At Third Wave Psychotherapy, all of our therapists in Connecticut receive ongoing training and consultation in specialized, scientifically supported psychotherapy models. Our therapists provide exceptional services while maintaining a collaborative, healing-oriented relationship with their clients.
Common Mental Health Symptoms & Diagnoses
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Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
OCD is an anxiety disorder that is characterized by intrusive, repetitive, anxiety-provoking thoughts (obsessions) combined with behavioral rituals or routines (compulsions). When OCD symptoms become persistent and begin to interfere with daily life and/or cause health or safety concerns, it’s time to seek professional help from a trained OCD therapist. Treating OCD involves breaking the patterns of obsessions and compulsions and learning new ways to manage uncertainty.
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Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Anxiety disorders are among the most commonly diagnosed mental health disorders. Common signs of anxiety include an uncontrollable sense of worry or tense feelings. This can be accompanied by a rapid heartbeat, heavy breathing, nausea, and dizziness.
Treating anxiety disorders can involve confronting fear and finding new responses to it.
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Trauma/PTSD
Trauma disorders consist of mental health conditions that arise as a result of experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event. This can include being the victim of abuse, being in an accident, or going to war. When someone has trouble doing everyday activities for a prolonged time after the event, it is considered a trauma disorder. Changing how a person responds to trauma-related triggers and changing the self-narrative surrounding the experience are among the most effective treatments.
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Social Anxiety Disorder
When someone has a social anxiety disorder, they have intense discomfort in social situations. Typically, social anxiety disorder is triggered when someone is in a social situation where they may be judged by others. Therapy methods include confronting the feared social situations to develop ways to tolerate the discomfort and alter the thoughts that lead to fear.
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Health Anxiety
People who experience health anxiety worry continuously about getting sick or that they are ill. These thoughts and feelings can begin to take over their lives. Treating this type of anxiety is similar to treating other anxiety disorders.
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Panic Disorder
Those with a panic disorder have frequent panic attacks where they have a sudden wave of fear and anxiety. When some people have a panic attack, they may feel as though they are losing control or having a heart attack.
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Phobias
A phobia is an uncontrollable and persistent fear of a specific object, situation, or activity. The fear can be so overwhelming and controlling that a person goes to great lengths to avoid it.
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Perfectionism
Perfectionism is the need to be or appear perfect. It can often be linked to anxiety or other mental health issues.
Our Treatment Approaches
When dealing with any of the above treatment issues, we typically use two fundamental approaches at our Connecticut facility. Our clinicians focus on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP).
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What is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)?
ACT is an evidence-based therapy model that is effective with a wide range of mental health challenges. ACT helps people accept the difficult thoughts and feelings that develop through the process while still striving towards a rich and meaningful life. This is done through a process called “psychological flexibility”. This is designed to help people open up to their pain, increase their awareness in the present moment, and commit to a life guided by personal values.
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What is Exposure and Response Prevention?
ERP is a gold standard treatment for OCD and is useful in treating other anxiety-related disorders. ERP is a form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) that helps people get out of the difficult cycles that OCD can create.
The exposure element of ERP refers to confronting the thoughts, sensations, and situations that are linked to a person’s obsessions. Response prevention relates to making an active choice not to engage in compulsive behaviors that help remove distress in the short term but keeps people stuck in unhealthy cycles. This therapy requires the patient’s sincere willingness under the therapist’s guidance.
Let Our Therapists Help You
If you are seeking treatment for any of the issues listed above, Third Wave Psychotherapy can help. We are committed to helping our patients in Connecticut deal with their mental health issues in a healthy and productive way.