Therapy glossary

A therapy approach that focuses on building psychological flexibility -- making room for difficult thoughts and feelings while taking action toward what matters to you.

Difficulty identifying, naming, or describing emotions. Common in trauma, autism spectrum presentations, and certain personality structures.

A licensed mental health profession using creative process as a primary therapeutic pathway. Not art class -- a clinically trained therapist uses image-making to access emotion, regulate the nervous system, and support healing.

The emotional bond between a child and caregiver that shapes how a person relates to others throughout life. Attachment patterns (secure, anxious, avoidant, disorganized) influence how we seek and respond to connection.

Art Therapist Registered and Art Therapist Registered-Board Certified. Credentials from the Art Therapy Credentials Board (ATCB) indicating graduate training and supervised clinical practice specifically in art therapy.

Alternating sensory input (eye movements, taps, or tones) used in EMDR therapy to help the brain process and integrate traumatic memories.

Chronic emotional and physical exhaustion from prolonged stress, often involving cynicism, reduced effectiveness, and loss of motivation. Common in caregivers and high-demand roles.

A structured, present-focused therapy that works by identifying and shifting unhelpful thought patterns and behaviors. One of the most widely researched approaches.

Post-traumatic symptoms that develop after prolonged or repeated trauma, often early in life. Characterized by emotion dysregulation, negative self-perception, and relational difficulty -- distinct from single-event PTSD.

An automatic, inaccurate thought pattern (catastrophizing, mind-reading, all-or-nothing thinking) that CBT helps identify and challenge.

Your percentage share of a therapy session cost after your deductible is met. If coinsurance is 20% and the session rate is $150, you pay $30.

A flat fee per therapy session, typically after your deductible is met. For example: $30 per visit.

A structured trauma treatment for PTSD that focuses on identifying and updating 'stuck points' -- unhelpful beliefs about safety, trust, power, esteem, and intimacy that formed after trauma.

A structured skills-based therapy teaching mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. Developed for high emotional intensity and self-harm.

The amount you pay out-of-pocket before your health insurance starts covering costs. Until you meet your deductible, you typically pay the full session fee.

An ACT technique for 'unhooking' from difficult thoughts -- observing them as passing mental events rather than facts you must obey.

A disconnection from thoughts, feelings, body sensations, or surroundings. Ranges from mild (zoning out) to more significant (depersonalization, derealization). Often a trauma-related response.

An employer-sponsored benefit offering 3–12 free therapy sessions per year, separate from health insurance. Check with your HR department to find yours.

A trauma-focused therapy using bilateral stimulation to help the brain process and integrate disturbing memories. Strongly evidence-supported for PTSD.

Skills and strategies for managing the intensity and expression of emotions -- a core focus of DBT and many other approaches.

The gold-standard treatment for OCD. Involves gradually facing triggers while resisting compulsions, helping the nervous system learn anxiety passes without the ritual.

In IFS, an exile is a vulnerable part that carries pain, shame, or trauma from the past and is often protected by managers and firefighters.

The four main nervous system survival responses to perceived threat. Fight (aggression), flight (escape), freeze (immobility), fawn (people-pleasing/appeasement). All are automatic and adaptive -- not character flaws.

In IFS, a firefighter is a protective part that tries to extinguish emotional pain quickly -- often through impulsive, distracting, or numbing behaviors.

Techniques that help you connect to the present moment and your immediate surroundings when anxiety, dissociation, or overwhelm pulls you away. Examples: 5-4-3-2-1 senses, cold water, physical objects.

Treatment that is more intensive than standard weekly outpatient therapy -- including IOP, PHP, and inpatient hospitalization.

A therapy approach that helps you relate to different 'parts' of yourself -- like an inner critic, a protector, or a vulnerable exile -- with curiosity and compassion from a grounded Self.

A structured mental health program typically offering 9–15 hours of treatment per week across 3–5 days. You live at home while receiving more support than weekly therapy.

A therapist or provider who has a contract with your insurance plan, resulting in lower out-of-pocket costs for you.

A licensed mental health professional with a Master's in Social Work plus supervised clinical hours. Can provide therapy and, in many states, diagnose mental health conditions.

A licensed therapist with a Master's in counseling plus supervised clinical hours. Can provide individual, group, and family therapy.

A group of brain structures involved in emotion, memory, and survival responses. The amygdala (fear processing) and hippocampus (memory) are part of this system. Highly relevant in trauma and emotional regulation.

In IFS, a manager is a protective part that tries to prevent pain from occurring -- often through control, perfectionism, people-pleasing, or hypervigilance.

A specific approach or method of therapy (e.g., CBT, EMDR, somatic therapy, art therapy). Different modalities work through different mechanisms and are more or less suited to different presentations.

The national credential for music therapists, issued by the Certification Board for Music Therapists (CBMT). Indicates a music therapy degree and supervised clinical internship.

A body-aware depth approach for developmental trauma and attachment wounds. Explores how early survival strategies shape present-day identity and relationships.

The capacity to return to a calm, functional state after activation or shutdown. Central to somatic, DBT, and many trauma-focused approaches.

A condition characterized by intrusive, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors or mental acts (compulsions) that temporarily reduce anxiety. ERP is the gold-standard treatment.

A provider who does not have a contract with your insurance. You typically pay upfront and may submit a superbill for partial reimbursement.

The most you will pay in a plan year. After this point, your insurance covers 100% of covered services for the rest of the year.

A high-intensity mental health program, typically 5 days a week for 5–6 hours per day. A step between IOP and inpatient care -- you go home at night.

An advanced practice nurse who can prescribe psychiatric medications and provide mental health treatment.

Approval from your insurance company required before some services are covered. Always ask whether therapy requires prior auth before your first session.

A depth approach that explores how past experiences, unconscious patterns, and relationship dynamics shape present emotions and behaviors.

A mental health condition triggered by experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. Symptoms include flashbacks, nightmares, hypervigilance, and avoidance. EMDR, CPT, and TF-CBT are gold-standard treatments.

A body-based trauma method developed by Peter Levine. Uses titrated attention to body sensations to restore nervous system regulation. Look for the SEP (Somatic Experiencing Practitioner) designation.

In IFS, the Self is the calm, curious, compassionate core of who you are -- distinct from your parts. Therapy aims to strengthen Self-leadership.

A fee structure where the therapist charges based on your income, making therapy more affordable. Common in community settings and some private practices.

A broad category of therapy that works with the body, nervous system, and physical sensations alongside (or instead of) verbal processing.

A detailed receipt from your therapist with billing codes, used to request reimbursement from your insurance company for out-of-network sessions.

The quality of the working relationship between therapist and client. One of the most consistent predictors of therapy outcomes -- across all modalities.

In somatic and trauma therapy, the practice of working with small doses of difficult material -- staying within the window of tolerance rather than flooding.

The zone of nervous system activation where you can process experience without becoming overwhelmed (hyperaroused/flooded) or shut down (hypoaroused/frozen). Trauma therapy works within and gradually expands this window.