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Explore treatments

Which treatments are best?

There are many effective treatments in context. This page gives an A - Z of more popular choices for female trauma and abuse. We collaborate with you to design a plan that feels right.
  • Choice not listed? ... Please request it.
  • Information too brief? ... Ask for more resources.
  • You are in control of your therapy.
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ACT - Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

ACT emphasizes observance and acceptance of thoughts and feelings in the present moment without judgment or worry about the future or past. This psychological flexibility allows better control over emotions, thoughts, and situations.
  • Thoughts are only thoughts, not facts
  • Mindfulness over uncontrolled events
  • Values guide steps to a life of wellness
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CBT - TF-CBT, CBT-I & variations of Cognitive Restructuring

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy identifies and challenges unhealthy beliefs about trauma, and other emotions/behaviors from life stage and lifestyle changes (eg: fertility issues, birthing, post-natal, menopause, insomnia).
  • Breaks the association and cycle between trigger and consequence
  • Can add holistic / relax / mindfulness
  • Reduces dependence on medication
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CPT-Cognitive Processing Therapy

CPT explores the negative impact (thoughts, feelings, and behaviors) that PTSD now has in your life post-event, rather than looking back on the trauma scene. It also addresses 5 themes: safety, trust, power/control, esteem, and intimacy.
  • Improved guilt/emotion regulation
  • Better social adjustment in real life
  • Can be used in all PTSD scenarios
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DBT - Dialectical Behavioral Therapy

DBT simultaneously combines the opposites of self-acceptance with need for change, just like in real life. Core skills are learned in four areas: mindfulness, emotional regulation, interpersonal effectiveness, and distress tolerance.
  • Reduces self-harm/suicide behavior
  • Better social adjustment in real life
  • Skills base added to other therapies
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EMDR - Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing

EMDR helps to process (often hidden) trauma memories. Emotional and body pain can surface despite little memory clarity. Heal from past events, even as long ago as a young child before you consciously remembered things.
  • Often used in child abuse therapy
  • Often used in sexual assault therapy
  • Often used in MST/combat PTSD
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ERP - Exposure Response Prevention, with I-CBT for OCD

ERP is similar to PE where a trauma-like stress exposure hierarchy is used. However, ERP adds an element of uncertainty to each scenario to break a [OCD] cycle, via removing or altering ritualization. Inferential-confusion I-CBT challenges OCD reasoning
  • Often used in C/PTSD child abuse
  • Often used in PTSD anxiety
  • Often used in C/PTSD-based OCD
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Family Systems / Couples - Gottman Therapy & others

Family systems therapy says that individual actions and emotions impact the whole system. Reciprocally, distress anywhere in the system affects all members. Focus on relationship rules, boundaries, communication & "Love Language".
  • Breaks the stress and trauma cycle
  • Reduces anxiety and conflict
  • Improves individual & group wellbeing
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Flash Reprocessing EMDR technique

Flash positive reprocessing is used to reduce the intense negative emotional distress of trauma memories prior to or integrated with EMDR / exposure therapy. Helps to minimize and control dissociation during therapy.
  • Often used in sexual assault therapy
  • Often used in dissociative /DID and C/PTSD clients
  • Often helpful in phobias / OCD
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IFS - Internal Family Systems

IFS views the mind as comprised of various "parts" or sub-personalities, each with its own unique perspective and role. These parts, which can be protective, wounded, or nurturing, express symptoms and defends your core self. IFS talks to, heals, and reunites all these parts.
  • Improved emotion regulation
  • Resolve inner conflict, release burde
  • Often added to Somatic MBSR, EMDR
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Grief Counseling

It can be traumatic when you lose a loved one, family pet, or change in circumstances. Struggling alone with emotional burdens in unfamiliar scenarios is challenging. Navigate meaning making out of these new emotions within a safe counseling space.
  • Healing through the grieving process
  • Learn new healthy coping strategies
  • Often used with ACT, EMDR therapy
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NET - Narrative Exposure Therapy

"Emotional death by a thousand cuts" Too many trauma events to number. NET helps make sense of chronic abuse, neglect, and violence over time. It puts the trauma pieces together in a way that safely and emotionally makes sense.
  • Exposure timeline suitable for CPTSD
  • Constructing a coherent life narrative
  • Rewriting your story as "resilience"
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Relaxation, Meditation, Creative

Breathing, body/muscle relaxation, exercise, yoga, meditation, art-craft-play, hobbies, time out, and more can be combined with MBSR, Somatic, and Mindfulness as skillsets to integrate with your primary trauma therapy.
  • Often combined with EMDR, DBT, PE
  • Helps cycle/hysterectomy/menopause
  • Adaptable to cultural/ spiritual trauma
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SBT - Strengths Based Therapy

Strengths based therapy is a positive approach to healing. It uses your internal strengths and resources to grow and move forward in your journey, rather than staying traumatized looking back at the past which you cannot change.
  • Proactive empowering approach
  • View life through a lens of possibilities
  • Adaptable to cultural/ spiritual trauma
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