Therapeutic Approaches
ACT, also known as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, is a type of therapy that focuses on accepting painful or negative thoughts and emotions rather than trying to control them.
At the core of ACT is the concept of psychological flexibility - the ability to stay open and present while still staying connected with your values in the face of hardship. ACT is more concerned with changing your relationship with your thoughts, rather than the content.
The six main principles of ACT are acceptance, cognitive defusion, being present, self-as-context, values, and committed action. These six core processes work together to help you develop psychological flexibility.
ACT
SFT
Solution-focused therapy (SFT) is a goal-oriented, strengths-based therapy that helps you identify what’s working, what’s possible, and how to move forward.
Concepts that emerge from using SFT include exploring your strengths, identifying the exceptions to your story (ex. times when you were able to solve a problem), and focusing on what future outcomes could look like. A major component of SFT is the belief that small consistent changes lead to big shifts in your life.
At its foundation, SFT is an empowering, hopeful, and practical approach to change. The core belief behind this therapy is that you already posses the skills and strengths to enact change - therapy is a way to uncover them.
There are many therapies that address trauma symptoms; among these is cognitive processing therapy or CPT. This therapy was originally created to support sexual abuse survivors, but is now a widespread therapy for other types of trauma, most notably those who have PTSD.
CPT is a very structured approach to addressing trauma symptoms that includes 12 sessions total with each session lasting between 60-90 minutes every week. CPT can be broken down into 3 sections: psychoeducation, processing, and modifying.
One of the goals of CPT is to reduce the power that trauma holds over your life by taking the steps through the manual. By learning, identifying, and restructuring your thoughts related to the trauma, you may find yourself able to reconnect with yourself and others in a more meaningful way.