Therapy

Therapy

In helping our students make the changes they so desperately want to make it takes a deep understanding of where they came from, what their experiences have been and what is important to them.

“Some of the common themes in struggling to make a change are habit, culture, comfort, family, fear, tradition, trauma AND the combination of any or all of these.”

Other barriers will unveil themselves during the transformations process and new ones will emerge after the process. This is all part of the therapeutic work they will do with our Masters and PhD clinicians called behavioral coaches.

It is common to have co-occurring issues along with obesity and those are an expected part of the treatment. To effectively treat eclectic and diverse students we employ an eclectic and diverse therapeutic approach featuring the following modalities.

Diverse Therapeutic Approach Featuring
The Following Types Of Therapy

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT) are highly effective forms of psychotherapy. In general, both are based in the idea that how we feel and how we act (or respond) is directly related to what we think (interpretation). Becoming aware of our actions and feelings helps us become aware of our thoughts. When we can identify our thoughts (specific or generalized), we can change or redirect them, giving us the power to harness our emotions and change our patterns of behavior. This is a straight forward (yet very difficult) process because much of the “why’s” we find will be counter-intuitive.
There are times when our thinking and behaviors have moved to a level of reactivity or impulsivity where perspective and rationally examining our thoughts and behaviors isn’t a possibility. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) is particularly effective in identifying those patterns, slowing the process and teaching multiple skill sets to help the student self regulate and master their emotional state.

EMDR, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is an effective form of therapy for the treatment of symptoms resulting from traumatic life experiences. EMDR addresses the negative beliefs and negative emotions we associate with and the event that makes it “traumatic.” EMDR is not reserved for severe trauma but also many everyday events that cause shame, hopelessness, low self-esteem and other issues that lead clients to therapy

The group process has been found by research to enhance the therapeutic process and cohesion within a treatment community. The Girls at Gem participate in at least 3 groups a week. 

  • Process Group
  • Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) Group
  • Body Image Group
  • Codependency Group