COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY (CBT)

Starting with the premise that the ways you think (cognitions) and behave strongly affect how you feel, CBT focuses on identifying, understanding, and changing self-defeating and irrational thinking and behavior patterns. It is a highly effective modality, proven to be particularly helpful in treating anxiety disorders and OCD.

When you work with Ruth, you are actively involved in your own recovery. Clients are often given “homework” to complete between sessions, including keeping a journal to monitor thoughts and behaviors to reinforce what they learn.Ruth will teach you to notice unhelpful and automatic thought patterns, and you’ll learn how to replace these with more accurate and realistic thinking. Examples of these “thinking traps” include catastrophizing ("The hurricane will probably break all our windows and our house will be swept away"), underestimating abilities (“There's no point in applying for the job because I won't get it"), and over-generalizations ("No one likes me"). 

Ruth will also work on helping you identify and change unhelpful, avoidant, or self-destructive behavior patterns. You’ll learn techniques that make it easier to tolerate anxious feelings and sensations, and how to “lean into” rather than avoid situations that make you anxious or increase your OCD.

EXPOSURE AND RESPONSE PREVENTION (ERP)

Exposure and Response Prevention is a subset of CBT and is the gold standard in treating anxiety and OCD. As its name suggests, exposure therapy involves “exposing” oneself to anxiety-provoking stimuli, situations, or objects. In the case of OCD, it is used to teach one how to resist physical and mental rituals/compulsions

ERP can be done in the office and, when appropriate, Ruth will accompany you into the actual feared situations. You will learn how to “lean into” and manage your anxious and “just-not-right” feelings. You are in charge! Ruth will encourage you to face your fears, but you set the pace as you learn how to embrace, rather than avoid, anxiety and OCD.

ACCEPTANCE AND COMMITMENT THERAPY (ACT)

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is considered a “third wave” treatment often used in conjunction with CBT to increase motivation to do the work necessary to overcome your anxiety disorder or OCD. ACT’s focus on radical acceptance and a commitment to change in spite of emotional challenges makes this a highly effective treatment modality.

ACT’s framework of acceptance-commitment allows individuals to manage the relationships between thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, that empowers them to embrace and “lean into” uncomfortable or unpleasant feelings and sensations rather then avoid them— the true key to overcoming anxiety disorders and OCD.

MINDFULNESS

Mmindfulness is rooted in Buddhist and Hindu teachings. Its emergence into mainstream Western medicine is generally attributed to Jon Kabat-Zinn, a University of Massachusetts medical school professor who created the first mindfulness-based program for people with chronic pain. Kabat-Zinn defined mindfulness as “the awareness that arises from paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgmentally”. By focusing on the breath, the idea is to cultivate attention on the body and mind as it is moment to moment, which helps manage both physical and emotional pain.

For those with anxiety and OCD, mindfulness allows them to “notice” but not engage with anxious thoughts, feelings, sensations or compulsions..