Behavioral Principles
Healing Tools
Insights
Behavioral principles used by Elizabeth involves the analysis of the individual's environment and interpretation of one's behavior and private events, also known as thoughts and beliefs.
Effective interventions and treatments can be best accomplished when there is an understanding of causality, instead of resorting to a disorder.
Looping thoughts, such as “Because I have ADHD, I cannot focus…..because I cannot focus, I have ADHD,” or “I cut because I am depressed……..I am depressed so I cut,” is unhelpful and lacks deeper understanding.
Behavioral principles are the antithesis of looping thoughts because they disrupt the looping pattern through understanding the root cause.
Integration of Acceptance and Commitment Training/Therapy (ACT), Exposure Response Prevention (ERP), Habit Reversal (HR), mindfulness, and understanding the inner working of the client's barriers are the foundation.
These tools increase psychological and behavioral flexibility in coping with stressors by resourcing behavioral cognitive skills training.
This is not psychotherapy, psychoanalysis or "talk therapy."
Elizabeth is trained in HR and ERP through International OCD Foundation.
ACT
Acceptance And Commitment Therapy
Healing Tools
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a behavior therapy modality centered in principles of mindfulness, pursuit of a meaningful life, and living according to one's values.
Hailed as one of the "Third Wave" behavior therapies, ACT recognizes origins of thoughts and behavior in survival and seeks to move people away from a focus on happiness and towards a focus on remaining present through all types of emotions. The core attributes of ACT are:
Non-pathologizing
Normalization of the experience of suffering
Empowering focus on life value to improve psychological flexibility
ERP
Exposure Response Prevention
Healing Tools
Exposure Response Prevention (ERP) is a cognitive behavioral therapeutic method that refers to exposing yourself to the very thing that you are avoiding, preventing or evading. Clients eventually learn to do their own ERP exercises to manage their symptoms after a few sessions. Once the elephant in the room is no longer being ignored or avoided, the body and mind can learn to fear less and fight less. ERP can be challenging in the beginning, but with courage and willingness, one can finally:
You can be free
You will be at ease
Know that you are safe
Know that your fears are just thoughts, not a reality
HR
Habit Reversal
Healing Tools
