At Rainbow Hub Psychology we provide evidence-based psychological support. This means that we are up to date with the latest scientific research supporting best outcome interventions for a variety of presenting problems. We understand and embrace the philosophy that every person is an individual with individual needs. All treatment interventions are individually designed to support a client’s psychological support needs.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based form of psychotherapy that focuses on how thoughts, feelings, physical sensations and behaviours are all interconnected. Folks may get trapped in a vicious cycle that keeps them struggling with patterns of unhelpful or unhealthy thinking, feelings and behaviours. The focus of CBT is to help an individual identify, understand and challenge these aspects of themselves, encouraging the development of new ways of thinking, feeling and behaving though evidence based skill building. CBT combines behaviour therapy, cognitive therapy and skill building techniques to help alleviate problems such as depression, generalised anxiety disorder, social phobia, obsessive compulsive disorder, stress, irrational fears, relationship problems, self-esteem issues and other mental health conditions.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a form of CBT that began its roots in Contextual Behaviour Therapy. ACT focuses on looking at the things that are out of your control in your life and committing to taking action in the direction towards what is important to you. ACT works on helping you to drop the struggle with what is showing up in your life whether that be feelings, unhelpful thoughts, behaviours or situations. ACT focuses on acceptance what is, and committing to meaningful action. ACT can be used transdiagnosticly across many different mental health conditions. The ultimate aim of ACT is to create greater psychological flexibility through the interventions of acceptance, thought diffusion, learning to live in the present moment, using self-as-context, values work and taking committed action.
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) is a modified type of CBT which was initially developed as an intervention for Borderline Personality Disorder. Since then DBT has been expanded as an effective intervention for other presenting problems such as: ADHD, Mood Disorders, Generalised Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Substance Use Disorder, non-suicidal self-injury (self-harm), Eating disorders and Suicidal behaviour. DBT is designed to help individuals:
- Develop skills to cope with distress and intense emotions
- Develop motivation for change and engagement in therapy,
- Integrate skills to support their generalisation to a variety of environments and real-life situations
- Help to facilitate positive environmental and behaviour change that supports progress
The four modes of DBT skills learnt in DBT therapy are mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation and interpersonal effectiveness. The dialectical component of DBT involves developing opposite action skills to a presenting feeling, in addition to being able to hold acceptance of an experience whilst at the same time facilitating change.
Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT)
Interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) is a brief, structured approach that addresses interpersonal issues. The underlying assumption of IPT is that mental health problems and interpersonal problems are interrelated. The goal of IPT is to help clients understand how these problems, operating in their current life situation, lead them to become distressed and put them at risk of mental health problems. Specific interpersonal problems, as conceptualised in IPT, include interpersonal disputes, role transitions, grief, and interpersonal deficits. IPT explores individuals’ perceptions and expectations of relationships, and aims to improve communication and interpersonal skills.
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) is a treatment developed by Francine Shapiro to assist clients exposed to traumatic events. The technique uses bilateral stimulation, right/left eye movement, or tactile stimulation, that is said to activate cognitive processes to release emotional experiences that are “trapped” or buried. Although EMDR may be used for different mental health problems, it has been primarily used in trauma therapy. During an EMDR session the clinician helps the client to revisit the traumatic event(s) and connect with the associated thoughts, feelings, and sensations. While doing this the clinician holds a finger about 45 centimetres from the client’s face and moves the finger back and forth asking the client to track the movement with his or her eyes. While the client is tracking the movement and recalling the specific traumatic event the clinician works to move the client to more positive thoughts, hence helping him or her to resolve the negative and distressing feelings associated with the event.
Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)
Clinical Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) is a brief intervention combining elements of exposure, cognitive therapy, and somatic stimulation of acupressure points on the face and body. It has a broad clinical application across a variety of clinical and sub-clinical conditions such as anxiety disorders, depression, phobias, PTSD, pain and stress.
Psychoeducation
Psychoeducation involves the provision and explanation of information to clients about what is widely known about characteristics of their diagnosis. Individuals often require specific information about their diagnosis, such as the meaning of specific symptoms and what is known about the causes, consequences, and implications of the problem. Information is also provided about medications, prognosis, and alleviating and aggravating variables, as well as early signs of relapse and how these signs can be actively monitored and effectively managed. Individuals are helped to understand their disorder to enhance their therapy and assist them to live more productive and fulfilling lives.
Solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT)
Solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) is a brief resource-oriented and goal-focused therapeutic approach that helps individuals change by constructing solutions. It aims to increase optimism and positive expectancies along with the experience of positive emotions to improve outcomes. SFBT includes using specific techniques such as miracle and scaling questions to draw on clients’ strengths and resources to create new meaning for clients that provides a more positive future outlook.
Source: https://www.psychology.org.au/getmedia/23c6a11b-2600-4e19-9a1d-6ff9c2f26fae/Evidence-based-psych-interventions.pdf
We strongly believe that every person is different as are their needs. As such, treatment for any presenting problem may include a combination of different evidence-based therapeutic techniques to meet these individual needs.