Contemplative Counseling is an approach to therapy that blends traditional counseling methods with contemplative practices—such as mindfulness, meditation, breathwork, and reflective silence—to help clients connect more deeply with their inner experience. Rather than focusing solely on problem-solving or symptom reduction, it emphasizes present-moment awareness, self-compassion, and insight as pathways to healing.

Mindfulness-Based Therapy is a category of psychotherapeutic approaches that incorporate mindfulness—the practice of paying deliberate, non-judgmental attention to the present moment—as a core therapeutic tool. It draws on contemplative traditions (especially Buddhist meditation practices) but is typically taught in a secular, clinically structured way.

Core idea: Instead of trying to eliminate or avoid difficult thoughts, emotions, or sensations, clients learn to observe them with curiosity and acceptance, rather than getting caught up in or controlled by them. This shift in relationship to one's inner experience—rather than the content itself—is often what drives change.

What it's used for: Anxiety, depression, chronic pain, stress, substance use, trauma, and general emotional regulation.

EMDR is a structured psychotherapy approach developed by Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s, originally to help people process and heal from trauma. It's based on the idea that traumatic memories can get "stuck" in the brain in a raw, unprocessed form, continuing to trigger distress long after the event has passed. EMDR aims to help the brain reprocess these memories so they lose their emotional intensity and become integrated like ordinary memories.

Approach
EMDR follows an 8-phase protocol, but its defining feature is the use of bilateral stimulation—typically guided eye movements (though tapping or auditory tones can also be used) while the client briefly focuses on a distressing memory. The process generally includes:

1. History-taking – identifying target memories and current triggers

2. Preparation – teaching coping and grounding skills

3. Assessment – identifying the image, negative belief, and emotions tied to the memory

4. Desensitization – bilateral stimulation while recalling the memory, allowing associations and insights to surface

5. Installation – reinforcing a positive belief to replace the negative one

6. Body scan – checking for residual physical tension tied to the memory

7. Closure – ensuring the client leaves each session feeling stable

8. Reevaluation – reviewing progress in subsequent sessions

Unlike traditional talk therapy, EMDR doesn't require detailed verbal discussion of the trauma; the reprocessing happens largely through this structured, memory-focused technique.

Use for
EMDR is best known as a treatment for PTSD and other trauma-related conditions, but it's also used for:

• Anxiety and panic disorders

• Depression linked to past adverse experiences

• Phobias

• Grief and complicated bereavement

• Chronic pain with a psychological component

• Performance anxiety

It's recognized by organizations like the World Health Organization and the American Psychological Association as an effective, evidence-based treatment for trauma.

Emotionally Focused Therapy is a structured, short-term approach developed in the 1980s by Sue Johnson and Les Greenberg. It's grounded in attachment theory—the idea that humans have an innate need for secure emotional bonds—and focuses on identifying and reshaping the emotional responses and interaction patterns that drive distress in relationships. While it's most widely known as a couples therapy model, EFT is also used with individuals and families.

Approach
EFT works by helping people access and make sense of their underlying emotions, especially the vulnerable feelings (fear, shame, loneliness) that often hide beneath more visible reactions like anger or withdrawal.
The therapist acts as a kind of guide, slowing down interactions in the room so people can notice their emotional reactions in real time and communicate from a more authentic, less defensive place.

Use for
EFT is most commonly used for:

• Couples experiencing conflict, disconnection, or trust issues

• Rebuilding relationships after infidelity or emotional injury

• Family therapy, particularly repairing parent-child bonds

• Individual therapy for attachment-related anxiety, depression, or emotional regulation difficulties

• Trauma recovery, especially relational or attachment trauma

EFT has a strong evidence base, particularly for couples, with research showing lasting improvements in relationship satisfaction and emotional connection.

Play Therapy is a therapeutic approach that uses play as the primary medium for communication and healing, most often with children. It's built on the understanding that children don't naturally express thoughts and feelings through words the way adults do—play is their natural language, and toys are their words. The approach was shaped by pioneers like Virginia Axline, who developed non-directive play therapy in the mid-20th century, building on earlier psychoanalytic work by Anna Freud and Melanie Klein.

Approach
Play Therapy generally takes one of two forms:

• Non-directive (child-centered) play therapy – The child leads, choosing toys and activities freely in a safe, accepting environment while the therapist observes, reflects, and builds trust. The idea is that children have an innate drive toward growth and self-healing, which unfolds naturally when given the right conditions.

• Directive play therapy – The therapist takes a more active role, guiding specific activities, games, or storytelling exercises to target particular issues, emotions, or behaviors.

Sessions typically take place in a specially equipped playroom with toys, art supplies, sand trays, puppets, and dollhouses, allowing children to act out experiences, emotions, or conflicts symbolically. Through this process, children can process difficult emotions, develop coping skills, and work through experiences they may not have the vocabulary to discuss directly.

Use for
Play Therapy is widely used with children roughly ages 3–12, and is applied to:

• Anxiety and fears

• Grief and loss

• Trauma and abuse recovery

• Behavioral problems (aggression, defiance, withdrawal)

• Divorce or family disruption adjustment

• Developmental and social skill delays

• ADHD and emotional regulation difficulties

It's often used alongside parent consultation, since involving caregivers helps reinforce progress made in sessions.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a structured, goal-oriented type of talk therapy. It can help manage mental health conditions, such as depression and anxiety, and emotional concerns, such as coping with grief or stress. CBT can also help manage nonpsychological health conditions, such as insomnia and chronic pain.

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a type of talk therapy (psychotherapy). It’s based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), but it’s specially adapted for people who experience emotions very intensely.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of talk therapy that helps people understand how thoughts affect emotions and behaviors.

“Dialectical” means combining opposite ideas. DBT focuses on helping people accept the reality of their lives and their behaviors, as well as helping them learn to change their lives, including their unhelpful behaviors.

Dialectical behavior therapy was developed in the 1970s by Marsha Linehan, an American psychologist.