Build Insight

Step one in therapy is developing insight into your experience of distress; understanding what it is, when it shows up, and what seems to cause/perpetuate it. This may involve a look into your past or an in depth look into your family of origin, attachment style, personality, meaning making mechanisms - all depending upon where the distress originates.

Action/Thought Adjustment

Step two is making internal and external changes aimed at decreasing and/or minimizing your experienced distress. There are many avenues to achieving this, therefore the exact changes are going to be dependent upon you and your personal needs, but may include boundary adjustments, thought reframing, mindfulness training, etc.

Acceptance

At a point in therapy, you may find that some of your distress is related to things we are unable and/or not meant to change. At this point, our work shifts toward a posture of acceptance. This does not mean we enjoy the distress, rather that we develop a posture of openness toward it, permitting it to exist as opposed to fighting it.