Internal Family Systems (IFS)

Internal family systems, developed in the 1980s by psychologist Richard Schwartz, PhD., was a family therapist, who observed clients describing their inner lives as “parts,” which he defines as “conflicted sub-personalities that resided within them.” Schwartz began tracking the internal interactions between parts and noted they were not static, but flexible to change. Drawing on these observations and his knowledge of systems theory, structural family therapy, narrative therapy, and Bowenian schools of family therapy, Schwartz created the internal family systems model. In the IFS model, human behavior and identity are based on an individual’s complex system—consisting of an indeterminate number of parts and sub-personalities, each with valuable qualities that play a specific role. The main internal family system parts—the core self, wounded parts, and protected parts—have sub-personalities with specific roles.

Attachment-based

Attachment-based therapy, developed from the 1960s work of British psychologist John Bowlby, who first proposed that strong early attachment to at least one primary caregiver is necessary for children to have a sense of security and the supportive foundation they need to freely interact with their environment, to explore, to learn from new experiences, and to connect with others. Bowlby described four different attachment styles: secure attachment, anxious attachment, avoidant attachment, and disorganized attachment. Attachment-based therapy is a process-oriented form of counseling. The client-therapist relationship is based on developing or rebuilding trust and centers on expressing emotions. An attachment-based approach to therapy looks at the connection between the client's infant’s early attachment experiences with primary caregivers, usually with parents, and the infant’s ability to develop normally and ultimately form healthy emotional and physical relationships as an adult. Attachment-based therapy aims to build or rebuild a trusting, supportive relationship that will help prevent or treat mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression.

Humanistic

This approach to counseling, developed by Carl Rogers, led to his founding of client-centered therapy – a humanistic counseling approach that supports clients in reaching their full potential. Client-centered therapy, also known as person-centered, provides the client with a safe environment with a therapist who is empathetic and nonjudgmental. This method allows patients to experience a sense of openness and complete acceptance and love. The Humanistic Method stresses the vital need to allow the client to make their discoveries rather than bombard them with the therapist’s direction.

Compassion Focused

Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) was developed by British psychologist Paul Gilbert in the first decade of the 21st century. Some small studies and research reviews suggest that it can be effective for the treatment of mood disorders and anxiety; it can also help people who are especially prone to self-criticism manage those behaviors. CFT is a therapeutic approach that aims to help clients who struggle with shame and self-criticism, often resulting from early experiences of abuse or neglect. CFT teaches clients to cultivate the skills of self-compassion and other-oriented compassion, which are thought to help regulate mood and lead to feelings of safety, self-acceptance, and comfort. The technique is similar to mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in that it also instructs clients about the science behind the mind-body connection and how to practice mind and body awareness.

Grief Therapy

Most people experience grief at some point in their lives. Mental health experts note that the losses of human life, jobs, homes and connections resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic have left many people with grief. Addressing this emotion can be a complex process that varies from person to person, but therapy providers can employ a range of grief counseling techniques and interventions to help people navigate it. According to the popular Five Stages of Grief, theorized by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, grief manifests in a plurality of ways, in the following stages: Denial: Disbelieving or ignoring the loss, Anger: Expressing aggression or a sense of injustice or unfairness at the situation, which can be expressed against others or self-directed, Bargaining: Making wishes, promises or prayers about what a person will do to avoid suffering the loss, Depression: Experiencing a lack of interest in previous activities, as well as numbness, lethargy and difficulty concentrating and participating in activities, and Acceptance: Coming to terms with the loss and moving forward with living. It is important to note that the stages are not linear and can re-enter a person's life when least expected. The only "wrong way" to grieve is to not allow oneself to grieve.