Our Services
Psychotherapy and counselling modalities
Dialectical Behavior Therapy
Psychodynamic Therapy
Optimum Health
Alcohol and Drug counselling
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Dialectical behavior therapy is an evidence-based psychotherapy developed by Dr Marsha Linehan, in the 1980s for people with suicidal thoughts who also often lived with Borderline Personality Disorder(BPD). The ultimate goal of DBT is to help you to live a life you feel good about. A meaningful, fulfilling life looks different for each person. Your therapists can help you to identify what is important to you. Research has found that beyond BPD, DBT may be a promising treatment for range of other complex mental health presentations including;
- eating disorders, such as binge eating
- substance use disorder in adults and teens
- co-occurring substance use and BPD
- depression
- bipolar disorder
DBT is highly structured psychotherapy and teaches critical skills through these four modules:
Core mindfulness
Core mindfulness skills, adapted from Eastern meditation practices, teach you to become more aware of the present moment. You learn to focus on one thing at a time, without judging yourself or others.
Distress tolerance
When difficult situations and problems arise in your life, instead of getting stuck in thought patterns Distress tolerance teaches acceptance and tolerance to situations. Accepting things you don’t have control over can help you solve problems and improve low moods.
This module teaches you constructive, in-the-moment alternatives skills rather than engaging in impulsive or self-harming behavior. These include distraction and self-soothing techniques, like doing a deep breathing exercise, taking a walk, or listening to your favourite music.
Emotion regulation
Emotion regulation skills help you label your emotions without judging them. You learn how different emotions shape your behavior and what obstacles prevent you from managing your emotions. Interpersonal effectiveness In this module, you learn the skills to create healthy relationships while taking care of yourself.
Interpersonal effectiveness
includes working through conflict, listening well, and clearly asking for what you need.
Psychodynamic Therapy
Psychodynamic psychotherapy, both short-term and long-term, is an evidence-based and an effective psychotherapy. In Psychodynamic psychotherapy the therapist attempt to help clients find patterns in their emotions, thoughts, and beliefs in order to gain insight into their current self. Psychodynamic therapy focuses on the psychological roots of emotional suffering including selfreflection and self-examination.
This therapy aims to increase a person’s self-awareness and understanding of how past events impact current behavioural patterns and move towards a meaningful and purposeful life.
Optimal Health Program
The Optimal Health Program will help you to understand the factors that have an impact on your mental health and develop the skills you need to achieve and maintain optimal health which is a balance of physical, psychological, and social health and wellbeing.
The Optimal Health Program is a systematic therapeutic framework for working with individuals to help them achieve optimal health outcomes, a balance of physical, psychological, and social health and wellbeing. The program helps individuals to understand the factors that have an impact on their mental health and develop the skills they need to achieve and maintain optimal health.
The Optimal Health Program aims to empower and place participants in control by shifting the focus from ‘illness’ to ‘health’ and from being ‘dependent’ on to being ‘supported by’ services.
Three Core Components:
- Education – the factors that influence mental health.
- Coping Strategies – actions and strategies that are effective in helping manage and reduce stress.
- Skills Development – a range of skills, tools and techniques that help manage stress and achieve long term optimal health. This can be delivered individually, over eight or nine weekly sessions.
Drug and Alcohol Counseling and Psychotherapy
People use substances for various reasons such as to relax, have fun, numb emotional or physical pain, or to get away from problems or difficulties experiencing in their life. The misuse of substances may lead to a dependence and other health problems. The use of substances to reduce emotional or physical pain or to get away from problems may be effective in the short term however may have serious long-term consequences on health and wellbeing.
Stages of Addiction
Experimentation
Experimentation begins voluntarily and at this point, use is irregular and only occurs in specific situations. When people believe their substance, abuse is solving their problems or making them feel better begin drinking more alcohol or taking more drugs, thereby moving on to regular use.
Regular use
Regular use does not have to be every day, but sometimes it happens every weekend or in a certain circumstance such as when lonely, bored, or stressed. Regular, heavy use of drugs or alcohol begins to take a toll on the person’s life, health, and safety. This may result, conflict and marital problems, trouble fulfilling work and personal responsibilities and trouble with law.
Problem or risky use
During this stage, you begin to suffer legal, emotional, physical, or social problems. Adults may drink and drive or have problems at work or in their relationships. Teenagers may have bad grades, behavioural problems, a significant change in friends or motor vehicle crashes.
Dependence
Dependence is continues use of substances regularly despite the harm its causing, including bodily changes causing altered reactions to the substance.
Addiction
Addiction is compulsive and out of control. You might experience psychological and physical changes from repeated heavy substance use.
Signs of substance misuse and addiction
- Finding it difficult to meet responsibilities.
- spending more time with people who drink or use drugs.
- missing appointments, classes, or work commitments
- losing interest in activities that you used to love.
- getting in trouble in school, at work or with the law
- relying on drugs or alcohol to have fun or relax.
- finding you need more and more of the substance to get the same feeling.
- spending money on the substance, even when you cannot afford it.
- lying to people about your alcohol or drug use when they ask
- trying but failing to stop using the substance.
- cravings and urges to use the substance and symptoms of withdrawal when not using the substance.
- Changes in personality and behaviour like a lack of motivation, irritability, and agitation
- Taking part in more dangerous or risky behaviours e.g. drink driving, unprotected sex, using dirty needles.
- Behaviour changes e.g. stealing, exhibiting violence behaviour toward others.
- Conflict with partner/family/friends, losing friends.
- Experiencing signs of depression, anxiety, paranoia, or psychosis.
If you answer yes to some of these, you need Alcohol and Drug Therapy. Mariemma brings harm reduction approach to people those who want to make safer decisions about their ongoing health and wellbeing without abstaining. Abstinence based approach for those who want to reduce and abstaining from alcohol and other drug use. Talk to Mariemma today and see what is the holistic way to address your substance use problems.
“It Does Not Matter How Slowly You Go as Long As You Do Not Stop.” – Confucius
“When your past calls, don’t answer. It has nothing new to say.” “Don’t let the past steal your present.” Terri Guillemets
What to expect
A safe, respectful, healing space for working together.
Sessions may also integrate mindfulness and self-compassion.
Depending on the client’s needs, sessions may draw from a range of evidence-based approaches, which include:
Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
Mindfulness Based Approaches
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
Solution-Focussed Therapy
Narrative Therapy