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Individual Therapy

When individuals have been struggling with a personal issue, an addiction, relationship issues, aging, or just life,  there may be a point where one feels that he or she needs professional expertise is coping with the struggle. 

 

At Summit, we provide a safe, supportive, non-judmental environment for individuals to gain control of their emotional state, heal and grow. 

 

There are a variety of techniques and treatment methods that can be used to enable individuals to  develop better functional and healthy responses to their life's challenges.  Each clinican has varying backgrounds and education levels.  Thus, each clinician has a different therapuetic orientation to which they lean.  The treatment methods we use include, but are not limited to the following:

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  • Behavioral

  • Cognitive

  • Supportive

  • Dynamic

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In general there is not a "one-size-fits-all" course of treatment, many clinicians will use a combination of treatment methods to help individuals gain knowledge about themselves to mold their thought processes, change self-destructive behavior, communicate better, and to overall enrich their lives.

Behavioral

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This type of treatment model focuses on eliminating undesireable behaviors and possibly promoting "good" behaviors. 

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  •  Remeber Pavlov's dog? This was a form of behavior conditioning.  Ivan Pavlov conditioned a dog to salivate at the sound of a bell.

Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)

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CBT is a combination of behavioral and cognitive therapies.  Clinicians who use this treatment model focuses on finding solutions to changing dysfunctional emotions, negative thoughts and eliminating or correcting undesireable behaviors. 

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Cognitive

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This is the belief that how we feel is as a result of how we think.  E.g., if a person is depressed, it is because of their faulty though process.  Cognitive therapy focuses on eliminating or correcting undesireable  thoughts to improve one's  emotional state. 

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Pool Yoga Class
Sparklers

Dynamic

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This is the belief that how we feel and act is as a result of unconscious processes.  This is understanding how the past has influenced the present and the undesireable behavior or faulty thinking.  This is the oldest of the modern therapies.  Sigmund Freud was one of the most well known influences on psychodynamic theory.  Remember the id, ego and superego??   

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The treatment using psychodynamic therapy involves self-awareness, and examination of unresolved conflicts which arise from past dysfunctional events or relationships.

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Supportive

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This method of therapy can be likened to being a friend to someone and listening to him or her discuss their issues in their life.  However, Supportive psychotherapy is the attempt by a therapist to help  patients deal with their emotional distress and problems in living.  This includes comforting, advising, encouraging, reassuring, and mostly listening, attentively and sympathetically. The therapist provides an emotional outlet, the chance for patients to express themselves and be themselves. Also the therapist may inform patients about their illness and about how to manage it and how to adjust to it.

 

It is important to note though, that over the course of treatment the clinician may have to intercede on a patient’s behalf with various authorities, including schools, social agencies, and/or with the patient’s family.

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