ABOUT MY SERVICES
ADVENTURE THERAPY
The practice of Adventure Therapy is the prescriptive use of adventure experiences provided by mental health professionals, often conducted in natural settings, that kinesthetically engage individuals, families and groups on cognitive, affective, and behavioral levels (Gass, et al, 2020). This summer, I plan to utilize some of the breath-takingly beautiful natural spaces available to us in Juneau, AK to offer adventure therapy to children and families. Those who choose to engage in this type of therapy will be invited to participate in an activity outdoors and will be guided to use these experiences to find healing.
WHAT IS EMDR?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a psychotherapy treatment that was originally used to make traumatic memories less distressing. During EMDR therapy the client is asked to notice emotionally disturbing information related to memories in brief doses while focusing on an external stimulus at the same time. The most common external stimulus is the client following the therapist's fingers with their eyes. Other stimuli like hand-tapping and audio tones can also be used. EMDR therapy seems to access the traumatic memory network, improving information processing, and changing the associations of the traumatic memory from negative associations to neutral or positive associations. These new associations are thought to result in completed information processing, new learning, elimination of emotional distress, and development of new insights. EMDR therapy includes these 3 parts: (1) disturbing memories from the past that are causing problems in the present (2) current events that trigger distress (3) imagined templates of the future so that the client can adapt healthy responses to potentially disturbing future events. For more information, click here.
EMDR therapy is an extensively researched, effective psychotherapy method proven to help people recover from trauma and other distressing life experiences, including PTSD, anxiety, depression, and panic disorders.
The American Psychiatric Association, the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs/Dept. of Defense, The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and the World Health Organization among many other national and international organizations recognize EMDR therapy as an effective treatment.
Motivational interviewing is a counseling method that helps people work on issues that make them feel insecure or unsure to find the internal motivation they need to change their behavior. In Motivational interviewing, the therapists helps the client to move through stages of change until he or she is able to maintain the desired behaviors. It is a process that takes into consideration how difficult it is to make life changes. For more information, click on here.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of talk therapy (psychotherapy). You work with a mental health counselor in a structured way, attending a set 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. Click here for more information about CBT.
CBT can be a very helpful tool ― either alone or in combination with other therapies ― 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.
Telemental health or telebehavioral health is when behavioral therapy or psychotherapy is provided remotely, typically utilizing HIPAA-compliant video conferencing or text-based messaging. The advantages of virtual delivery of psychotherapy include reduced stigmatization, increased convenience for patients, and improved provider efficiency. For more information, click here to check out my interview for Mental Health at Home.