Counseling and Psychotherapy
Mindfulness Based Therapies
are designed to help people who suffer repeated bouts of depression and anxiety. They combine the ideas of cognitive therapy with meditative practices and attitudes based on the cultivation of mindfulness and acceptance. The heart of this work lies in becoming acquainted with the modes of mind that often characterize anxiety and mood disorders while simultaneously learning to develop a new relationship to them.
The practice of meditation is central to the development of mindfulness. Meditation may take the form of sitting, walking, or yoga. Meditation re-ortients one's thinking to the present and fosters the ability to respond to stress with calm, rather than react out of fear.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
is based on the idea that there is a direct relationship between our thoughts and feelings and behaviors, and that we can learn to regulate our feelings and behaviors by mindfully observing of those thoughts and feelings.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy does not exist as a distinct therapeutic technique. The term "Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)" is a general term for a classification of therapies with similarities. There are several approaches to CBT, including Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, Rational Behavior Therapy, Rational Living Therapy, Cognitive Therapy, and Dialectic Behavior Therapy, as well as Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
or ACT, is a counseling approach that focuses on clarifying the value of personal goals and committing to concrete steps to attain those goals. Acceptance of obstacles to personal goal attainment, such as procrastination, inattention, and fear of failure is essential to this approach, as it is for both mindfulness based therapies and CBT.