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  • HEALTH AT EVERY SIZE (HAES)

    HAES is an approach to public health that seeks to de-emphasize weight loss as a health goal, but rather encourages healthy eating and exercise as a means for overall physical and mental wellness and enjoyment. In doing so, it reduces the stigma towards people who live in bigger bodies. HAES rejects diet culture and harmful tools such as BMI, and instead affirms a holistic definition of health- that takes into consideration the presence of physical or mental illness, and external/environmental factors- on a continuum that varies for each individual.

    INTUITIVE EATING

    Intuitive eating is a non-dieting approach to changing your eating habits. According to the National Eating Disorders Association, intuitive eating is about trusting your body to make food choices that feel good for you, without judging yourself and without the influence of diet culture. As a non-dieting approach, intuitive eating is not about losing weight, but about learning to trust your body and being attuned to its needs.

    GENTLE REPROCESSING

    Gentle Reprocessing™ is therapeutic technique that integrates guided imagery, drawing, story telling, inner child work, cognitive therapy and EMDR components, among other types of therapies. It is designed to gently and rapidly dissolve trauma symptoms that prevent clients from living fully. Along with symptoms of PTSD, Gentle Reprocessing™ also reduces symptoms of depression, anxiety disorders and phobias, OCD, anger, dissociation, and lasting effects of abuse.

    COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY

    CBT is a form of psychotherapy that focuses on the connection between one’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. In CBT, the goal is to understand and reframe one’s unhelpful thought patterns and core beliefs about themselves and the world, that are usually learned through the life span. CBT has been proven effective for a range of issues such as depression, anxiety disorders, addiction, low self-worth, and eating disorders, among many others.

    DIALECTICAL BEHAVIOR THERAPY

    Based in CBT principles, DBT focuses on helping people accept the reality of their lives and behaviors, while also helping them learn to change their unhelpful behaviors. The goal is to strike a balance between acceptance of who you are, and recognition for a need to change. DBT was originally designed as a treatment model for Borderline Personality Disorder, but can be an effective tool for anyone struggling with emotion regulation and impulsivity.

    ACCEPTANCE & COMMITMENT THERAPY

    Also stemming from CBT principles, ACT is an action-oriented form of therapy that works to help a client stop denying, suppressing, and avoiding their feelings, and instead gain acceptance over them as appropriate responses to life’s challenges. In ACT, the client learns to stop viewing “negative” emotions as something that needs to be fixed or changed, but rather incorporate and experience them as a part of their whole life. ACT has been effective in treating anxiety disorders, depression, OCD, addictions, stress management, and eating disorders.

    NARRATIVE THERAPY

    Narrative therapy is a person-centered form of therapy that views people as separate from their struggles and unhelpful patterns. In doing this, clients can get some distance from the challenge they face and see how it is helping or protecting them, more than it is hurting them. The goal of narrative therapy, in this way, is for clients to feel more empowered to make change and “rewrite” their story to reflect who they really are, what they are capable of, and what their purpose is, outside of their struggles. Narrative therapy is a useful tool for many issues, including depression, anxiety, trauma, anger, eating disorders, and addictions.

    INTERNAL FAMILY SYSTEMS

    Often referred to as “parts work,” IFS is an approach to therapy that identifies and addresses multiple sub-personalities or families (or “parts”) within one’s mental system. These sub-personalities consist of wounded parts and painful emotions such as anger and shame, and parts that try to control and protect the person from the pain of the wounded parts. IFS focuses on healing the wounded parts and restoring mental balance and harmony by changing the dynamics that create discord among one’s parts and the whole self. IFS is also used to help clients understand that painful experiences and emotions are simply one part of us, and do not make up our entire being. This approach has been particularly useful in working with trauma, depression, anxiety and phobias, and chronic pain or illness.

    MOTIVATIONAL INTERVIEWING

    Stemming from person-centered approaches, Motivational Interviewing is a method of counseling that helps people resolve ambivalent feelings and insecurities to find the internal motivation they need to change their behavior. It is a practical and short-term process that is empathetic to how difficult it is to make life changes. Motivational Interviewing is most often used to treat addictions and the management of physical illness, but can also be effective in stress management and any situation that is preventing someone from making healthier choices for themselves.

    MINDFULNESS-BASED THERAPY

    Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, MBCT, is a subset of cognitive therapy that incorporates mindfulness practices that include awareness of the present through meditation and deep breathing exercises. Using these tools, the mindfulness-based therapist teaches a client to be in the here and now as well as break away from disruptive, unhelpful thought patterns. By doing so, an individual can fight off a difficult frame of mind before it takes hold. Though MBCT was designed to treat individuals battling depression, mindfulness practices have been proven effective in treating a range of anxiety disorders, trauma symptoms, mood disorders, and addictions.

    ART THERAPY

    Art therapy is an alternative to traditional talk therapy, in which art making is used as a vehicle for self-expression, self-discovery, or self-soothing. Sometimes, the art is used to tell a story, or gain a deeper understanding of an issue, while other times, the art is the tool for relaxation and mindfulness. Art therapy, in its truest sense, can only be practiced under the guidance of a trained art therapist. Art therapy has been known to support clients with a range of issues, but has been particularly effective for developmental disabilities, grief, body image and self-esteem, personality disorders, and trauma healing. No art experience required!

    EYE MOVEMENT DESENSITIZATION AND REPROCESSING (EMDR)

    EMDR helps heal from trauma or distressing life experiences. During EMDR therapy, the individual brings into awareness emotionally disturbing memories in brief sequences while also attending to an external stimulus like tapping, eye movements, and/or audio. This process facilitates the creation of new associations between the traumatic memory and more adaptive memories or information.