Whitney Goodman's Therapy Philosophy
I’m not a healer. I don’t heal people.
I help you heal yourself.
There is so much more power in that.
I want you to be able to walk away from therapy knowing you have the tools to keep this up. I’m always a phone call away if you need a refresher.
@embodiedwellness shared an amazing post last week about certain wellness trends being marketed as “cures.” It was so good I have to reiterate it for psychotherapy.
There is no type of treatment that is guaranteed to “cure” your anxiety, depression, PTSD, etc. There are only evidenced based therapies that have been shown to work very well with certain groups of people.
If a coach, therapist, psychologist, psychiatrist, physician, or any other type of wellness professional says they can cure you with one simple thing – this is a red flag!!! Especially if they say this without meeting you. You are a diverse and complex individual. All we can offer are suggestions and things that have been shown to work with others like you.
Here are a few types of therapy with strong research support for a variety of issues. When picking a therapist look out for some of these names (there are more of course):
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
Prolonged Exposure Therapy
Motivational Interviewing
The Gottman Method
Emotionally Focused Therapy
Psychodynamic Therapy
Therapy is not a one size fits all thing. Even if something is backed by a ton of research, it might not be the best fit for you. The client, the therapist, and the therapeutic relationship also contribute to effective treatment. It’s ok to try a few things until you find something that fits.
The hard part about healing is that you have to do the work. The majority of these modalities require that you practice the skill outside of the session and make changes throughout multiple areas of your life.
You have the power to heal yourself and I’d be honored to help you along that path.