The science behind our practice.

CBT is the most extensively researched form of psychotherapy in existence. It operates on the principle that thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are interconnected - and that changing one changes the others. In practice, CBT involves identifying specific thinking patterns (automatic thoughts, cognitive distortions) that contribute to your symptoms, examining their validity, and practicing more accurate and adaptive responses.

CBT is structured and goal-oriented. Sessions typically involve psychoeducation, homework assignments (thought records, behavioral experiments), and regular review of progress toward defined goals. It's most effective when the client is an active participant - doing the between-session work is as important as the sessions themselves.

EMDR was developed by Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s and has since been validated by more than 30 controlled trials. The World Health Organization and the American Psychiatric Association both recommend it as a first-line treatment for PTSD. It works by using bilateral stimulation (eye movements, taps, or tones) while a client briefly holds a specific traumatic memory in mind - a process that appears to activate the brain's natural information processing mechanisms and reduce the emotional charge associated with the memory.

EMDR is not hypnosis, and it doesn't require you to talk in detail about your trauma. Many clients describe feeling significantly lighter after processing a traumatic memory that has been locked in place for years. Dr. Torres is an EMDRIA-Approved EMDR therapist.

Emotionally Focused Therapy, developed by Dr. Sue Johnson, is the most empirically validated form of couples therapy available. It draws on attachment theory to understand the negative interaction cycles that keep couples stuck - the pursuer-withdrawer pattern, the criticism-defensiveness loop - and helps partners identify and express the vulnerable emotions underneath their reactive behavior.

The goal of EFT is not better argument technique or communication scripts. It's creating the emotional safety that allows partners to genuinely turn toward each other in moments of need. Research shows that 70–73% of couples who complete EFT no longer meet the clinical definition of relationship distress at follow-up.

ACT belongs to the third wave of behavioral therapies. Rather than primarily seeking to change the content of thoughts (as CBT does), ACT focuses on changing your relationship to your thoughts - observing them without fusing with them, accepting difficult emotions rather than fighting them, and committing to action aligned with your deepest values even in the presence of discomfort.

ACT is particularly well-suited for people who have tried CBT and found that logical reframing doesn't quiet their internal experience, or who are dealing with conditions where reducing distress directly isn't always possible (chronic illness, bereavement). Marcus Wren is our ACT specialist.

Not sure which approach is right for you?

You don’t need to know. That’s what your first session is for. Tell us what’s going on, and your therapist will explain what approach they recommend and why.