As a first step in the therapeutic relationship, I have all clients undergo an initial diagnostic evaluation. This process typically takes between 1-3 sessions (50 minutes). I assess current and past psychiatric symptoms and also ask about your history. This process allows me to develop a comprehensive understanding of you, in which I create a specialized treatment plan that best fits your needs.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy, or CBT is a well-established, highly effective, and lasting treatment. CBT involves a number of components including education about anxiety and related mood, health and sleep difficulties, and the coping strategies and skills people can use to manage these challenges. Another major component of CBT are the exposure tasks, which provide individuals with opportunities to utilize these coping strategies and skills with therapist guidance in session, followed by generalization into their day-to-day lives through practice between sessions.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) uses strategies of acceptance and mindfulness (living in the moment and experiencing things without judgment), along with commitment and behavior change, as a way to cope with unwanted thoughts, feelings, and sensations. ACT imparts skills to accept these experiences, place them in a different context, develop greater clarity about personal values, and commit to needed behavior change.

CART teaches clients to breathe in a ways which has been shown by research to decrease hyperventilation. Hyperventilation is associated with states of anxiety and panic. It can cause extreme shortness of breath, chest tightness, difficulties swallowing, heart racing, dizziness, and feelings of unreality. A capnometer is a portable, non-invasive device which measures carbon dioxide output, rate of breathing, heart rate, and oxygen  to provide you feedback on your current breathing pattern and progress during exercises. 

A capnometer rental is included in therapy fees and enables you to take the device home to practice before returning it at the completion of treatment sessions.