Counseling Styles
Internal Family Systems Model (IFS) has evolved over the past twenty years into a comprehensive approach that includes guidelines for working with individuals, couples, and families. The IFS Model represents a new synthesis of two already-existing paradigms: systems thinking and the multiplicity of the mind. It helps clients discover inner wholeness from inside the Self.
It brings concepts and methods from the structural, strategic, narrative, and Bowenian schools of family therapy to the world of subpersonalities. This synthesis was the natural outcome that evolved after Richard Schwartz, as a young, fervent family therapist, began hearing from his clients about their inner lives. Once he was able to set aside his preconceived notions about therapy and the mind, and began to really listen to what his clients were saying, he heard descriptions of what they often called their “parts” – the conflicted subpersonalities that resided within them. He then developed a comprehensive approach toward transformative healing with clients. www.selfleadership.org
Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) is a form of psychological acupressure based on the same energy meridians used in traditional acupuncture to treat physical and emotional ailments and optimize emotional health. There are no needles as in acupuncture. Instead, simple tapping with the fingertips is used to input kinetic energy onto specific meridians on the head and chest while you think about your specific problem – whether it is a traumatic event, an addiction, pain, etc. — and voice positive affirmations. http://eft.mercola.com
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy is an effective form of trauma treatment, supported by randomized studies that have demonstrated positive effects of the eye movements. It’s a comprehensive, integrative psychotherapy approach that includes psychodynamic, cognitive behavioral, interpersonal, experiential, and body-centered therapies. It uses an 8-phase approach that attends to past experiences, the current situations that trigger dysfunctional emotions, beliefs and sensations, and the positive experience needed to enhance future adaptive behaviors and mental health. http://www.emdr.com
Rubenfeld Synergy, created by Ilana Rubenfeld, is an alternative healing method which combines touch and talk to help you deal with the stresses in life. Symptoms of stress can show up in various ways in the body. Some of the most common symptoms that are familiar are the proverbial “pain in the neck,” shouldering “the weight of the world” or feeling overwhelmed, exhausted and “running on empty.” There’s often a feeling of being shut down with no awareness of your body. http://www.rubenfeldsynergy.com
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy® Institute (SPI) is an international continuing education organization dedicated to the study and teaching of a somatic approach to clinical psychotherapy. Sensorimotor Psychotherapy® (SP), founded by Dr. Pat Ogden, is a body-oriented talking therapy that integrates verbal techniques with body-centered interventions in the treatment of trauma, attachment, and developmental issues, incorporating theory and technique from psychodynamic psychotherapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, neuroscience, and theories of attachment and dissociation. https://www.sensorimotorpsychotherapy.org/about.html
Tapas Acupressure Technique was developed by Tapas Fleming to further her interest in physical and energetic healing. She began her practice in 1987 as a Licensed Acupuncturist specializing in the treatment of allergies. Searching for a simple, effective treatment, she developed TAT in 1993. Tapas soon realized that in addition to relieving her patients’ allergic reactions, TAT was clearing the effects of their past stressful or traumatic experiences in an easy, gentle way. Now one of the most celebrated leaders in energy psychology, Tapas has taught TAT to hundreds of thousands of enthusiastic people worldwide and is considered empowering and liberating in supporting people in creating a vibrant, healthy life full of meaning and fulfillment.
Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy Group
In this group, you’ll apply mindfulness – a relaxed attentiveness to your experience in the present moment – to painful thoughts, feelings and body sensations associated with depression, anxiety, and other forms of psychological distress. By practicing mindfulness skills in the group and at home, you’ll begin to relate to these experiences with acceptance and ease instead of habitual, self-defeating defenses. In the process, you’ll discover you can often prevent them from spiraling into more severe depression and anxiety.
This group is highly experiential and offers you a set of tools and exercises to take home and integrate into your daily lives. Weekly homework assignments are an essential component of the program.
Groups meet twice a year (spring and fall) on Wednesdays, 5:30-7:30. The next series begins on Wednesday, October 16th at 5:30pm and runs for 8 weeks. Spaces available.
For more information, contact Tom Pedulla, LICSW at 617-803-0951 or [email protected].
Nutrition Consultations
We all could benefit from a deeper understanding of what our body needs from a nutritional standpoint. While some are curious about their health in a preventive way, some of us have a medical nutrition therapy need to see a registered dietitian/nutrition therapist, such as high cholesterol or blood pressure, pre-diabetes or diabetes, pregnancy and lactation health, eating disorders (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, compulsive overeating), anxiety and depression, and digestive health issues like Irritable Bowel Syndrome and celiac disease.
Nutrition consultations are one-hour and the first session includes a nutrition assessment (review of medical, weight and diet history, eating patterns and preferences, life values, and calculating caloric and nutrient needs). Dependent on these needs, meal planning, food plans, grocery shopping, updating your nutrition knowledge database as needed, food records, how to deal with the parts of you involved in emotional and stress eating, optimal eating out choices, or exploring elimination diets for digestive issues may be discussed. A host of tools are in the toolbox and we’ll always end with an action plan.
Follow-up sessions include a review of your progress, brainstorm barriers and lifestyle events that occur, like business travel, vacations, holiday meals, and office party birthday cake. We’ll update your plan as needed, and this may include review of food records and meal plans, revising nutrient intake to reflect weight loss, and cooking tips. Follow-up sessions also include deeper inner work through the IFS modality. Diana Dugan Richards is a certified IFS practitioner.