Our Approach

At Third Wave Psychotherapy, our clinical approach is grounded in evidence-based therapies that support lasting transformation. We believe effective therapy addresses not just symptom relief but also builds your capacity to respond to life’s challenges with greater awareness, compassion, and intentionality.

Third-Wave Therapies are effective in treating emotional, behavioral, and relational problems, including:

• Anxiety disorders, including OCD, specific phobias, and generalized anxiety
• Depression and mood disorders
• Trauma recovery and PTSD
• Life transitions
• Grief and loss
• Relationship challenges
• Identity exploration
• Self-criticism and perfectionism
• Emotional undercontrol and overcontrol
• Parenting

Examples of Third Wave Therapies

• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): Helping you connect with what truly matters while developing a new relationship with difficult thoughts and feelings
• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): Building skills in mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness
• Mindfulness-Based Interventions: Developing present-moment awareness that creates space between triggers and responses
• Process-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (PB-CBT): Identifying and transforming patterns of thinking and behavior that contribute to distress
• Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT): Reframing trauma-related beliefs to support recovery
• Emotionally-Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT): Understanding emotional patterns in relationships and fostering secure connection
  

The Therapeutic Process for Individuals

The first step when an individual enters psychotherapy is a thorough assessment of your concerns and experiences of distress. As you share your experiences and concerns, your therapist will be orienting you to therapy by providing information about the process of change and helping you to formulate your goals using the frameworks provided by specific types of third wave therapy that would be most effective for your concerns and experiences.

It is important to know that third wave therapy does involve providing you with a mental health diagnosis in accordance with the system defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-V). However, the formulation of your concerns as a set of symptoms which need to be ameliorated is an overly simplistic way of thinking about human suffering and change. The problems we face as individuals are related to our genetics and physiology as well as our life experiences, including our learning and attachment history. Developing a better understanding of your identity, values, and vulnerabilities is essential to change and growth. Your therapist will guide you in creating a roadmap and building the skills needed to reach your goals.

Individual sessions are 55 minutes in length and are tailored to your specific needs, goals, and preferences. We work collaboratively to establish treatment objectives and regularly review progress to ensure therapy remains effective and aligned with your evolving needs. Please see individual provider pages for more specifics about each clinician’s approach and areas of expertise.