Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

Evidence-Based Treatment

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a model of therapy that is most useful for clients who feel stuck or lost in life. Using ACT, the therapist will work closely with the clients to identify their core values, set goals based off of these values, and then create a plan to begin making lifestyle changes. The ultimate goal of ACT is to help clients create a life that is highly consistent with their goals and values. 

We will also simultaneously work to identify enabling thoughts and behaviors that are keeping the clients stuck. 

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

and

Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can be effective in treating a wide range of issues--notably depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). CBT works by emphasizing the connections between thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, and assisting clients in learning to recognize and break away from unhelpful thought patterns. 

Cognitive Processing Therapy is a variant of CBT that focuses exclusively on PTSD symptoms. CPT is considered one of the top three models of therapy for trauma (the others being Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PET) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). CPT takes place over a course of twelve sessions and works by having clients identify Stuck Points related to the trauma and growing efficient at learning how to challenge the stuck points.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a preferred treatment model for trauma, but is also useful for clients that have deeply rooted negative core beliefs, “mental blocks”, severe depression and/or anxiety, and phobias.

Using EMDR, the clinician will alternately stimulate both hemispheres of the brain using bilateral eye-stimulations, tapping, or vibrations, while discussing  the presenting problems. The ultimate goals are to 1) assist clients in desensitizing intense ideas or experiences and 2) “update” or “adapt” beliefs. For example, the thought “I was helpless and I almost died” might be updated to “I survived, I am OK, and it’s over now”, or the thought “I was abandoned” might be updated to “I have value regardless.” 

Visit The Atlanta Center for EMDR to learn more.

An older model of psychotherapy, psychodynamics helps clients to gain insights about themselves by exploring how their early life experiences have shaped their current thoughts and beliefs about the world. 
 

Solution-Focused Therapy (SFT) assists clients in problem solving and identifying solutions to stressors. From a solution focused perspective, the emphasis is on the present and future vs. the past. This model is most useful for clients that have a limited time in therapy, for example, clients coming through EAP or limited availability.