Category: Individual Therapy

 

For the most part, it will be your therapist that decides the type or types of therapies to be used during individual or couples therapy sessions. Nonetheless, everyone should familiarize themselves with the different types of psychotherapies and modalities that are currently used by most professional therapists today. Knowledge is power, especially with mental health, psychotherapy, and self-betterment.

Types of Therapy You Should Consider

Psychotherapies are wonderfully versatile, in that they can be used for a number of different unique situations. When you use multiple types of therapies in-conjunction together, the real miracles begin to show. Using Mindfulness Therapy in-conjunction with ACT Therapy — for example — can help an individual to get-over trauma, pain, anxiety, and disappointment. Using multiple therapies together may offer the best benefits.

CBT Therapy | Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Quickly becoming the most popular and talked-about psychotherapies, CBT focuses on “cognition,” or your mind’s focus point, and helps individuals to recognize “why they do what they do.” When you know why you take actions — you can better avoid negative reactions and promote positive reactions. Renowned for its assistance-in treating alcohol use disorders and substance use disorders, CBT gives an individual the skills to make better decisions by simply asking themselves – “Why am I doing this?”, “Will doing this make me happy?” , “What harm may come from doing this?”, and following the questioning process to a better outcome.

Adlerian Therapy | Individual Therapy For Confidence Building

Adlerian Therapy — based on the theories of Alfred Adler, Psychiatrist and contemporary colleague of Sigmund Freud — Adlerian Therapy is POSITVE, HUMANISTIC, and INTEGRATIVE. This type of therapy focuses on GOALS, and helps individuals to discover and understand their goals from therapy. This helps to give a clear direction for therapy sessions.

Providing encouragement, empathy, and positive reinforcement is at the foundation of Adlerian Therapy, making it a great option for building confidence, overcoming shame and trauma, and gaining self-esteem.

CFT Therapy | Compassion-Focused Therapy

In the same vein as Adlerian, CFT Therapy puts an emphasis on compassion being your goal; compassion for yourself primarily, and learning to overcome shame and self-criticism. The therapy can be used for treating anxiety disorders, mood disorders, personality disorders, eating disorders, anger issues, and even relationship challenges (such as jealousy issues). Emotion-regulation is a key component, and CFT therapy theorizes that there are 3 emotional systems within us that control all of our processes and behaviors.

Learn more about CFT Therapy on Psychology Today >>

Art Therapy | The Many Forms of Art Therapy

Art Therapy comes in many forms, but all of the forms boil down to communication without words; the communication happens solely through the expression of the artist. There are 2 major forms of art therapy: 1.) Guided 2. Unguided.

Unguided Art Therapy is the one you are probably most familiar-with, as it sees the artist freeform expressing their emotions through their artistic works.

Guided Art Therapy consists of a therapist that guides the session and the thought processes you go through while simultaneously creating art. The therapist watches how your artistic expression changes while you think of different things, including triggers or thoughts that are problematic to your metal condition.

The effect is twofold: the artistic expression (drawing, painting, etc.) helps an individual to describe their thoughts and feelings about a subject without using words. The artistic expression also has a calming effect on the individual, and that person is more able to express thoughts and feelings that they cannot or are afraid-to express through other means.

EMDR Therapy | Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR) is a therapy-type that has been miraculously helpful in treating PTSD and moderate to severe trauma. Though not without controversy, EMDR has also been criticized for its very direct approach to recalling traumatic events. While it certainly may not be recommended for those inexperienced with therapy, EMDR can be helpful for those more advanced in the healing process and can help to pinpoint the root of many symptoms of PTSD and Trauma. Finding these roots can assist in reaching the goal of acceptance and healing.

Learn More About EMDR Therapy >>

Gestalt Therapy | Therapy For Letting-Go Of The Past

Meaning “Put-Together” in Germanic, Gestalt Therapy aims to “snap a person out of” their obsession with the past and past events by experientially reminding them that they are living in the PRESENT. A form of Humanistic Therapy and a holistic therapy, Gestalt Therapy stresses that the entire person must be treated and “put-together.” This also means that Gestalt Therapy tends to go deeper than other conventional therapies, and insists that all corners of the mind and psyche should be explored and balanced.

Learn More About Gestalt Therapy >>

ACT Therapy | Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)

ACT Therapy focuses on helping you get over negative thoughts, feelings and emotions. It helps you to accept that negatives that happen in life as “inevitable,” and helps you to commit to overcoming the negatives and living a positive life. Using 6 core processes of ACT Therapy, an individual or couple can increase their psychological flexibility. This means not being a slave to your emotional responses to grief, anxiety, and disappointment, and instead pressing forward with fortitude.

Learn More About ACT Therapy at AZRI  >>

Group Therapy | Affordable and Efficient Therapy Options

Many are anxious or apprehensive about group therapy, but after you get over your apprehension you will find a great resource for your continuing mental health and therapy. Group Therapy is NOT public speaking, it is a small and private gathering of individuals who are all committed to their health discussing the general ideas of psychotherapy and skills that anyone can use to better themselves. It is more of a convention of like minds than public forum, and is a surprisingly comfortable environment once you settle-in.

Settling-in and getting comfortable in a group therapy session is much easier than you suspect if you have never been to one. Very quickly you realize that you are all peers and equals in the room (even alongside the therapist), and you all have the same emotions, anxieties, habits, worries, and misconceptions.

Mental health concerns are devastating because they make you feel like you are broken/wrong and you are the only one. Group therapy helps you to see that you are struggling with the exact same concerns as the silent majority of us.

Group therapy also helps you to get therapy sessions at a much cheaper and more affordable price — as you are sharing the therapist’s time with the other guests of the private group.

Group Therapy Options in Arizona

At AZRI, we consistently offer group therapies to our guests, as they are a wonderful form of psychotherapy. We invite all to view our upcoming group therapies available, or to start a consultation and mention your interest in group therapy options.

Group Therapy at AZRI >>

Get a Free Consultation To Learn About More Types of Therapy Options Available

There are too many different unique forms of psychotherapy for us to list them all, and they all offer so much… We implore everyone to learn more about the different types of psychotherapy and to start with your FREE Consultation from AZRI. We can give you more information about available therapy types or give recommendations based off your initial assessment.

 

Everyone is constantly striving towards their own life goals, and trying to keep balance in their lives while doing-so. Everything you do in life should be involved with “bettering yourself.” Sometimes, we get off-track in life and our day-to-day goals become more of struggle to stay afloat and just survive. Therapy, is a way to keep your eyes on your life goals and keep bettering yourself, through the good times an the bad times.

Tips for Bettering Yourself and Becoming a Better Person

First thing that is needed to better yourself, is “the will” to be a better person. You have to want to be a better person and you have to be committed to being a better person. Without the true and motivational urge to better yourself, you will have a very hard time doing the “little things” that go into becoming a better person.

How to Find the Motivation to Better Yourself

Finding and holding-onto the urge and desire to better yourself is the most important and firs step in self-improvement. Just like starting a new exercise routine, this first step can be easier-said-than-done.  Visualizing the person you want to become can help you to taking the first step. If you want to become more physically fit while bettering yourself, picture yourself as a strong, healthy, happy, future-you. Hold onto that image and remember that as you do the hard work along the way.

Starting a consultation with a therapist that specializes in self-improvement is a great way to get that first spark of motivation given to you — if you can’t find it yourself. Therapists are motivational life coaches that can help break through the barriers that are holding you back from finding your motivation.

Negative thoughts and emotions like shame, embarrassment, hopelessness, and traumatic memories can act like a brick wall that prevent you from getting better mentally and physically. Counselors and therapists are often needed to help break down those walls so that an individual can “Get moving” and find their motivation to change themselves for the better.

How To Think Better Thoughts

Many people have a hard time being a good person because they are constantly thinking negative thoughts. Lots of people naturally think negative thoughts about themselves or other people from time to time, but if these thoughts are persistent, obsessive, recurring, and are harming your overall quality of life, then these negative thoughts are a problem. This problem needs to be taken care of first to make room for positive thoughts throughout the day; positive thoughts about yourself, about others, and about life in general.

The first thing you need to do to get rid of persistent negative thoughts, feelings, and attitudes, is to recognize that they are bad and a problem. They don’t help you, and only hurt you. So why do you hold onto the negatives so tightly? Why is it so important for you to be critical of things instead of just being happy?

Example of Bettering Yourself With (CBT) Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

The above observations are a part of (CBT) Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: a form of therapy that uses a process to analyze your thoughts and make you ask yourself: Why?

Simply using CBT to train your brain to analyze your thoughts and behaviors can help you to keep the negatives out and focus on only positives. For instance, if you wake up on the wrong side of the bed, and are having a negative attitude first thing in the morning, you can either let those negatives grab ahold of you and the rest of the day will be negative; or, you can recognize first thing in the morning that there is a big negative that has latched onto you and wants to ruin the rest of your day, then deflect that negative — concentrating on a positive — and changing your attitude and outcome for the rest of the day.

Working with a CBT Therapist in Arizona can help you to perfect your CBT skills, and use this technique in more advanced ways: like stopping panic attacks, avoiding bad decisions, preventing outbursts of anger/rage, or even quit using addictive substances.

How To Get Over Negative Habits, Behaviors, and Actions

People with negative thoughts and behaviors are NOT bad people. A person is NOT inherently bad, or broken, or hopeless just because they have negative, dark, or bad thoughts and behaviors.  This is important to recognize and understand. Treating negative behaviors and actions starts by treating the negative thoughts and emotions that are occurring in a person who is compelled towards bad actions.

CBT and other forms of psychotherapy helps a therapist and an individual suffering from negative thoughts and emotions find the source of these negatives. Together, the therapist and patient then work to remove the negative stimuli from daily life, controlling the triggers for negative thoughts like shame, regret, low self image, etc.

The biggest part of “getting over” the negative thoughts that attack you is to recognize that those thoughts are BAD in themselves — that is where the negative is getting into your life. You need to deflect those thoughts and not let them affect you. The more you deflect those negatives as soon as they start to attack you, the more you will build-up your natural defenses against them. Eventually the brain creates its own defense against negative thoughts — as it recognizes that they are bad and are hurting you.

Getting started on deflecting negative thoughts is always the hardest part — just like starting anything else; but, therapists can help with the “getting started” part until you learn enough self-therapy skills to keep yourself 100% mentally healthy on your own.

How to Stop Being Negative and Mean

There is a serious problem in modern society with many men and women that are simply negative and mean. We don’t mean “ornery,” or stubborn, or abrasive, but people that are “mean” as-in: vindictive, cruel, and selfish to the point of hurting others. This is not okay in any society, and should not be tolerated by others, but we find ourselves in this situation in many countries on Earth in 2024.

Being mean and negative all the time is a mental health issue that requires some mental health therapy in order to reverse. So-called “Karens” or a male or female that stir-up problems, abuse power, argue, or complain to the point that it is a feature of their character or personality. These are people that simply suffering from obsessive negative thoughts and emotions, have not dealt with these mental health issues, and are allowing their mental health issues to turn into negative behaviors and actions.

Once again, the trick to bettering yourself and to stop being negative and mean is to simply recognize the thoughts and emotions that are causing you to WANT to be mean and negative. WHY are you feeling like this? Is it because of some unresolved feelings you have? WHAT first brings on the negative feeling at the root of your urge to be mean or engage in a mean behavior? Many times, there are bad memories, traumatic experiences, and subsequent shameful feelings that are at the root of your negative thoughts, emotions, and the subconscious urge to be mean, start drama, or start arguments.

De-Coupling Positive Chemical Benefits from Negative Behaviors

Why does the brain get you in the habit of starting fights, being mean, being argumentative, and other negative behaviors? If the brain is so smart, why do brains “misfire” and keep some people in constant bad attitudes and thinking negative behaviors? The answer is self-medication.

It is true that the brain does not like negative thoughts and behaviors, and does initially recognize them as bad and as something that is hurting you. If you don’t deal with the negative thoughts and emotions yourself, your brain/body step-in to take-over and deal with the situation. Unfortunately, the decision your brain makes is not a good long-term solution. The brain self medicates you with feel-good chemicals to make you feel better, and may also put up some self defense mechanisms like: making false memories (changing the way you remember a situation to make it less traumatic to you), putting the blame on someone or something else, and telling you that YOU were right all along.

What comes from this terrible way the brain/body dealt with the situation? The person becomes physically addicted to the feel-good chemical release and self-medication. Many start to “self-destruct” at this point — looking for negatives, making bad decisions, wallowing in their own self-pity, and the problem usually gets worse from there. Why are some people constantly mean and negative? Because it actually is making them feel good now. At this point the problem needs to be addressed before the individual increases their bad behaviors into criminal, immoral, or dangerous acts.

Letting Go Of The Thoughts and Emotions That Control Your Life

Being a better person is as simple as putting more focus on the positives in your life, and letting go of the negatives. The negatives are often stronger than the positives though, so everyone can use some extra help and strength to keep the negatives from crowding-out the positivity in your life.

 

Individuals who are sober and have graduated-from (or are currently enrolled-in) an addiction treatment program will need ongoing counseling and therapy for an extended period of time. Outpatient therapy for sober individuals in recovery helps to keep an individual sober, helps them to fight negative thoughts and behaviors, and prevents relapse.

Outpatient Therapy for Recovering From Substance Abuse

At AZRI, we DO NOT offer addiction treatment services, but rather offer ongoing therapy for those who are in-recovery, sober, looking to stay sober, and need help dealing with mental health or mood concerns. Depression, anxiety, and other mental health concerns are the specialties of our individual therapists in Arizona.

At The Arizona Relationship Institute, we are not a rehab, nor do we offer any sort of addiction treatment. Rather, we happily refer friends, family and clients to  Active Recovery Care for starting off your addiction treatment and detox needs.

The Need for Ongoing Therapy After Rehab and Addiction Treatment

After getting sober, most recovering addicts will require some form of therapy either on an ongoing basis, or from time-to-time. Therapy helps to treat a person’s response to the negative triggers in their life that pushed them towards drugs and alcohol in the past, and push the threat of relapse in the future. This is the type of behavioral therapy that our therapists at AZRI focus on.

Therapy for Depression After Quitting Drugs and Alcohol

Depression and anxiety are common side-effects when quitting alcohol and certain types of drugs. Withdrawal symptoms like anxiety, panic attacks, and depression can linger-on for months or even years. These symptoms will reduce and eventually go-away as long as a person remains sober. However, staying sober often requires a great deal of support from friends, family, and a therapist.

Therapy for depression and anxiety —  alongside holistic practices like yoga, meditation, and a focus on other health hobbies — can lead you through the triggers and negativities that distract you from your commitment to sobriety.

Therapy for Addiction Substitution

Many recovering addicts suffer from “Addiction Substitution,” or trading one addiction for another. This type of individual may be off of drugs and alcohol, but the addictive behaviors live-on in a replacement addiction. Some recovering addicts may develop a food addiction or a shopping addiction in response to quitting drugs and alcohol.

A replacement addiction is a warning sign that the recovering addict is not getting the mental health counseling and therapeutic needs they require alongside their sobriety.

Therapy for Eating Disorders

The Arizona Relationship Institute therapists can help to treat the mental health symptoms related to eating disorders. Eating Disorder Therapists in Arizona can help you to deal with the thoughts, emotions and behaviors associated with eating disorders, while our partners at Active Recovery Care help with the nutritional and medical concerns.

Therapy for Mood Disorders

Many individuals recovering from substance use disorders were previously using drugs and/or alcohol to self-medicate the symptoms of mood disorders. Undiagnosed mood disorders are a common trigger for drug and alcohol use, and are even more common as triggers for relapse. Ensuring that these triggers do not cause relapse is the main concern of therapists for mood disorders and substance abuse issues.

What Are Compulsive Behaviors?

Compulsive Behaviors are simply actions or thoughts that occur repeatedly or consistently. Many compulsive behaviors can become problematic in everyday lives, and require therapy or other therapeutic practices to treat.

Examples of Compulsive Behaviors

• • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
  • Hoarding
  • Sex Addiction
  • Gambling Addiction
  • Shopping Addiction
  • Eating Addiction
  • Eating Disorders
  • Fear of Germs
  • Repetitively Checking (things, people, places. etc.)
  • Obsession with Numbers or Obsessive Counting
  • Obsessive Cleaning
  • Codependent Behaviors
  • Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors
  • Pulling or Cutting Hair Obsessively
  • Substance Use Disorder
  • Alcohol Use Disorder

A full list of the thoughts, actions and behaviors that are categorized as Compulsive Behaviors would be too long to compile, because the symptoms manifest in millions of different ways.

Tourette’s Syndrome is an acute and visible example of compulsive behaviors — as many sufferers will make body movements, vocal noises, or say words repetitively.

Therapy For Compulsive Behaviors in Arizona

The Arizona Relationship Institute offers therapy for compulsive behaviors in Arizona. From addictive behaviors and substance use disorders to obsessive thoughts, AZRI therapists treat the mental health symptoms of obsessive behaviors, and reduce the negative impact on sufferers’ lives.

What Treatments Are There For Compulsive Behaviors?

There is no official “cure” for compulsive behaviors, rather therapists help sufferers to ease the symptoms and negative effects of them.  Therapy sessions and different forms of psychotherapy (including CBT, HRT, and others) help people to learn how to put the obsessive thoughts out-of-mind, so they can concentrate on their daily lives instead.

With the obsessive thoughts out-of-mind, a person learns to stop the compulsive behaviors and actions (like drinking, taking drugs, hoarding, gambling, shopping, etc.) or reduce their frequency significantly.

Habit Reversal Training (HRT) for Obsessive Behaviors

Habit Reversal Training (HRT) can help change even the most stubborn of bad habits and hard-to-break repetitive behaviors. It is a simple behavioral therapy that has shown miraculous results in reducing “tics” associated with Tourette’s Syndrome and can be used for other types of compulsive behaviors.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Obsessive Behaviors

Substance Use Disorders (SUDs), Alcohol Use Disorders (AUDs), and behavioral obsessions have been successfully treated with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). CBT shows great results as a therapy for relapse prevention, as the therapy teaches you how to analyze why you do the things you do. From there, you can easily change your behaviors and cut-out the negative things to you do, once your brain makes the connection.

Do I Need To Be In Rehab To Receive Therapy for Addictive Behaviors from AZRI?

You do not need to be currently enrolled in rehab to receive therapy for addictive behaviors from The Arizona Relationship Institute (AZRI). However, you must be clean and sober from drugs and alcohol. If you are actively abusing drugs and/or alcohol, you are encouraged to seek Addiction Treatment first, and ongoing therapy sessions may take place in an outpatient setting at AZRI for approved clients.

We do not offer therapy for “Court-Ordered Therapy.”

How To Start Therapy For Addictive Behaviors

To begin, start with your free consultation from AZRI. Your free 15-minute phone consultation will help to answer your questions, will help us to understand your needs, and will help approved applicants move-on to the next steps.