Our Approach to Treatment
We specialize in providing evidence-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapies for OCD, anxiety, and many related disorders. We offer expert treatment in a compassionate manner that tailors treatment to the needs and goals of each person we work with.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapies
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is unique because it consists of evidence-based interventions. This means CBT is supported by tens of thousands of scientific studies that show it’s use as being effective, and often the most effective therapeutic solution available. Additionally, numerous studies have demonstrated that CBT helps people function better in their relationships, school, and work while improving overall quality of life and wellbeing.
Cognitive-behavioral therapists at Reeds work collaboratively with clients on their current problems using cognitive and behavioral strategies to help clients overcome them in a time-limited manner.
Types of CBT Treatments
At The Reeds Center, we offer a variety of CBT treatments.
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is a type of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) considered to be the most effective treatment for OCD (with or without medication) based on over 40 years of extensive clinical research.
What makes ERP so powerful is that it corrects mistaken beliefs about danger and threat at both the rational level and emotionally, allowing one to experience a significant reduction in anxiety. Our therapists are all extensively trained and supervised by the directors and are experienced in providing ERP. When clients begin treatment, our therapists take time to understand their OCD and how it is impacting their life.
A thorough assessment is conducted and a treatment plan is designed to address the challenges and needs of each client. Clients are carefully taught the principles of ERP and their therapist supports them to do exposure together in session to ensure the most effective response to treatment. The result is that clients learn a set of skills they can apply regularly to live a healthier and fuller life in which intrusive thoughts, avoidance, and compulsions no longer get in the way.
CBT for Eating Disorders (CBT-E)
Our primary conceptualization and interventions for eating disorders like AN, BN, and BED are based in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Eating Disorders (CBT-E) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which have over 30 years of studies showing their efficacy in promoting recovery, restoring health, and improving clients overall well being.
As with CBT for anxiety disorders, CBT-E offers clients a set of skills to manage their behaviors, thoughts, and emotions. ACT-based interventions offer clients opportunities to connect to the present moment and move towards their values.
Cognitive Therapy (CT)
We help clients to understand the relationship between their thoughts and emotions and how to change their thinking to feel better and more motivated. For example, clients may learn about what causes symptoms of anxiety and to challenge thoughts such as “These symptoms are dangerous” in order to break ongoing cycles of panic and to feel calmer and more in control.
Behavioral activation (BA)
Behavioral activation (BA) is an evidence-based therapy primarily used in the treatment of depression. It focuses on increasing engagement in positive, meaningful and rewarding activities by helping clients identify values and set realistic goals for engagement.
The underlying principle of behavioral activation is that by targeting and modifying patterns of behavior in this way, individuals experience improvements in their mood and overall well-being. Our therapists work with clients to identify values and associated goals while helping them to take the incremental steps needed to feel better and more engaged in their lives.
For clients experiencing low mood or depression along with anxiety, OCD or other challenges, BA can be included as a part of treatment to enhance mood and motivation.
CBT for Insomnia (CBT-I)
CBT-I is the first line evidence-based treatment for insomnia. At The Reeds Center, CBT-I involves a careful assessment and tailored application of proven strategies that include monitoring sleep patterns, psychoeducation and sleep hygiene, relaxation training, behavior modification, and cognitive restructuring.
This comprehensive approach helps clients identify and address patterns associated with insomnia by helping them develop effective habits that promote restful and rejuvenating sleep.
Comprehensive Behavioral Treatment (CompB) & Habit Reversal Treatment (HRT)
Comprehensive Behavioral Treatment including Habit Reversal therapy for body focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs; e.g., skin picking and hair pulling) is a highly effective evidence-based approach that involves several phases including assessment, psychoeducation, and strategies for managing and reducing unwanted body focused habits.
At The Reeds Center, our therapists conduct a careful assessment in order to tailor treatment to the needs, challenges and goals of each client. A functional analysis helps identify the function of repetitive behaviors, such as stress relief, boredom, or a response to negative emotions. Then a comprehensive treatment plan is constructed with clients. This includes psychoeducation about repetitive habits and monitoring to help identify triggers that enable them to employ alternative strategies to prevent BFRBs. These strategies include Habit Reversal Training (HRT), which replaces the habit (e.g., skin picking) with a competing response (e.g., a fidget, pulling strands from a piece of twine). Stimulus Control is a strategy used to reduce triggers and cues that prompt repetitive behaviors. This could involve covering mirrors, wearing gloves, or keeping the skin well-moisturized to reduce tactile sensations that trigger picking or pulling.
Our therapists may also teach acceptance and emotional regulation strategies to help clients cope with stress and discomfort so they are better able to resist engaging in unwanted behaviors. Finally, clients learn principles of relapse prevention with their therapist to maintain progress and prevent relapse in the future.
We Also Integrate the Latest Mindfulness and Acceptance-based Techniques
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a form of evidence-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) designed to help individuals develop psychological flexibility and increase their ability to engage in value-based actions, even in the presence of difficult thoughts, emotions, and experiences.
ACT is based on the premise that trying to avoid or control unpleasant thoughts and feelings can often lead to more distress and difficulty, and can interfere with engaging in activities that are important and meaningful to the individual. ACT emphasizes developing acceptance and mindfulness skills to help individuals learn to relate to their experiences in a more open and flexible way, and to identify and pursue their values and goals.
Key components of ACT include:
- Mindfulness: Practicing mindfulness skills to help individuals become more aware and accepting of their thoughts, emotions, and experiences, and view of self without judgment or avoidance
- Defusion: Developing skills to help individuals distance themselves from their thoughts and see them as passing mental events rather than absolute truths
- Acceptance: Cultivating an attitude of acceptance towards unpleasant thoughts, feelings, and experiences, and learning to coexist with them rather than trying to eliminate them
- Values work: Values are the qualities of experience that are deeply meaningful and important and provide a sense of vitality and purpose in life. Values work includes helping clients to identify and clarify personal values and to use them to guide goal-setting and behavior change
- Committed action: Taking action towards valued goals and engaging in behaviors that are consistent with personal values, even in the presence of difficult thoughts and feelings.
ACT has been found to be effective in treating a wide range of mental health conditions, including anxiety disorders, depression, chronic pain, and eating disorders. can be adapted to suit the individual needs and goals of each client.
At The Reeds Center, clinicians incorporate the principles of ACT into their approach to evidence-based therapies by helping clients to become more flexible and resilient in response to the challenges causing them to suffer while also helping them to (re)connect to what is deeply meaningful and important in their lives. We offer ACT as a standalone approach to therapy when it is determined to be the most beneficial treatment option for a particular client.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a type of evidence-based therapy that incorporates mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness skills. DBT is highly effective in helping people manage difficult emotions and relationships.
The Reeds Center offers DBT as an adjunct to CBT treatments for clients who may benefit from its principles and skills. For example:
- People who struggle with mental compulsions or strong experiences of disgust or anger may benefit from DBT mindfulness skills.
- People experiencing social anxiety or Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) may benefit from practicing DBT interpersonal skills.
- People feeling anger or shame as part of patterns of binge eating or hair pulling may find DBT distress tolerance skills to be helpful.
In the evaluation process, therapists at Reeds help clients determine whether they could benefit from adjunctive DBT at The Reeds Center or a comprehensive DBT program. Some clients are better served by participating in a full model DBT program, which offers phone coaching, skills groups, as well as individual DBT focused sessions. The Reeds Center does not offer a full-model DBT program but collaborates with practices that do in the city and surrounding area.
What Our Clients Say
