All of us are going through changes during this pandemic, and many individuals, couples, and/or families might be looking for a therapist in Bergen County, NJ to help navigate these challenging times.
Research has shown us that it does not matter what type of therapist you choose, or what types of therapies they use, rather the most important thing is finding a therapist that you can click with. Someone you feel comfortable with, perhaps someone who is located near you in Bergen County, NJ.
This is where we at Body Positive Works come in. We are a group of different types of therapists in Saddle River, NJ who practice many different types of therapies. Some of us practice cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) while others practice dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) some of our therapists are trained in recovery from anorexia/bulimia and other forms of addictions while others are trauma-informed therapists and focus on how trauma affects the brain and informs the way we interact with the world around us.
I was at a training in NYC where I heard this about understanding trauma. “Trauma is unbearable aloneness in the face of overwhelming aloneness.” I believe that this quote comes from AEDP – Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy. A type of therapy that was developed by Dr. Diana Fosha that is ever-growing and changing.
This definition of trauma has allowed me to understand that despite the many modalities of therapy the ultimate goal of therapy is to heal the unbearable aloneness and allow our clients to connect to their own intuition, wisdom, strength, and inner resources.
We do that by practicing different types of therapies as therapists in Bergen County, NJ: Here are a few types:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: CBT was pioneered by Dr. Aaron T. Beck and works well for individuals who suffer from depression, anxiety, and some personality disorders. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helps you notice your core beliefs and how they impact the way you interact with yourself and others. This type of therapy focuses mostly on stopping your automatic thinking, allowing you to shift your thoughts so that it can then shift your actions and intersections.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy: DBT was developed by Dr. Marsha Linehan and works well for individuals who suffer from suicidal behavior and Borderline Personality Disorder. It has since been proven to work for individuals who suffer from depression, anxiety, and the desire to hurt themselves. Dialectical behavioral therapy is a modality that incorporates four different modules. Mindfulness practice, interpersonal effectiveness, emotional regulation, and distress tolerance. The idea is to notice when to use each one of these modules in order to create a life where one feels they have more control over their choices and actions.
Motivational Interviewing: Motivational Interviewing is a counseling approach developed in part by Dr. William R. Miller and Dr. Stephen Rollnick. It began as a modality for addiction treatment. Although it has since grown to incorporate many forms of mental health. Motivational interviewing uses the client’s own motivation to explore and resolve the ambivalence in order to change the client’s behavior.
Trauma-Focused Therapy: The trauma-focused approach to psychotherapy is the development of many different modalities with the understanding of how trauma impacts the brain. Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk started the Trauma Center in 1982. Dr. Peter Levine began researching in the 1970s the ways in which animals deal with stress that eventually led to Somatic Experiencing. Trauma-focused CBT therapy was first developed by Dr. Judith Cohen, Dr. Esther Belinger, and Dr. Anthony Mannarino in the 1990s.
Trauma-focused therapy understands that individuals deal and process traumas, especially abuse or neglect experienced in childhood, in different ways. That these events create pathways in the brain that make it difficult for individuals to thrive in their day to day lives and relationships. It goes beyond talk therapy to customize treatment for deep-rooted trauma and creates treatment interventions that maximize clients’ outcomes.
We hope that if you are struggling with your mental health, or if things have been triggered from your past during these pandemic months, or if you have a desire to deepen your understanding of self and interaction with the world in a meaningful way, a way in which you thrive despite what is happening around you, please reach out to us and hopefully we can match you with one of our therapists who will allow you to be your best self!
