I offer a welcoming and safe place to explore your concerns, focusing on building a collaborative relationship that is warm, attentive, understanding and respectful. My approach to therapy is grounded in treatment approaches that are effective.
Having trained extensively, I have the ability to draw on various effective treatment approaches, which helps me tailor a good fit between you and your therapy. The particular approach chosen is guided by your current concerns and symptoms, current research on evidenced based practice, while taking into account your feedback and preferences.
In supporting your recovery, change and growth, some of the approaches I draw on in my work include:
EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (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.
EMDR therapy does not require talking in detail about the distressing issue or
completing homework between sessions. EMDR therapy, rather than focusing on changing the emotions, thoughts, or behaviors resulting from the distressing issue, allows the brain to resume its natural healing process.
Briefly, how EMDR works is this: you focus on the memory of the traumatic event, your beliefs about it, and the awareness of your current emotions and sensations — while responding to eye movements, hand taps or alternating tones delivered via a completely harmless, handheld device. Your brain takes you through the event, and then it fades.
EMDR therapy is designed to resolve unprocessed traumatic memories in the brain. For
many clients, EMDR therapy can be completed in fewer sessions than other
psychotherapies. EMDR works quickly on one-event traumas. It works more slowly, but is nonetheless effective, on pervasive childhood trauma and neglect.
Source and more information: https://www.emdria.org/about-emdr-therapy/
CIMBS
Complex Integration of Multiple Brain Systems (CIMBS) is a psychotherapeutic method which maximizes the brain’s ability to rewire itself for healthier functioning. Through the use of various techniques, CIMBS guides neuroplasticity to help people reach their fullest, most authentic potential, and to live happier, more satisfying lives.
Our brain is a complex “command center” that includes many systems, each responsible for things like vision, hearing, coordination, and autonomic functions (heart beat, digestion, and the other “automatic” bodily functions). There are also systems that do things like protect us from danger, build relationships, and drive motivation.
When these systems operate in a differentiated way, as intended, then a person functions at his or her highest capacity. However, they are often not sufficiently differentiated, because of early developmental experiences and trauma.
CIMBS therapy uses the present moment to track the mind and body to modify brain systems that have been wired together by these early developmental experiences or traumas, allowing the client to thrive and reach his or her best potential.
CIMBS is a mindful, collaborative, present moment oriented therapy. In session, the Counsellor sits across from you, and asks you questions about what you are experiencing in the moment. There is no need to talk about the past. It’s quite gentle, but focused. It feels very different from other forms of therapy. It seems simple, but it’s very authentic and can have profoundly beneficial results.
Lifespan Integration therapy (LI)
Lifespan Integration (LI) is a gentle therapy that works on a deep neural level which goes beyond the cognitive behavioral level (i.e., talk therapy).
Developed by therapist Peggy Pace, and based on early neural development research, it is a simple and straightforward therapy for anxiety, depression, attachment disorders and trauma resolution.
The LI therapy process, put very simply, involves creating a timeline of age-specific memories and then allowing the client to “rewrite the script” of his or her life using present-day skills and resources.
This therapy approach can gently guide you through the process to help heal past trauma that is causing present-day challenges.
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Internal Family Systems is a form of psychotherapy that focuses on a client’s internal “parts” and “Self.” In IFS, the mind is considered to be naturally made up of multiple sub-personalities within each individual’s mental system. These sub-personalities consist of wounded parts and painful feelings like anger and shame, which take on different roles, such as an inner critic or inner child, or behaviours, such as avoidance, emotional eating, or substance use.1
The goal of IFS is to help clients access Self so that they can heal wounded parts and bring their minds into balance.2 IFS is an evidence-based practice used to treat a range of mental health disorders including anxiety, depression, PTSD, substance abuse, and eating disorders
Internal Family Systems therapy is a non-pathologizing approach to psychotherapy. The grounding assumption is that there are no bad parts, only parts forced into bad roles. When a client learns how to access Self, they can then heal their wounded parts. This brings the whole system into harmony and allows the person to become more Self-led. The natural side effect of this healing is a reduction in problematic or symptomatic behavior.
Schwartz, R.C. (2001). Introduction to the internal family systems model. Trailheads Publications.
Anderson, F.G., Sweezy, M., Schwartz, R.C. (2017). Internal family systems skills training manual: Trauma-informed treatment for anxiety, depression, PTSD, and substance abuse. PESI Publishing and Media.
Victoria Scott 