Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based practice recommended by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence as the treatment of choice for a number of mental health difficulties. Specifically, there is empirical evidence that CBT is effective for the treatment of depression, anxiety, mood spectrum disorders, OCD, PTSD, insomnia, personality problems, addictions, eating, substance abuse, and psychotic disorders. CBT is direct, specific, time-limited, and uses tools such as workbooks, handouts, and questionnaires to assist an individual in identifying the connection between thoughts, behaviors, and emotions. This is a beneficial treatment modality for setting realistic goals, improving social skills, and behavior modification with an emphasis on producing better observable outcomes by focusing on sequences of behavior. By collaboratively working with a CBT therapist, a client identifies goals and learns to challenge maladaptive patterns and cognitive styles.  A CBT therapist teaches a client effective tools to achieve lasting positive changes that alleviate psychological distress. CBT is an empirically supported treatment approach for children, adolescents, and adults.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) is a technique for treating insomnia without medications, and can help individuals that struggle with falling asleep, staying asleep, or getting quality sleep. The National Institute of Health has identified CBT-I as a safe and effective means for managing chronic insomnia and its effects. 

Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) integrates mindfulness to help change how to react to thoughts, practice awareness of how we judge our thoughts, and understanding how this tendency can lead to secondary emotions. This mindfully based intervention has been shown effective in treating recurrent chronic depression, chronic pain, and other medical disorders. 

Compared to more traditional forms of cognitive therapies that focus on behavior modification and change related to anxiety, depression, and fear, the “third-wave” types of CBT focus more on wellness and strength-based components rather than solely on disorders and symptoms. Third-wave CBT modalities place an emphasis on acceptance, mindfulness, and alternative control. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is closely tied to CBT, rooted in empirical research, and is found throughout the scientific literature. The focus of ACT is accepting our emotions and thoughts by integrating mindfulness and body awareness, and this type of therapy is utilized for anxiety and other mood related issues.

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) has concrete, problem-solving approaches to address emotion regulation, distress tolerance, interpersonal skills, and mindfulness. DBT utilizes acceptance-based strategies to help individuals understand their areas of need while accepting their status and mental health concerns. The core skill of mindfulness entails learning a non-judgmental present centered intentional awareness which can be applied to an overall mindful awareness to various life domains. DBT targets life threatening behaviors, therapy interfering behaviors, quality of life barriers, and new skills acquisition. This form of therapy has been shown to be effective with treating personality problems, substance abuse issues, anxiety, and depression, and can assist with regulating internalized anger, pessimism, and learning new skills for coping with stressors and managing everyday life. DBT has been shown to be effective in treating Bipolar Spectrum, Borderline personality disorder, and other mood disorders or emotional dysregulating conditions where the individual struggles to regulate mood.

Trauma Focused Therapy

Trauma focused therapy is an additional treatment intervention for trauma that helps to enhance individual functioning overall by learning and implementing skills and coping strategies specifically for post-trauma symptoms. In addition to traditional modalities, Dr. Ermshar is also trained in Seeking Safety, an evidence-based, present-focused model to help individuals attain safety from trauma and/or substance abuse. Other methods for treating trauma-related symptoms can include somatic experiencing, prolonged exposure therapy, and in-depth mindfulness techniques such as guided visualization and grounding exercises. These interventions can assist with relieving emotional dyscontrol and anxious arousal often associated with PTSD.

Anger Management

Anger is a natural and healthy response to threats that activate powerful survival instincts.  The ability to express anger appropriately and successfully is an important skill, as uncontrolled anger impacts personal health and the overall quality of relationships.  Anger management offers an individual the opportunity to learn relaxation techniques, identify maladaptive thoughts, employ effective problem solving approaches, and develop assertive communication strategies to appropriately express, suppress, redirect, and calm anger.

Couples Therapy

Many couples will experience conflict leading to recurrent power struggles, arguments, and chronic dissatisfaction.  It can be useful to identify maladaptive relationship patterns and explore relational conflicts with the assistance of an unbiased therapeutic observer who will not take sides or assign blame.  Couples therapy can assist with building, sustaining, and enhancing intimate relationships, developing cooperative dynamics and problem solving skills, and adjusting to major life changes and stressors.

Family Therapy

Each family is a unique social system with its own structure and patterns of communication. Over time, families develop unique qualities, based on the beliefs, values, and personalities of parents, children, and extended family members.  This creates a powerful family dynamic that affects the functioning of all family members.  Family therapy assists families in developing an awareness of their unique interpersonal dynamics and how that influences family functioning.  Family therapy improves each family member’s ability to identify and resolve conflict, collaboratively problem solve, and create positive changes.

Interpersonal Therapy

Interpersonal therapy (IPT) has been proven to be an effective treatment for numerous mental health difficulties.  IPT is based on the premise that psychological distress occurs in the context of an individual’s relationships, where individual growth and social development have a reciprocal relationship.  An IPT therapist helps identify areas in need of skill-building to improve an individual’s relationships and decrease psychological distress. Over time, an individual learns the patterns and connection between emotional functioning and relationship functioning.  This awareness allows an individual to effectively communicate feelings and expectations for relationships and resolve interpersonal conflicts.

Professional Licensure Mandated Treatment

Highly successful business professionals, lawyers, medical personnel, and entrepreneurs often experience difficulty managing their careers because of a psychiatric disorder, addiction, or difficulties coping with the demands of work-related stress. These difficulties can result in impaired concentration and memory, severe burnout, professional boundary violations, difficulties with career transitions and decisions, disciplinary action or loss of license to practice, and an impaired ability to skillfully and safely perform job tasks.  Dr. Ermshar & Associates provides specialized services for professionals in crisis, including those who have been mandated to receive psychotherapeutic intervention.