Divorce and/or Separation AEDP

Divorce and/or Separation

Breaking the vow of "till death do us part" and getting divorced has been listed on the list of top things that people fear. The end of a marriage can indeed cause incredible confusion, sadness, grief, anger, guilt, fear, anxiety and shame. Not only does the end of a marriage affect a couple, but also the children.

Issues that can cause a marriage to fail include criticism, lack of respect, defensiveness, and aloofness, to name a few. Dealing with these issues might save a marriage. Mediation therapy can help couples even before a divorce, when the signs of marital disintegration starts to show. Couples therapy is an excellent tool at that point in a marriage to see whether saving the marriage is a viable option, and if it's not, it can help them find ways to reach settlements, move forward, and co-parent in a healthy and constructive way.

For children going through the divorce of their parents, therapy is critical. While parents are facing the realities of divorce and the emotional trauma, they often don't have the time or inclination to help their children deal with their sense of abandonment, pain, loss or guilt. Children may even feel that they are to blame for their parents' problems. Therapy can help children to come to terms with these issues and find strategies to move forward in a positive way.

In the case where couples counselling is not an option, a therapist can help the person who was left behind deal with the grief from the divorce. Therapy is aimed at empowering the individual to overcome grief and negative emotions and to move forward as a single person.

If you are looking for a counsellor or psychologist who addresses divorce issues you may want to search the directory to find a professional whose approach will suit you best.

AEDP, Shame Counselling & Therapy

Accelerated experiential-dynamic psychotherapy focuses on techniques to bring about healing and helping clients to achieve behaviour transformation. The outcomes are facilitated through a exploring difficult experiences that have had a profound relational or emotional effect on the client's life experience.

Dr. Diana Fosha developed this innovative approach which is closely related to other disciplines, including body-focused approaches, affective neuroscience and attachment theory. The goal of Accelerated experiential-dynamic psychotherapy is to tap into the client's untapped inner resources for healing. The AEDP approach equips clients with the skills they require to confront and deal with emotional traumas, instead of resorting to defensive tactics, which is a common knee-jerk reaction. It allows the client to see their own internal coping skills that were hidden before, and to wake those inner strengths to become a natural response to life's circumstances.

If you are looking for a counsellor who offers AEDP therapy, please browse our list of practitioners below..

There are a variety of approaches to address the issue of shame.  One of them is the Shame Resilience method is based on the research of Brené Brown, Ph.D. LMSW. 

Shame Resilience is the developed ability to practice authenticity when we experience shame, to move through the experience without sacrificing our values, and to come out on the other side of the shame experience with more courage, compassion, and connection than we had going into it.

Shame Resilience is about moving from shame to empathy- the real antidote to shame. Self-compassion is also critically important, because when we’re able to be tender with ourselves in the midst of shame we’re more likely to reach out, connect and experience empathy.

Other approaches, like Complex Integration of Multiple Brain Systems (CIMBS)  uses what is called a systems perspective that can address how an individual has learned to respond due to early trauma and or other developmental experiences.

Approaches to shame are not limited to the above.  There are many other therapies that address feeling.

If you do contact a therapist regarding shame issues please make sure that you ask them about their training in this area and choose a therapist whose approach makes sense to you.

 

Anna Richards

M.Couns., RCC
Anna Richards Counselling & Consulting I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor and a certified mediator in downtown Vancouver. I am also on faculty at the Justice Institute of British Columbia... Read more