Types of Therapy

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) encourages people to embrace their thoughts and feelings rather than fighting or feeling guilty for them. Rather than running away from a problem, clients learn that facing it allows them to solve it more easily.

ACT develops psychological flexibility (aka the ability to stay in the present moment) and combines mindfulness skills with the practice of self-acceptance. Clients commit to facing their problems head-on rather than avoiding their stresses. Individuals suffering with anxiety, depression, eating disorders, OCD, and substance use disorder can all benefit from ACT therapy.

Art therapy is a technique rooted in the idea that creative expression can foster healing and mental well-being. Art, either creating it or viewing others' art, is used to help people explore emotions, develop self-awareness, cope with stress, boost self-esteem, and work on social skills. Techniques used in art therapy can include drawing, painting, coloring, sculpting, or collage.

As clients create art, they may analyze what they have made and how it makes them feel. Through exploring their art, people can look for themes and conflicts that may be affecting their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.

Yael Fischer Ross is trained in art therapy.

An attachment-based approach to therapy looks at the connection between an infant’s early attachment experiences with primary caregivers, usually with parents, and the infant’s ability to develop normally and ultimately form healthy emotional and physical relationships as an adult.

Attachment-based therapy began with the idea that strong early attachment to at least one primary caregiver is necessary for children to have a sense of security and the supportive foundation they need to freely interact with their environment, to explore, to learn from new experiences, and to connect with others. Attachment-based therapy aims to build or rebuild a trusting, supportive relationship that will help prevent or treat anxiety or depression.

Tzipporah Gerson-Miller is trained in attachment-based therapy.

CBT-Informed (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) was originally developed to treat depression, but a growing body of research shows that it is also an effective treatment for adolescents and adults with ADHD and anxiety. CBT provides clear benefits including higher self-esteem, greater self-confidence, increased productivity and more happiness. CBT works by teaching individuals to recognize self-defeating patterns of thinking called “cognitive distortions” that perpetuate problem behaviors. CBT helps to turn that self-defeating process around through utilizing behavior modifications to disrupt unhealthy patterns.

Sarah French, Jake Freishtat, and Rebecca Brown are trained in CBT-Informed practice.

DBT-informed practice is a modified version of traditional DBT, an intensive form of therapy involving group and individual therapy to help individuals regulate their mood and behavior. DBT-informed therapy is an effective treatment for individuals with depression, anxiety, and ADHD.

The practice focuses on developing mindfulness skills, which allows clients to gain control over their focus of attention (a big plus for those with ADHD) as well as learning to moderate negative feelings of anxiety and depression. By learning to focus on the breath and the here-and-now instead of anxiety-inducing thoughts and feelings, clients can begin to feel better.

Rebecca Brown and Tzipporah Gerson-Miller are trained in DBT-informed practice.

Domestic violence victims almost always bear emotional scars as a result of the abuse. These emotional scars often develop into depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and/or substance abuse. Seeking counseling is a good first step in the process of healing these scars. Getting support through counseling allows victims to sit with mental health professionals who can listen and offer helpful tools and skills on ways to manage the difficult emotions, heal from the trauma, and move forward with life.

Tzipporah Gerson-Miller Wendy Lipshutz, Kyra Jones, Judy Spira, Isabel Groedel. Sarah French and Rebecca Brown are trained in domestic violence counseling.

EMDR (aka Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a type of psychotherapy that enables people to heal from the symptoms and emotional distress that are the result of traumatic life experiences. EMDR therapy is an eight-phase treatment. Eye movements (or other bilateral stimulation like tapping) are used during one part of the session. This stimulation mimics REM sleep (when our eyes move back and forth and we dream). During REM sleep, our brain decides what is adaptable and what is not adaptable. The adaptable events from the day get stored and the unadaptable events remain stuck in the survival part of the brain.

After the clinician has determined which memory to target first, they ask the client to hold different aspects of that event or thought in mind and to either tap or use their eyes to track the therapist’s hand as it moves back and forth across the client’s field of vision. This process allows the client to process and integrate these memories and heal. Clients leave EMDR feeling empowered by the very experiences that once shamed them.

What can EMDR be used for? In addition to its use for the treatment of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, EMDR has been successfully used to treat: anxiety and panic attacks, depression, stress, phobias, sleep problems, complicated grief, addictions, pain relief, self-esteem, and performance anxiety.

Lauren Wishneff and Tzipporah Gerson-Miller are trained in EMDR.

Family systems therapy is a form of psychotherapy that helps individuals resolve their problems in the context of their family units, where many issues are likely to begin. Each family member works together to better understand their group dynamic and how their individual actions affect each other as well as the entire family unit. Family members explore their individual roles within the family, learn how to switch roles, if necessary, and learn ways to support and help each other with the goal of restoring family relationships and rebuilding a healthy family system.

Tzipporah Gerson-Miller is trained in family systems therapy.

Grief counseling, or bereavement counseling, is designed to help people cope with the loss of a loved one. A grief counselor can help you develop methods and strategies for coping with your loss and grief. Bereavement and grief encompass a range of feelings from deep sadness to anger. Grief is not limited to feelings of sadness. It can also involve guilt, yearning, anger, and regret.

Yael Stein and Rabbi Judith Beiner are trained in grief counseling.

Holocaust therapy or counseling takes a trauma-informed approach to helping those who survived the Holocaust. Trauma-Informed Care recognizes the presence of trauma symptoms and acknowledges the role trauma may play in an individual’s life. The intention of Holocaust counseling is to provide support for those experiencing trauma from the Holocaust. This holistic approach helps enhance survivors’ quality of life, allowing them to live comfortably and with dignity.

Yael Stein is trained in holocaust therapy.

Humanistic therapy is a positive approach to psychotherapy that focuses on a person’s individual nature, rather than categorizing groups of people with similar characteristics as having the same problems. Humanistic therapy looks at the whole person, not only from the therapist’s view but from the viewpoint of individuals observing their own behavior. The emphasis is on a person’s positive traits and behaviors, and the ability to use their personal instincts to find wisdom, growth, healing, and fulfillment within themselves.

Yael Stein is trained in humanistic therapy.

Internal Family Systems- Informed (IFS) is an approach to psychotherapy that identifies and addresses multiple sub-personalities or families within each person’s mental system. These sub-personalities consist of painful emotions such as anger and shame as well as mechanisms that try to protect the person from painful feelings.

Sub-personalities are often in conflict with each other and with one’s core Self, the confident, whole person at the core of every individual. IFS focuses on healing the wounded parts and restoring mental balance and harmony by changing the dynamics that create discord among the sub-personalities and the Self. Once clients identify these parts in themselves, the therapist helps them acknowledge their feelings about their suppressed emotions, learn how to release these feelings so they are free to address the actual problem, and find more positive ways to manage conflicts.

Lauren Wishneff and Sally Anderson are trained in internal family systems therapy.

Life coaching is similar to counseling in that it focuses on developing a powerful relationship designed to support substantial life improvement and change. Life coaching, helps clients to clarify goals, identify obstacles and to and live into their unique strengths, skills, and passion in all areas of life. Life coaches provide support to achieve long-lasting change by empowering clients to find their own truth and answers within. If there are areas of your life in need of attention or goals you want to achieve, a Life Coach can help you succeed.

Julie Zeff is trained in life coaching.

Affirmative therapy is an approach to therapy that embraces a positive view of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) identities and relationships and addresses the negative influences that homophobia, transphobia, and heterosexism have on the lives of LGBTQ clients. To successfully provide Affirmative Therapy, therapists must create a space that is more than just tolerant or friendly. Therapists should be accepting and understanding of the experiences their clients face and should build this understanding into the therapeutic process.

Debbie Granovsky is a clinician who is LGBTQ informed and will see such clients who identify.

Marriage counseling, also called couples therapy, is a type of psychotherapy. Marriage counseling helps couples of all types recognize and resolve conflicts and improve their relationships. Through marriage counseling, you can make thoughtful decisions about rebuilding and strengthening your relationship or going your separate ways.

Isabel Groedel, Julie Zeff, Madeleine Lawson, are trained in marriage counseling. Helen Kotler provides services related to marriage and divorce support.

Integrative (Mind-Body) psychotherapy is an approach to healing and easing life’s problems by increasing one’s resilience and personal resources. It incorporates the fundamental principles of traditional psychotherapy and holistic medicine to promote healing on all levels: emotional, physical, mental and spiritual. Integrative psychotherapy aims to create a healthy alliance between mind and body to enable patients to manage stress and create a healthy lifestyle. A growing body of research indicates that mind-body therapies are safe and effective ways of mitigating physical and emotional symptoms as well as improving coping skills.

Tzipporah Gerson-Miller is trained in mind-body therapy.

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is a type of psychotherapy that involves a combination of cognitive therapy, meditation, and the cultivation of a present-oriented, non-judgmental attitude called "mindfulness." Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy builds upon the principles of cognitive therapy by using techniques such as mindfulness meditation to teach people to consciously pay attention to their thoughts and feelings without placing any judgments upon them.

This approach helps people review their thoughts without getting caught up in what could have been or might occur in the future. MBCT encourages clarity of thought and provides clients with the tools they need to let go of negative thoughts.

Tzipporah Gerson-Miller and Sally Anderson are trained in mindfulness-based therapy.

Counseling can help parents in various ways. Some parents become stressed by a particular parenting challenge. It could be a one-time event or recurring situation. Some parents have a child with a mental health concern or behavioral issue. These parents may find help for the child but leave their own emotions unaddressed. This can be harmful. Stress may build up and overwhelm the parent.

This stress may manifest through worry, depression, irritability, or anger. In therapy, parents can address their feelings. They can find support and guidance and learn skills to address their parenting concerns.

Cari Newman, Lauren Wishneff, and Rebecca Brown are trained in parenting support.

Pastoral counseling uses many of the tools of traditional psychotherapy, but it supports those counseling methods with theology, faith, traditional knowledge, and the additional resources available within faith-based communities. Pastoral counseling works to provide support by meeting these six goals: Enlivening the mind, Revitalizing the body, Deepening of the individual’s relationship with nature and surroundings, Personal growth within the chosen social systems, including family and career, and Deepening relationship with God.

Providing these tools means that a pastoral counselor can become a helpful resource for congregants to address many of the same issues for which people traditionally seek counseling, including personal concerns such as anxiety, depression, and relationship problems. Pastoral counseling often is ideal for individuals who are coping with grief resulting from the loss of a loved one, who are facing a terminal illness, or who are having a crisis of faith and who may benefit from talking to a theologist in addition to a traditional mental health counselor.

Our chaplain, Rabbi Judith Beiner, is trained in pastoral counseling.

Rather than viewing people as inherently flawed, with problematic behaviors and thoughts that require treatment, person-centered therapy highlights that each person has the capacity and desire for personal growth and change, known as self-actualization. Person-centered therapy utilizes a non-authoritative approach that allows clients to take more of a lead in discussions so that, in the process, they will discover their own solutions.

The therapist acts as a compassionate facilitator, listening without judgment and acknowledging the client’s experience without moving the conversation in a certain direction. The therapist is there to encourage and support the client and to guide the therapeutic process without interrupting or interfering with the client’s process of self-discovery.

Lauren Wishneff, Sally Anderson, and Yael Stein are trained in person-centered therapy.

Play therapy is a form of therapy used primarily for children and young adolescents, although playful techniques can be used with people of all ages. Children may not be able to process their own emotions or articulate problems to parents or other adults. While it may look like an ordinary playtime, play therapy can be much more than that. A trained therapist can use playtime to observe and gain insights into a child’s problems.

The therapist can then help the child explore emotions and deal with unresolved trauma using metaphor and storytelling, expressive arts, music and movement, sand tray, adventure therapy and/or bibliotherapy. Through play, people can gain understanding, learn new coping mechanisms, strengthen relationships and master the difficulties they are experiencing.

Sherri Cauthen and Michelle Jacobs are trained in play therapy.

Psychodynamic therapy is primarily used to treat depression and other serious psychological disorders, especially in those who have lost meaning in their lives and have difficulty forming or maintaining personal relationships. Psychodynamic therapy involves the interpretation of mental and emotional processes rather than focusing on behavior. Psychodynamic therapists attempt to help clients find patterns in their emotions, thoughts, and beliefs in order to gain insight into their current self. Recognizing recurring patterns can help people see how they avoid distress or develop defense mechanisms to cope. This insight may allow them to begin changing those patterns.

Sally Anderson, Rebecca Brown, and Yael Stein are trained in psychodynamic therapy.

Relational therapy, sometimes referred to as relational-cultural therapy, is a therapeutic approach based on the idea that mutually satisfying relationships with others are necessary for one’s emotional well-being. This type of psychotherapy takes into account social factors, such as race, class, culture, and gender, and examines the power struggles and other issues that develop as a result of these factors, as well as how they relate to relationships in a person’s life.

The goal is to develop new ideas about relationships, to build a strong relationship with the therapist, and to use both those new ideas and the therapeutic relationship as a model to create healthier, longer-lasting relationships with others.

All of our therapists are trained in relational therapy.

Sand tray therapy is a combination of play therapy and art therapy. The therapist provides the client with a tray or box filled with sand as well as a variety of miniatures to give clients space to process what is going on in their internal world and bring it into the external world. Miniatures may include anything from farm animals and dinosaurs to people and cars. Other types of miniatures used may include nature, weather, fantasy figures, fences, gates, bridges, doors, cages, buildings, religious symbols, death symbols, food, and abstract items (drugs/alcohol/ other addiction symbols, compass, time, life jackets, treasure chest, furniture, and signs).

Clients choose which miniatures to incorporate into the tray and arrange them in any way they want. Meanwhile, the therapist mainly serves as an observer and rarely interrupts the client.

Those who offer this type of therapy believe clients will create a world that represents their internal struggles or conflicts. After the sand tray is complete, the therapist and client typically discuss what was observed—the miniatures that were chosen, how they were arranged, and any symbolic or metaphorical meanings. The client may then choose to rearrange the miniatures based on the discussion. Sand tray therapy may also include talk therapy, other types of play or art therapy, or other types of treatment.

Lauren Wishneff, Madeleine Lawson, Michelle Jacobs, and Sherri Cauthen are trained in sandtray therapy.

Somatic Therapy uses the body as its starting point for healing. The word “somatic” is derived from the Greek word “soma” which means “living body”. It is a holistic form of therapy that is grounded in the relationship between the mind and the body.

Somatic therapy involves bringing awareness to the present moment as well as exploring bodily tension, gestures, and body sensations through a combination of awareness dialogue, movement, and/or touch. Through connecting and listening to one’s body, clients can become the fullest version of themselves.

Tzipporah Gerson-Miller is trained in somatic therapy.

Spiritual therapy is a form of counseling that attempts to treat a person's soul as well as mind and body by accessing individual belief systems and using that faith in a higher power to explore areas of conflict in life. People who believe in a guiding higher power may find that spiritual therapy helps them achieve a deeper connection with this power.

This type of therapy may also involve communing with nature, meditation, music, and other nontraditional therapeutic practices, all of which may be employed to connect the body and mind with the soul and explore the deepest part of one's self. While spirituality is often categorized with religion, one's spirituality may have nothing to do with religion but be simply an awareness of the universe and one's connection to it.

Tzipporah Gerson-Miller is trained in spiritual therapy.

12-step programs consist of a set of uniform steps that attempt to support individuals who wish to address a variety of addictions and behavioral concerns. Developed in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith, the program was originally intended for those who were experiencing alcohol addiction, but it is now widely utilized in the United States to treat a huge array of addictions, including smoking, drug addiction, compulsive overeating, compulsive gambling, and compulsive shopping.

Participants work the steps in order and attend meetings to receive support in completing the steps. Many of those who are recovering from addiction continue to attend meetings even after completing all 12 steps. A desire to help other people who are experiencing addiction is a significant component of a 12-step program.

Sally Anderson is trained in 12-step.

Provides expert care and support with those diagnosed with Substance Use Disorders.
Sally Anderson and Alyssa Lebowitz are trained in substance use counseling.

Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) is an approach in the human service field that assumes that an individual is more likely than not to have a history of trauma. Trauma-Informed Care recognizes the presence of trauma symptoms and acknowledges the role trauma may play in an individual’s life- including service staff.

On an organizational or systemic level, Trauma-Informed Care changes organizational culture to emphasize respecting and appropriately responding to the effects of trauma at all levels. The intention of Trauma-Informed Care is not to treat symptoms or issues related to sexual, physical or emotional abuse or any other form of trauma but rather to provide support services in a way that is accessible and appropriate to those who may have experienced trauma.

Tzipporah Gerson-Miller, Lauren Wishneff, Isabel Groedel, Sarah French, and Nicole Weinstein are trained in trauma-informed care.

Yoga therapy is a type of therapy that uses yoga postures, breathing exercises, meditation, and guided imagery to improve mental and physical health. The holistic focus of yoga therapy encourages the integration of mind, body, and spirit. Modern yoga therapy covers a broad range of therapeutic modalities, incorporating elements from both physical therapy and psychotherapy. Yoga therapy is well established as a treatment for depression and anxiety.

Tzipporah Gerson-Miller and Julie Zeff are trained in yoga therapy.

Health at Every Size (HAES) is a lifestyle that encourages healthy eating and enjoyable physical activity as a way to feel better and live longer. Unlike other programs, it does not believe weight loss through dieting is the way to become healthy. HAES adopts a weight-neutral approach to make healthcare effective for all people, no matter their size.

Rivkah Mueller is trained in HAES therapy.