Psychotherapy comes from the ancient Greek words “ψυχή ” (psyche) which means “soul” (or that part of humans that thinks, feels, and has experiences) and “θεραπεία” (therapeia) which means “healing” or “treatment.” Thus, etymologically “psychotherapy” means “the healing of souls” and that is precisely what therapy is about. Of course, we’ve learned quite a lot about the mind and how it works since the days of ancient Greece and treatment today reflects that.
The primary framework from which I practice is called Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). It is one of the best researched kinds of therapy and it has the best outcomes across the widest varieties of problems. I also use other kinds of therapy depending on the problem being treated: for example, I often use Prolonged Exposure (PE) and Cognitive Processing Therapy (C-CPT) for treating trauma-related disorders (such as PTSD).
I also employ techniques and solutions from other modalities such as Solution Focussed Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Narrative Therapy, and Mindfulness practices. I am also very interested in Existential Therapy and Philosophic Therapy and utilize these in cases where a problem is more philosophical in nature.
I utilize a collaborative approach to therapy where I’ll explain what we’re doing and why and we’ll engage in the process together. I do not use the “medical approach” where I am the expert and you have to listen to me. I don’t think that’s great in medicine and I think it makes therapy impossible.
Psychotherapy isn’t easy, but it can help you to live better and to achieve a life closer to what you desire.