Treatment

CBT focuses on working with the beliefs that one has about self, others and the world. Through active interactions between the therapist and client, CBT aims to modify the thoughts and behaviour patterns of the client. It is an effective form of psychotherapy, focusing on the here and now. Depression, Anxiety, Phobias, Fears, Relationship issues and troubles in joint families, are some of the problems that can be effectively worked on using cognitive behaviour therapy.

Much like cognitive behaviour therapy, REBT or rational emotive behaviour therapy, also focuses on working with the beliefs that one has about self, others and the world. REBT aims to work on one’s fundamental belief systems and establishes the relationship of these belief systems with our thoughts and resulting behaviour patterns. An active-directive therapeutic approach, REBT, aims to replace our long held irrational beliefs with more rational beliefs. The fundamental logic behind the approach is that it is our belief systems (rational or irrational), which rule our thoughts, emotions and behaviours. All sorts of anxiety issues, depression and mood conditions, relationship troubles, suicidal ideation, traumas, can be worked on using REBT.

Popularly known as Tapping, the Emotional Freedom Technique involves tapping the key meridian points on the body while thinking about or verbalising our concerns. A combination of modern psychology and ancient acupressure, EFT produces quick and long lasting results. Tapping is an easy and effective method to work with anxiety, fears, phobias, self-doubt, depression, trauma, pain, addiction, abuse victims and many more concerns.

One of the most misunderstood forms of therapy, Hypnotherapy, is nothing but a way of relaxation. It is only when one is in a relaxed state of mind, can his / her unconscious be accessed and the cause of the presenting complaint be explored. Although relaxed, the client will experience a heightened level of awareness and focused concentration helps the client and therapist in exploring the deeper causes of the presenting concerns.

It is important to remember that a hypnotherapist cannot control the client’s mind and neither will the client be suggested to do anything against their will. Hypnotic suggestions are worked out in correspondence with the client.

“You can know more about a person in an hour of play, than in a year of conversation” – Plato. Play is a child’s language and play therapy, mostly used with young children is one of the most effective forms of healing approaches in psychotherapy. Unlike adults, children do not open up as easily and often create boundaries around them when asked too many questions. These very children open up about their problems by themselves, once given the space and time to do. Anxiety, fears, phobias, sleep difficulties, selective mutism, autism, childhood depression, bereavement, learning difficulties, and many more childhood concerns, can be effectively worked on using play therapy. Play therapy can also help ease the trauma of any form of abuse experienced by children.

Behaviour modification is a therapeutic approach that aims to replace undesirable behaviours with desirable ones, by using positive and negative reinforcement. This approach can be successfully used to treat several concerns in both adults and children. Behaviour modification can help with the treatment of obsessions, compulsions, inattention, hyperactivity, ADHD, phobias, bed-wetting, separation anxiety and many more. At Silver Linings, we also help adapt behaviour modification principles to be used with whole classrooms at school.

An effective therapeutic approach for people in intimate relationships, relationship therapy aims to work on the communication issues and stresses that the parties involved may be experiencing. Relationship counselling is for couples, friends, families, and anybody who is experiencing difficulties in their relationship with another person important to them. Getting another person for therapy is often a difficult task to do and therefore relationship therapy can be sought by oneself without the company of the other people involved in the relationship. Some of the benefits of relationship therapy involve:

• An increased understanding of the role of external factors in one’s relationship with the other person.
• An ability to communicate in a constructive way.
• An understanding of why arguments escalate and the ability to avoid that.
• An ability to negotiate and resolve conflict when possible.

Suicide is the end result of days, months and sometimes years of ignored signs sent out by the person who committed suicide. It is very crucial that we do not ignore any threat made by people around us toward their life. If your child mentions the desire to kill themselves, you must not ignore it. If your husband suggests that life is not worth living, you must explore further. Suicide risk assessment involves an evaluation of the various factors that may predispose an individual to attempt suicide and aims to minimize that risk by managing the external and internal factors predisposing an individual to attempt suicide.

At Silver Linings, Goa, we undertake comprehensive evaluation of the suicide risk posed by an individual who may have expressed intent to do so or whose friends or family feel that the person may be having suicidal thoughts. We use a range of diagnostic and exploratory tests to assess the degree of suicide risk. We also help manage the risk of suicide at home and work settings. Our therapy approaches have successfully helped clients in the past to move away from suicidal thoughts and live a happier and positive life.

Chronic stress can wreak havoc with our mind and body and affects us both in the long and short terms. If left unaddressed, stress can manifest in terms of a range of physical and mental difficulties and can also affect your social relationships. Further, anybody can experience stress, whether children or adults. Relaxation exercises provide an excellent way of managing and dealing with any kind of stress and stressors.

At our counselling centre in Goa, we use a combination of relaxation exercises to equip our clients with coping strategies to use in times of stress. Some of the relaxation methods that we use are, deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation and mindfulness. Each of these strategies has been clinically proven to be effective not only for dealing with stress but also help in overcoming anxiety, fears, self-doubt, etc. Regular practice of these relaxation strategies can also help in maintaining a good physical health.

We also conduct regular relaxation camps at our centre. Contact us to find out dates for the next camp.

Psychological first aid is an approach for helping families, children, adults, teenagers, and others in the aftermath of a disaster or traumatic experience. It is usually the first set of mental health care provided to victims of natural disasters or terrorist activities. Psychological first aid has been shown to be more effective in reducing acute stress following a disaster as compared to multi-session psychotherapy. Our therapist, Shobhika Jaju, has been trained in psychological first aid and can be called upon by institutes in times of need for the same. Silver Linings, Goa, aim to train more people in psychological first aid, in order to facilitate quick delivery of compassionate and supportive presence in the wake of traumatic events.

Study skills are approaches and methods that are used for learning and understanding concepts. Study skills are easy to learn techniques for mastering concepts at hand and students of all ages can benefit from these. In today’s age when the academic pressure only seems to be mounting high, it has become important to study efficiently. At our counselling centre in South Goa, we provide customized study skill sessions for students from all education boards after thoroughly assessing their study patterns and their learning capacities. If you are a lifelong learner, we can help you adapt latest study skills to assist your love for learning. Study skills workshops will be conducted at the centre, periodically and can be conducted at schools / colleges on demand.