Lifestyle is an important aspect of my practice and I encourage my clients to identify how certain lifestyle changes can impact their treatment goals. Exercise, nutrition, substance use and sleep all affect stress and anxiety levels, therefore one of the main aspects of my practice is identifying how lifestyle choices create a fundamental shift in an individuals well being. One of the main stressors I target is burnout, work-life balance, suicidal ideation, depression/anxiety and coping with PTSD.
Fur Babies are the best medicine!
Therapeutic Focus
Discomfort is the only way to create change and address behavioral challenges. My approach is to embrace discomfort by understanding why it exists and what changes need to be made in order to assist individuals with moving forward and creating a better life.
Health and fitness is also an important focus of my approach as our bodies and mind work collectively to create wellness. How you treat your body greatly influences the functionality of your mind.
Therapeutic Approaches
ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) is a model which assumes that even in the midst of tremendous pain and suffering, there’s an opportunity to find meaning, purpose, and vitality. In ACT, the goal is not to eliminate suffering, but to use the pain as a tool to grow and create a springboard into creating rich and meaningful life.
CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) targets negative thinking patterns and how these thoughts lead to low self-esteem or negative self-talk. The goal of CBT is to replace these negative thoughts will positive affirmations, intern creating positive outcomes. It is what I like to refer to as the “self-fulfilling prophesy” form of therapy.
DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) aims at directing behavior in the moment by creating mindfulness, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness and emotional regulation.
Michelle E. Montgomery 