The Nurturing Behaviours Social Work Department tends to take an eclectic approach to therapy to allow for flexibility when working with individual clients and families. Despite the eclectic nature of therapy, our social worker mostly draws from cognitive behavourial therapy (CBT); acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT); and somatic and play therapy.
Cognitive behavioural therapy is a fo...
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The Nurturing Behaviours Social Work Department tends to take an eclectic approach to therapy to allow for flexibility when working with individual clients and families. Despite the eclectic nature of therapy, our social worker mostly draws from cognitive behavourial therapy (CBT); acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT); and somatic and play therapy.
Cognitive behavioural therapy is a form of talk therapy that looks at the ways that our thoughts influence our behaviours, and that when we address our thoughts about ourselves and the world we are able to change the ways that we respond to those scenarios. CBT is widely used within the therapeutic community due to its effectiveness within sessions.
Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is a therapeutic approach that combines the psychological benefits of therapy along with a heavy influence from behavioural analysis tenants used within ABA. This form of therapy draws largely from mindfulness practices looking to focus on the present moment while accepting circumstances, thoughts, and feelings from a nonjudgmental perspective. ACT as a therapeutic approach works towards increasing an individual’s flexibility to their thoughts, feelings, and circumstances and providing clients with skills for emotional regulation.
Somatic therapy is a relatively new therapeutic approach that was first created for individuals with PTSD; however, since its inception it has been adapted to fit various mental health diagnoses. As opposed to traditional talk therapy, somatic therapy looks to connect the individual to the physical sensations associated with their trauma, with the hopes of reducing their response to triggers. There are a number of different approaches for somatic therapy including: yoga, breath work, mindfulness, and modalities like EMDR. The use of the body de-centres the traumatic event while allowing the client to process the event that occurred in a safe and controlled manner - this is particularly effective for clients that struggle to speak about their feelings or traumatic experiences.
Play therapy is a therapeutic modality that utilizes many of the skills of traditional talk therapy in a way that is more approachable for children. Play is a natural language for children and is therefore, a safe space for children to enter into when exploring challenging emotions, behaviours, or experiences. The use of play therapy allows for children to actively engage in scenarios that may otherwise be troubling, provide a safe environment for them to process emotions; and learn valuable skills. Play therapy is for children, what traditional talk therapy is for adults - a safe space to share your experiences with a non-judgmental third party who works with you to process and develop skills for the future.
Social Work
The Nurturing Behaviours Social Work Department tends to take an eclectic approach to therapy to allow for flexibility when working with individual clients and families. Despite the eclectic nature of therapy, our social worker mostly draws from cognitive behavourial therapy (CBT); acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT); and somatic and play therapy.
Cognitive behavioural therapy is a form of talk therapy that looks at the ways that our thoughts influence our behaviours, and that when we address our thoughts about ourselves and the world we are able to change the ways that we respond to those scenarios. CBT is widely used within the therapeutic community due to its effectiveness within sessions.
Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is a therapeutic approach that combines the psychological benefits of therapy along with a heavy influence from behavioural analysis tenants used within ABA. This form of therapy draws largely from mindfulness practices looking to focus on the present moment while accepting circumstances, thoughts, and feelings from a nonjudgmental perspective. ACT as a therapeutic approach works towards increasing an individual’s flexibility to their thoughts, feelings, and circumstances and providing clients with skills for emotional regulation.
Somatic therapy is a relatively new therapeutic approach that was first created for individuals with PTSD; however, since its inception it has been adapted to fit various mental health diagnoses. As opposed to traditional talk therapy, somatic therapy looks to connect the individual to the physical sensations associated with their trauma, with the hopes of reducing their response to triggers. There are a number of different approaches for somatic therapy including: yoga, breath work, mindfulness, and modalities like EMDR. The use of the body de-centres the traumatic event while allowing the client to process the event that occurred in a safe and controlled manner - this is particularly effective for clients that struggle to speak about their feelings or traumatic experiences.
Play therapy is a therapeutic modality that utilizes many of the skills of traditional talk therapy in a way that is more approachable for children. Play is a natural language for children and is therefore, a safe space for children to enter into when exploring challenging emotions, behaviours, or experiences. The use of play therapy allows for children to actively engage in scenarios that may otherwise be troubling, provide a safe environment for them to process emotions; and learn valuable skills. Play therapy is for children, what traditional talk therapy is for adults - a safe space to share your experiences with a non-judgmental third party who works with you to process and develop skills for the future.