect a personâs true nature, and allow someone to rewrite their story. People can then move from what is known (the problem story) to what is unknown.
Experience the transformative power of Cedarway Therapy’s diverse range of therapies % practices tailored to your unique needs. Take the first step towards healing and well-being by scheduling a session with our expert therapists. Embrace the opportunity to nurture your mental health and find renewed vitality with Cedarway Therapy today.