CBT
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (aka CB, CBT or Cog B) is a popular therapy that focuses on challenging unhelpful cognitive distortions and behaviors, improving emotional regulation, and developing coping strategies that target life’s problems. At its core philosophy, CBT suggests that many of our problems - from mood to behavior to our relations with others - arise from the way we think about our circumstances and that with training and skill learning, we can improve many aspects of how we feel and respond to the world. CBT differs from the traditional therapies you may be familiar with (e.g. psychodynamic) in that it is strongly goal-oriented and can involve homework between sessions but as an evidence-based practice, it has been proven to yield high success rates with certain conditions.
Working at agencies within the community mental health system, I was certified in MAP (a CBT program) and now in my private practice I frequently combine the MAP principles and techniques to supplement psychodynamic, interpersonal or other modalities as specific conditions indicate.
PSYCHODYNAMIC
Psychodynamic therapy falls within the category of depth psychology, the primary focus of which is to reveal the unconscious content of a client's psyche in an effort to alleviate psychic tension. The way this is achieved is through studying the forces that underlie human actions, feelings and emotions that may be muddled by defenses. The therapy you see in film and TV typically constitutes psychodynamic approaches and maintains a focus on how past experiences from childhood and onward inform today’s perceptions and relationships.
Psychodynamic treatments devote focus to early childhood experiences as contributing to today’s issues. I frequently use the psychodynamic approach at the beginning of treatment and then supplement with other approaches later.
Interpersonal
Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) is a brief, attachment-focused psychotherapy that centers on resolving interpersonal problems and recovering from the associated symptoms. IPT is an evidence-based practice that typically follows a structured and time-limited approach that is intended to be completed within 16 weeks.
I frequently incorporate elements of IPT when treating certain types of depression.