Thrive Counseling Center offers various types of therapy for individuals, couples, and families. We aim to help you develop more meaningful and healthy relationships with others and yourself, ways of life, and interactions with the world around you.
We can determine which therapist and therapy approaches best meet your needs and goals. Our licensed providers have a master's or doctoral degree, advanced training, certifications, and post-doctoral experience to ensure we provide the best possible care.
Different Therapy Approaches We Use
At Thrive, we employ well-researched and effective therapy approaches to tailor treatment that meets your specific goals and needs. We develop a collaborative relationship with our clients and value transparency and openness.
We welcome children, teenagers, and adults to our Federal Way therapy practice. From processing grief to helping overcome addiction, we can treat, support, and manage the following:
- ADD, ADHD, and other disorders
- Anxiety and depression
- Grief
- Controlling your emotional state
- Accepting change
- Anger management
- Behavioral issues
- Issues related to neurodivergence
Some of the therapies we offer include:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Attachment-Focused Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
- Emotion-Focused Couples Therapy
- Gottman-Informed Couples Therapy
We invite you to continue reading to learn more about each approach and the techniques we use.
What Is Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy?
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of "talk therapy" that focuses on changing thought and behavior patterns––specifically restructuring unhealthy, untrue, or unhelpful patterns. Some of the techniques of CBT are helping individuals identify their actions, emotions, and thoughts and how these things impact their perception.
How Does CBT Work?
CBT is a popular approach among therapists. CBT's root is recognizing unhelpful or damaging behavioral patterns and learning how to change or challenge untrue or negative thoughts and assumptions. Ultimately, CBT focuses on how to help the individual move forward and have more hope for the future so they can thrive.
What Problems Can CBT Help Improve?
CBT can help you if you struggle with the following: 
- Generalized anxiety
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Negative "self-talk" or habitual unkindness to yourself
- Relationship problems
- Eating disorders
- Post-traumatic stress (PTS)
- Insomnia
- Depression
- Coping with grief
- Fear and phobias
- Work-related stress
What Is Attachment-Focused Therapy?
Attachment-focused therapy (AFT), also called attachment-based therapy, was created in the 1960s by British psychologist John Bowlby. It focuses on building or rebuilding supportive and trusting relationships to prevent or treat depression or anxiety. During AFT, you and your counselor can explore links between early childhood attachment experiences and your ability to create physically and emotionally healthy relationships. Forming trusting relationships with parental figures or your therapist can help the patient form strong bonds with others in your life––which is the goal of AFT.
Solution-Focused Therapy Techniques
Solution-focused therapy, also known as solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT), was developed by Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg in the 1980s as an offshoot of family therapy. SFBT focuses on discussing and exploring solutions rather than dwelling on the problem or problems that require solutions. For example, SFBT doesn't require a deep dive into your childhood and how your past has influenced you.
What Is the Goal of Solution-Focused Therapy?
Instead of dwelling on the past and how it's impacted your current life, SFBT is firmly grounded in the present. Its goal is to help you move toward a future in which your current issues don't impact your life and well-being as much.
What Is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy?
Created by psychologist and University of Nevada professor Steven C. Hayes in the 1980s, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is an action-oriented approach to psychotherapy stemming from cognitive-behavioral and traditional behavior therapies. Hayes developed this approach in response to his own history of and experience with panic attacks.
ACT helps clients stop struggling, denying, and avoiding their inner emotions. Instead, it teaches clients to accept these deeper feelings and understand their responses to certain situations that shouldn't hinder them from moving on with their lives. Clients can learn to accept their hardships and commit to making the necessary improvements or changes in their behavior, regardless of what's happening in their lives.
What Is Emotionally-Focused Couples Therapy?
Emotionally-focused therapy (EFT) was formulated by Sue Johnson in the 1980s and intertwines the science of adult attachment––a development theory of intimate relationships and personality. EFT is attachment-based and explores the negative, rigid interaction patterns that cause distress in couple relationships, such as insecure attachment and emotional disconnection.
EFT posits that emotions have innate adaptive potential, meaning clients can reclaim unwanted self-experience and change problematic interactions and emotions. It views fundamental emotions (like fear, sadness, and anger) as integral to our human experience, such as how we orient ourselves and relate to our environment.
How Do Couples Know If Emotionally-Focused Therapy Is Working?
Common signs that EFT is working include:
- Communication is improving.
- You experience strong emotions.
- You're rekindling physical intimacy and emotional closeness.
- You know how to argue more effectively, meaning you repair after a disagreement.
- You compromise more.
- You better understand the differences in each other's expectations, feelings, and viewpoints.
- You're focusing on the present and future instead of dwelling on the past.
What Is the Gottman Method of Relationship Therapy?
Invented in the 1980s by married psychologists Dr. John Gottman and Dr. Julie Schwartz Gottman, Gottman-informed couples therapy (or simply, The Gottman Method) aims to:
- Disarm conflicting communication
- Remove barriers to reduce feelings of stagnancy
- Increase respect, affection, and intimacy
- Develop a heightened sense of understanding and empathy
The Gottman Method includes seven key concepts known as The Seven Principles:
- Build Love Maps
- Express Fondness and Admiration
- Turn Toward One Another
- Accept Influence
- Solve Problems That Are Solvable
- Manage Conflict and Overcome Gridlock
- Create Shared Meaning
This approach can help you and your partner assess your relationship and address your problems to create a more affectionate and meaningful relationship.
Can You Use Multiple Approaches at Once?
Yes, multiple techniques can be used and explored in therapy. As your therapist observes your progress and needs throughout the process, the goals and approach to treatment might also change and adapt.
Book a Free Therapy Consultation in Federal Way, WA
Do you need help determining what type of counseling would be most beneficial for you or which therapist would be a good fit? We invite you to call or email us for more information. We can help you find the best provider for your needs, and we offer a free initial 20-minute consultation so you can meet with a member of our therapy team.
We look forward to meeting you and helping you thrive!