Below are the treatment techniques Dr. Stringer uses in her practice with individuals and couples. She integrates these approaches and tailors her strategies and techniques to meet each client’s individual needs.
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy is the most researched evidenced-based therapeutic approach and has been shown to be highly effective in treating a wide variety of mental health conditions.
CBT examines the relationships between thoughts, feelings and behaviors. Life is inherently challenging and sometimes we become overwhelmed by these challenges. At such times, we might find ourselves thinking differently and behaving differently in ways that only serve to maintain or worsen the distress we are already experiencing. CBT explores ways to modify these unhelpful thought patterns and actions while improving our ability to better cope with life’s difficulties.
Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy
Mindfulness is a popular topic in psychology now and is very useful in the treatment of stress and depression. We might find ourselves frequently ruminating about the past or worrying about the future while paying little attention to the present. Sometimes when we begin to feel sad or anxious it may not be the mood itself that continues us down the path towards depression but rather our maladaptive reactions to the initial emergence of these human emotions. Our bad habits are like quicksand; the harder we struggle using unhelpful thoughts and behaviours the deeper we sink into the depression. Mindfulness helps people free themselves of mental habits that keep them unhappy.
Positive Psychology
The study of psychology has long since been focused on identifying what goes wrong in people lives; to classify conditions and provide effective corresponding treatments. Historically, we’ve assumed that if we treat the problem then happiness and fulfillment ensues. But this is simply not true.
One of the leading researchers in Positive Psychology, Martin Seligman, encourages us to focus on factors that make people thrive, prosper and flourish. This is used to compliment modern psychology in order to help people create happy, engaged and meaningful lives.
Gottman Method
This couples therapy is based on Dr. John Gottman’s empirical research spanning over 30 years studying more than 3,000 couples. His findings identified factors that are associated with both successful and unsuccessful relationships. Dr. Gottman, along with his wife, Dr. Julie Schwartz Gottman, developed an integrated therapeutic approach for treating distressed couples that focus on making couples better friends, managing conflict, and finding means of supporting each other’s hopes for the future.
Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT)
Emotion Focused Therapy was developed in the early 1980s by Sue Johnson and Les Greenberg and has been validated by more than 30 years of empirical research.
The goal of EFT is to help the couple create a more secure bond in their relationship that will in turn restore a sense of intimacy, trust and security. Sometimes a traumatic event or a misunderstanding damages this relational bond and by repairing the bond the couple is better able to manage the challenges that are inherent in long-term relationships.