Therapeutic APPROACH

I believe human beings feel most at home with themselves through an embodied connection to their Core Self. I understand human functioning and wellbeing as arising from the complex interplay between internal and external influences that either facilitate or interrupt this connection.

For children and adolescents, there is a specific emphasis on the significance of attachment, relationship and environment on brain/ nervous system development, as well as connection to & understanding of Self, others and the external world. The internalization of these influences and experiences in combination with internal factors (such as genetics and temperament), then forms the foundation of one’s physical, mental, emotional and developmental health and wellbeing, including the formation of core psychological wounds/ hurts and one’s associated personality structure. This, in turn, underpins the way we relate to ourselves, others and the world around us and determines our ways of coping, degrees of functioning and experiences of mood and distress.  

Aims & Intentions

Dorian’s work aims to facilitate a robust foundation for mental/emotional wellbeing by addressing issues at their root, while employing tools, strategies and interventions that support:

• A greater sense of internal safety, connection & self-compassion;

• Greater insight and awareness into one’s process, identity, feelings & needs;

• Greater ability to cope with challenges and regulate emotions;

• Greater integration of / recovery from challenges, traumatic experiences & distress;

• An overall reduction in distress / dysfunction;

• Greater awareness of attachment & relational dynamics; as well as

• Greater self-worth, meaning & purpose.

Therapeutic Underpinnings

• Processwork/ Process-oriented Psychology: With roots in Jungian Psychology, Taoism, Nature and Physics, Process work is interested in following and unfolding ‘what is’, especially that which is less known or conscious. Therefore, we focus on exploring whatever naturally presents itself in the moment through multiple channels of experiential awareness, presence and expression. This can include process facilitation through parts work, role-play, movement, somatic work and conflict work. This can also include trauma work to connect to more marginalized parts of self.

• Multiple Psychotherapy Modalities: Drawing on a wide range of inspiration from:

  -Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy (find out more here),

  -Schema Therapy (find out more here),

  -Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing - EMDR (find out more here),

  -Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT),

  -Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT),

  -Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT),

  -Interplay Family Therapy/ Play Therapy,

  -Suicide intervention skills & approaches (ASIST & S2H),

  -Multiple risk, psychometric and screening assessment tools.

• Meditative & Eco-Therapy Practices: Grounded in unconditional self-compassion, acceptance and awareness, meditative and eco-therapy practices work multidimensionally with the human - nature interconnection to facilitate meaningful awareness/presence, nervous system & emotion regulation, as well as deeper self-discovery and connection to nature/land/self.

• Interpersonal Neurobiology: Interpersonal neurobiology brings together all schools of modern scientific thought to provide a comprehensive understanding and roadmap of parenting and child development that emphasizes the role of attachment and relationship in shaping brain & nervous system development.