Evidence-informed care to meet your specific needs.
EMDR: an evidence-based approach to healing from trauma.
EMDR is an intervention that enables people to heal from the symptoms and distress from trauma. It helps people recover from the effects of psychological trauma through adaptive information processing. Unlike other treatments that focus on directly altering the emotions and responses resulting from trauma, EMDR focuses directly on the memory and works by changing the way that the memory is stored in the brain. EMDR therapy differs from other trauma-focused interventions in that it does not include extended exposure to the memory, detailed descriptions of the trauma, challenging of beliefs or homework. EMDR is a wonderful addition to the healing process and helps you respond to life instead of react.
Yes, you can change the way you think!
Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, is a short-term therapy that helps people find new ways to live and behave by changing their thought patterns. CBT has been proven to help address a range of issues including depression, anxiety, substance problems, eating disorders, and other mental illnesses. CBT works to help you become your own therapist and giving you the tools you need to thrive independently. Through exercises in session as well as “homework” outside of sessions, you develop coping skills and learn how to change your distressing thoughts, problematic emotions, and behaviors. In CBT, we look at what is currently impacting your life and focus on developing more effective ways to cope and thrive.
Attachment styles & family of origin work.
Attachment work is an evidence-informed approach to healing and introspection. You may have heard people talk about their attachment styles; secure, avoidant, anxious, or disorganized. The way we connect to others and how we feel in relationship with ourselves and others can impact everything. In our experience, attachment work is some of the most powerful work you can do to shift your life. Often, attachment work overlaps with work surrounding your family of origin (the family in which you were raised). Our early experiences inform so much; in this work, we explore the past, consider core beliefs, address problem behaviors, and work toward building a life that works for you with a deeper understanding of how you got where you are now.,
Life-long skills for self-acceptance and healthy relationships.
Dialectical behavior therapy is based on CBT, with a specific focus on emotional and social aspects and skills. Originally developed to help people with extreme emotions or harmful behavior, DBT is now used to treat all kinds of struggles and is evidence-based to help people regain control of their emotions and learn new skills to adapt in life. DBT specifically focuses on four key areas, mindfulness, distress tolerance (the ability to tolerate and move through negative emotions), emotional regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness (communication, self-respect and fostering healthy relationships). DBT builds on the foundation of CBT and allows you to connect to your inner world in a more adaptive, healthy way - and provides tools you will use for the rest of your life! You will have one-on-one sessions with a focus on skill-building, which may include “homework” and things to try at home in between our meetings.
Ready to get started? Want to learn more? Contact us.
laura.ames0520@gmail.com
(561) 504-2290
Laura Ames, LCSW
Ames Center for Counseling
1900 Church St. suite 300
Nashville, TN 37203