Therapeutic Approaches
Anyssa Sipos Psychotherapy
A closer look at how we might work together.
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Anyssa Sipos Psychotherapy
Therapeutic Approaches
Everyones process in therapy looks different and the approaches we draw from depend on what best fits what you are bringing in and what is most useful to you in the moment. Below is an overview of the various therapeutic approaches I draw from.Â
A closer look at how we might work together.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
EMDR
EMDR is a structured, evidence-based therapy designed to help your brain process experiences that still feel unresolved. Through guided bilateral stimulation, it helps distressing memories begin to lose their grip on the present. You do not need to narrate everything in detail. The work often happens at a level beyond words.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
EMDR
EMDR is a structured, evidence-based therapy designed to help your brain process experiences that still feel unresolved. Through guided bilateral stimulation, it helps distressing memories begin to lose their grip on the present. You do not need to narrate everything in detail. The work often happens at a level beyond words.
Traumatic Experiences
Anxiety
We begin by building stability and making sure you have the tools to feel grounded before any deeper work starts. From there we gather a sense of your history to identify what to focus on, without going into more detail than necessary.
When the time feels right, we move into processing using bilateral stimulation. Throughout all of it we check in regularly and adjust based on how you are feeling. No two people move through this the same way.
Although originally developed for PTSD, EMDR has since been found helpful for a range of experiences. This can include anxiety, emotional reactivity, negative self-beliefs, grief, and patterns that keep showing up in your present day life even when you cannot trace them to a clear cause.
Sessions are structured but never rigid. You can expect to be guided through each phase gradually, with regular check-ins throughout. Some sessions may feel more reflective, others more active. You remain in control of what we explore and nothing happens before you feel ready.
Emotional Reactivity
Repetitive Patterns
Traumatic Experiences
Anxiety
Emotional Reactivity
Repetitive Patterns
We begin by building stability and making sure you have the tools to feel grounded before any deeper work starts. From there we gather a sense of your history to identify what to focus on, without going into more detail than necessary.
When the time feels right, we move into processing using bilateral stimulation. Throughout all of it we check in regularly and adjust based on how you are feeling. No two people move through this the same way.
Although originally developed for PTSD, EMDR has since been found helpful for a range of experiences. This can include anxiety, emotional reactivity, negative self-beliefs, grief, and patterns that keep showing up in your present day life even when you cannot trace them to a clear cause.
Sessions are structured but never rigid. You can expect to be guided through each phase gradually, with regular check-ins throughout. Some sessions may feel more reflective, others more active. You remain in control of what we explore and nothing happens before you feel ready.
INTERNAL FAMILY SYSTEMS INFORMED
Parts-Based Work
Internal Family Systems grounds itself in the understanding that we all have many different parts of ourselves that show up in different ways and for various purposes. These parts carry different roles for our system with the main goal of protecting us, even when it may not feel this way. The parts that can feel most difficult are often the ones working hardest to keep us safe. The goal in parts-based work is not to get rid of any parts, rather learn to understand them well enough that they no longer have to work quite so hard.Â
Inner Conflict
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Self-Understanding
Parts-based work approaches our work together with genuine curiosity and without judgment. We slow down to notice particular reactions or feelings, get curious about where they come from, and begin to understand the parts of you that hold them. Over time this can help the parts that have been working so hard begin to soften, creating more space for a more grounded way of being.
Parts-based work can be helpful for inner conflict, difficulty understanding your own reactions, relationship patterns, emotional reactivity, trauma, and any experience of feeling like different sides of you are pulling in different directions.
Sessions using a parts-based lens tend to feel exploratory and reflective. You might notice we slow down more, spend time with a particular feeling or reaction, and get curious about it rather than trying to change it right away. It is a gentle and non-pressured process.
Trauma & Past Experiences
Emotional Reactivity
INTERNAL FAMILY SYSTEMS INFORMED
Parts-Based Work
Internal Family Systems grounds itself in the understanding that we all have many different parts of ourselves that show up in different ways and for various purposes. These parts carry different roles for our system with the main goal of protecting us, even when it may not feel this way. The parts that can feel most difficult are often the ones working hardest to keep us safe.Â
The goal in parts-based work is not to get rid of any parts, rather learn to understand them well enough that they no longer have to work quite so hard.Â
Inner Conflict
Self-Understanding
Traumatic Experiences
Emotional Reactivity
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Parts-based work approaches our work together with genuine curiosity and without judgment. We slow down to notice particular reactions or feelings, get curious about where they come from, and begin to understand the parts of you that hold them. Over time this can help the parts that have been working so hard begin to soften, creating more space for a more grounded way of being.
Parts-based work can be helpful for inner conflict, difficulty understanding your own reactions, relationship patterns, emotional reactivity, trauma, and any experience of feeling like different sides of you are pulling in different directions.
Sessions using a parts-based lens tend to feel exploratory and reflective. You might notice we slow down more, spend time with a particular feeling or reaction, and get curious about it rather than trying to change it right away. It is a gentle and non-pressured process.
PRESENT MOMENT AWARENESS
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is the practice of learning to notice what is happening in the present moment, in the body and the mind, without immediately trying to fix or change it. For many, the automatic response to difficult feelings is to push them away, distract, or react. Mindfulness offers a different option, creating a little space between an experience and your response to it.
Emotional Regulation
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Anxiety & Overwhelm
Mindfulness is woven into our work naturally rather than introduced as a formal practice. This might look like pausing to notice what is happening in your body during a session, becoming aware of what arises just before a reaction takes over, or simply learning to stay with something difficult for a moment rather than immediately moving away from it.
​
We may also explore specific mindfulness techniques that feel like a good fit for you, to help build present moment awareness and find ways to work with what is coming up in your thoughts, feelings, and day to day life. Over time this kind of noticing can create more choice in how you respond to what comes up.
Mindfulness can be helpful for anxiety, stress, emotional overwhelm, difficulty staying present, and building general self-awareness. It is particularly useful as a foundation for other deeper work, helping you develop the capacity to be with difficult experiences rather than avoid them.
Mindfulness in our sessions tends to be subtle and integrated, a natural part of how we slow down and pay attention together. We may also explore specific mindfulness techniques that promote self-awareness and find ways to ground in your present moment experience.
Grounding
Self-Awareness
Emotional Regulation
Emotional Regulation
Emotional Regulation
Anxiety & Overwhelm
Emotional Regulation
Self-Awareness
Emotional Regulation
Grounding
PRESENT MOMENT AWARENESS
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is the practice of learning to notice what is happening in the present moment, in the body and the mind, without immediately trying to fix or change it. For many, the automatic response to difficult feelings is to push them away, distract, or react. Mindfulness offers a different option, creating a little space between an experience and your response to it.
Emotional RegulationÂ
Anxiety & Overwhelm
Grounding
Self-Awareness
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Mindfulness is woven into our work naturally rather than introduced as a formal practice. This might look like pausing to notice what is happening in your body during a session, becoming aware of what arises just before a reaction takes over, or simply learning to stay with something difficult for a moment rather than immediately moving away from it.
​
We may also explore specific mindfulness techniques that feel like a good fit for you, to help build present moment awareness and find ways to work with what is coming up in your thoughts, feelings, and day to day life. Over time this kind of noticing can create more choice in how you respond to what comes up.
Mindfulness can be helpful for anxiety, stress, emotional overwhelm, difficulty staying present, and building general self-awareness. It is particularly useful as a foundation for other deeper work, helping you develop the capacity to be with difficult experiences rather than avoid them.
Mindfulness in our sessions tends to be subtle and integrated, a natural part of how we slow down and pay attention together. We may also explore specific mindfulness techniques that promote self-awareness and find ways to ground in your present moment experience.
cognitive behavioural therapy
CBT
CBT explores the connections between your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours, and how they influence each other. Many of our thinking patterns develop automatically over time, often without us realizing it. By becoming more aware of these patterns, it becomes possible to begin relating to them differently and building responses that feel more helpful.
Anxiety
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Low Mood
CBT is drawn on when it feels like the most useful tool for where you are. I often think of it as a cycle. Thoughts, feelings, and behaviours are all interconnected, and each one influences the others. When one part of that cycle becomes stuck in an unhelpful pattern, it can keep the whole cycle going even when you want things to feel different.
​
In our work this might look like slowing down to notice and reframe unhelpful thoughts, learning to be with and manage the emotions that arise from those thoughts, or gently disrupting unhelpful behaviours and building toward the things that feel difficult but matter to you. We work on whatever part of the cycle feels most relevant and accessible, always collaboratively and at a pace that feels right.
CBT can be helpful for anxiety, low mood, unhelpful thought patterns, avoidance, and building practical coping skills. It can be useful in building practical strategies to address unhelpful thoughts, feelings, and behaviours.Â
CBT-informed work in our sessions might look like identifying patterns in how you think about certain situations, exploring how those thoughts connect to how you feel and what you do, and experimenting with different perspectives, responses, and/or behaviours.Â
Intrusive Thoughts
Repetitive Patterns
COGNITIVE BEHAVIOURAL THERAPYÂ
CBT
CBT explores the connections between your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours, and how they influence each other. Many of our thinking patterns develop automatically over time, often without us realizing it. By becoming more aware of these patterns, it becomes possible to begin relating to them differently and building responses that feel more helpful.
Low Mood
Anxiety
Intrusive Thoughts
Repetitive Patterns
_edited.jpg)
CBT is drawn on when it feels like the most useful tool for where you are. I often think of it as a cycle. Thoughts, feelings, and behaviours are all interconnected, and each one influences the others. When one part of that cycle becomes stuck in an unhelpful pattern, it can keep the whole cycle going even when you want things to feel different.
​
In our work this might look like slowing down to notice and reframe unhelpful thoughts, learning to be with and manage the emotions that arise from those thoughts, or gently disrupting unhelpful behaviours and building toward the things that feel difficult but matter to you. We work on whatever part of the cycle feels most relevant and accessible, always collaboratively and at a pace that feels right.
CBT can be helpful for anxiety, low mood, unhelpful thought patterns, avoidance, and building practical coping skills. It can be useful in building practical strategies to address unhelpful thoughts, feelings, and behaviours.Â
CBT-informed work in our sessions might look like identifying patterns in how you think about certain situations, exploring how those thoughts connect to how you feel and what you do, and experimenting with different perspectives, responses, and/or behaviours.Â
dialectical behaviour therapy
DBT
DBT is a skills-based approach focused on building practical tools for managing intense emotions, navigating relationships, and finding steadiness in difficult moments. It is grounded in the idea that two things can be true at the same time, that you are doing the best you can, and that there is also room to build new ways of responding.
Emotional Regulation
I draw on DBT skills when something practical would be most useful, particularly when emotions feel overwhelming or difficult to manage in the moment. This might look like exploring specific skills from DBT's four core areas, mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness, and finding which ones fit best for what you are navigating.
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I use these skills alongside deeper exploratory work so that we are building both steadiness in the present and understanding of what is driving the intensity underneath.
DBT can be helpful for managing intense emotions, improving relationships, tolerating distress, and building practical coping tools. It is useful for anyone who feels that their emotions can be overwhelming or difficult to navigate, regardless of diagnosis.
DBT-informed work tends to feel more practical and skill-focused. You might leave sessions with specific tools or strategies to try in your day to day life. It is collaborative and always grounded in what is actually useful for you.
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Intense Emotions
We may draw on DBT skills when something practical would be most useful, particularly when emotions feel overwhelming or difficult to manage in the moment. This might look like exploring specific skills from DBT's four core areas, mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness, and finding which ones fit best for what you are navigating.
DBT can be helpful for managing intense emotions, improving relationships, tolerating distress, and building practical coping tools. It is useful for anyone who feels that their emotions can be overwhelming or difficult to navigate, regardless of diagnosis.
DBT-informed work tends to feel more practical and skill-focused. You might leave sessions with specific tools or strategies to continue practicing in your day to day life. It is collaborative and always grounded in what is actually useful for you.
Distress Tolerance
Coping Skills
DIALECTICAL BEHAVIOUR THERAPY
DBT
DBT is a skills-based approach focused on building practical tools for managing intense emotions, navigating relationships, and finding steadiness in difficult moments. It is grounded in the idea that two things can be true at the same time, that you are doing the best you can, and that there is also room to build new ways of responding.
Emotional Regulation
Intense Emotions
Distress Tolerance
Coping Skills
_edited.jpg)
We may draw on DBT skills when something practical would be most useful, particularly when emotions feel overwhelming or difficult to manage in the moment. This might look like exploring specific skills from DBT's four core areas, mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness, and finding which ones fit best for what you are navigating.
DBT can be helpful for managing intense emotions, improving relationships, tolerating distress, and building practical coping tools. It is useful for anyone who feels that their emotions can be overwhelming or difficult to navigate, regardless of diagnosis.
DBT-informed work tends to feel more practical and skill-focused. You might leave sessions with specific tools or strategies to continue practicing in your day to day life. It is collaborative and always grounded in what is actually useful for you.
the foundation of our work
Trauma-Informed Care
Trauma-informed care is not a single technique. It is a way of approaching all of our work together, grounded in the understanding that your responses and patterns make sense in the context of what you have been through.
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It means there is no judgement towards what shows up. It means we pay attention to what your nervous system is doing, not just what your mind is saying. And it means we move at a pace that respects where you are, without pushing for more than feels right.
_edited.jpg)
Trauma-informed care shapes everything about how our work together unfolds. There are no assumptions about what showing up here will feel like for you or what it should look like. Together we pay attention to more than just what is being said. We notice what your nervous system is communicating, whether the pace feels right, and whether any part of you needs more space before moving forward. Nothing is pushed. The direction of our work is always checked in on and always collaborative.
A trauma-informed lens is relevant for everyone, regardless of what they are coming in with. It is particularly relevant for those who have experienced difficult or overwhelming life events, who find that their nervous system responds strongly in certain situations, or who have felt that past therapeutic experiences did not feel quite right. It is also important for those who are not sure whether what they have been through counts as trauma at all.
The pace of our work is always guided by you. Attention is paid to what is happening in the room and check ins happen regularly throughout. Nothing is assumed about what you are ready for, and whatever you bring is met with curiosity rather than judgment.
the foundation of our work
Trauma-Informed Care
Trauma-informed care is not a single technique. It is a way of approaching all of our work together, grounded in the understanding that your responses and patterns make sense in the context of what you have been through.
Â
It means there is no judgement towards what shows up. It means we pay attention to what your nervous system is doing, not just what your mind is saying. And it means we move at a pace that respects where you are, without pushing for more than feels right.
Trauma-informed care shapes everything about how I show up in sessions. I do not come into this work with assumptions about what showing up here will feel like for you. I pay attention to more than just what you are saying. I notice what your nervous system is communicating, whether the pace feels right, and whether any part of you needs more space before we move forward. Nothing is pushed. I am always checking in with where you are, and the direction of our work is always collaborative.
A trauma-informed lens is relevant for everyone, regardless of what they are coming in with. It is particularly meaningful for those who have experienced difficult or overwhelming life events, who find that their nervous system responds strongly in certain situations, or who have felt that past therapeutic experiences did not feel quite right. It is also important for those who are not sure whether what they have been through counts as trauma at all.
You can expect the pace of our work to be guided by you. You can expect me to pay attention to what is happening in the room and check in regularly. You can expect that nothing will be assumed about what you are ready for, and that whatever you bring will be met with curiosity rather than judgment.
Trauma-informed care shapes everything about how our work together unfolds. There are no assumptions about what showing up here will feel like for you or what it should look like. Together we pay attention to more than just what is being said. We notice what your nervous system is communicating, whether the pace feels right, and whether any part of you needs more space before moving forward. Nothing is pushed. The direction of our work is always checked in on and always collaborative.
A trauma-informed lens is relevant for everyone, regardless of what they are coming in with. It is particularly relevant for those who have experienced difficult or overwhelming life events, who find that their nervous system responds strongly in certain situations, or who have felt that past therapeutic experiences did not feel quite right. It is also important for those who are not sure whether what they have been through counts as trauma at all.
The pace of our work is always guided by you. Attention is paid to what is happening in the room and check ins happen regularly throughout. Nothing is assumed about what you are ready for, and whatever you bring is met with curiosity rather than judgment.
