About – this website is my place to share with new and current clients my specific approach to mental health. I am a mindfulness-based cognitive-behavioral therapist. That’s a mouthful! Let me break this down.
Mindfulness – With the term, mindfulness, I’m referring to non-judgmental focus on the present. If you’re struggling with anxiety/depression, having problems adjusting to a difficult transition, or just feel that you’re not living up to your potential, chances are that you’re spending a lot of time mentally stuck in the future or the past. Mindfulness is about bringing you back to the here-and-now. Over the course of treatment, I’ll be showing you how to do that.
Cognitive Therapy – This has to do with your thoughts. I’m going to guess that if you’re visiting this page, you sometimes get focused on negative thoughts – about yourself, about others, or about the world around you. Maybe you beat yourself up about things that really aren’t your fault. Maybe you spend a lot of time expecting bad things to happen. What if those negative messages could be unlearned? That’s what we do with cognitive therapy.
Behavioral Therapy – If you are feeling out-of-sorts, there’s a good change that your lifestyle is unbalanced. Perhaps your sleep is disrupted, your eating habits are not so healthy, or perhaps you don’t get much activity in your week. These are often symptoms of mental health issues but can also reinforce problems. For example, poor sleep can leave you feeling foggy and unable to concentrate. The behavioral component of therapy is about making small lifestyle changes so you can feel your best.
Putting it all together, mindfulness-based cognitive-behavioral therapy (usually abbreviated as MBCT) is a flexible approach that is easily tailored to your individual needs while also providing structure so we are consistently taking steps toward your goals.
Research Support
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has shown strong evidence to treat a wide variety of psychological issues but may not be the best for you. I encourage all clients to seek out evidence-based practices that fit their needs.
Current recommendations from the American Psychological Association can be found below. Either review by treatment type (e.g., Cognitive, Cognitive Behavioral) or by Disorders (e.g., Depression, Generalized Anxiety). Since MBCT is under the umbrella of CBT, you won’t find it listed separately on the APA page, but I provided additional references for MBCT if you would like to review that as well.
American Psychological Association – Evidence Based Practices
Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy Research and Publications