Dr. Mah Mahfar is trained in a wide range of methods, and uses her eclectic style to cater specifically to her clientele in order to provide the best results. Below are some of the psychologists that she draws from, as well as a description of each method.
Narrative Therapy
What it is
Narrative Therapy is a form of psychotherapy that helps clients to identify their values and skills. It is a collaborative effort between therapist and client to create a new narrative for their life, and as Dr. Mah puts it, “it allows clients to come up with their own script and become the master of their own lives.”
Depth Psychotherapy
What it is
Depth psychotherapy is the process of bringing light to the unchartered landscape of the mind, the unconscious. According to Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, the psyche process is partly conscious, partly unconscious, and partly semi conscious. Freud’s therapeutic techniques include free association, transference, and dream analysis. Carl Gustav Jung expanded on Freud’s theory by introducing the concept of the collective unconscious. The collective unconscious is the part of the unconscious that contains memories and ideas that Jung believed were inherited from our ancestors. Expect to explore and analyze your past.
Gestalt Therapy
What it is
Gestalt in German means an organized whole. Gestalt therapy was founded by Frederick Perls who believed that many personalities lacked wholeness and were fragmented. He advocated that, in order to reach wholeness and become self-reliant, clients (with the help of therapists) have to become aware, and reclaim their own fragmented parts. Gestalt therapy emphasizes personal responsibility and focuses on the here and now. Techniques include role play, hot seat, and Empty Chair.
Cognitive Based Therapy (C.B.T)
What it is
C.B.T is a type of psychotherapy developed by Aaron T. Beck initially to treat depression. It focuses on how we think, feel, and behave, while challenging and changing cognitive distortions (“automative thoughts”, beliefs, attitudes) that lead to maladaptive behavior. The aim is for the therapist to help clients identify distorted thoughts and change them. It is action-oriented, short term, solution focused, and deals with current issues rather than past experiences. C.B.T addresses addiction, substance abuse, eating disorders, internet addiction, anxiety, phobias, and depression.
Solution Focused Therapy
What it is
Solution focused Therapy is a type of treatment that highlights the clients ability to solve problems rather than highlighting why and how the problem was created. It focuses on addressing what the client wants to achieve in the present and the future without exploring the past. Clients are experts in their life experience, and are helped to see what works and allows them to grow. In Solution Focused Therapy, clients will partake in methods such as The Miracle Method, Solution Mind Mapping, and Solution Focused Art Therapy.