Therapeutic Approaches

What is DBT? (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy)

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a proven treatment that helps people who deal with strong emotions and harmful behaviors. It was first created to treat people with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), especially those who struggle with suicidal thoughts and self-harm. Over time, DBT has also been shown to help with problems like depression, anxiety, trauma, substance use, eating disorders, and relationship issues.

DBT is especially helpful for people who often feel misunderstood or ignored, even by those trying to support them. The therapy teaches a balance between accepting yourself and making positive changes. It focuses on building a strong relationships, while also teaching practical life skills—like how to manage emotions, handle stress, and improve relationships.

Jordan K. Harmon, LCSW, leads our DBT team and has been intensively trained in DBT by Linda Dimeff and Jesse Holman at Portland DBT. He has trained hundreds of clinicians in Florida, Louisiana, and Utah in DBT and is proficient in all aspects of DBT.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

ACT can be thought of as a cousin or sister to DBT. Both are often considered 3rd wave behavioral therapies and both have a heavy mindfulness orientation and similarities to a secular, behavioral version of Buddhism.  ACT focuses on the enhancement of psychological flexibility rather than focusing on symptom reduction for psychological and emotional struggles. This is done by enhancing 6 key processes: 

• Present moment awareness
• Acceptance
• Cognitive defusion
• Self as Context
• Values Clarification
• Committed action

Jordan has been bootcamp trained in ACT by Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Robyn Walser, and utilizes methods promoted by Kelly G. Wilson and Russ Harris. He stays current with the latest developments of contextual behavioral science.

These processes are addressed through compassionate dialogue, experiential exercises, and finding what works to help individuals not just solve problems or reduce pain, but to connect with and create a joyful life amidst the realities of life.

Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR)

EMDR was developed as a treatment for PTSD. Symptoms of PTSD can include some of the following: experiencing or witness a traumatic event, efforts to avoid thinking about or talking about the event, pervasive negative thoughts about the self related to the traumatic event, periods of reliving the event through flashbacks or nightmares, difficulty concentrating, thoughts of death, and dissociation among others. EMDR uses bilateral stimulation and a structured and safe way to focus on aspects of the trauma in a way that makes the negative thoughts and emotions less powerful to the survivor.

Behavioral Activation

Depression can feel like a spiraling descent into hopelessness alternating with numb resignation. Behavioral activation is considered an evidence based treatment for depression. It focuses on the principle of making small, targeted behavioral changes to impact one’s thoughts and feelings. It’s an outside – in approach rather than inside – out approach that has been very effective for getting people unstuck from depression. 

Motivational Interviewing

Motivational interviewing is a method that was developed to be used with clients who are mandated to treatment or who are at times ambivalent or resistant to change. Motivational interviewing incorporates wisdom from Rogerian and Humanist therapies and the change model to help meet a person where they are at. It is an elegant and client-centered form of therapy that is simple and effective in its implementation. Often, this form of therapy is utilized with people struggling with substance abuse.

Certifications/Trainings

• DBT Intensively Trained
• EMDR Trained
• ART (Accelerated Resolution Therapy)
• ACT Trained

Please reach out with any questions about our approach and how it could benefit you or those you care about. If you aren’t sure whether you are ready to get started with a therapist, you are welcome to contact us for a free 15-minute consultation with one of our therapists.