James Fitzgerald Therapy PLLC

An Integrative Intervention

This section of the treatment plan outlines a comprehensive intervention designed to enhance emotion regulation skills through the integration of principles from Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Brene Brown’s model outlined in Atlas of the Heart (Brown, 2021). The intervention aims to cultivate clients’ abilities to observe, describe, connect, and effectively manage emotional experiences, promoting healthier psychological functioning and increased interpersonal effectiveness.

Initially, the client will be guided through the foundational DBT mindfulness skills of observing and describing emotions non-judgmentally. The intervention begins by teaching the client to become a compassionate observer of their internal emotional states. Clients practice mindfulness exercises designed to increase their awareness of bodily sensations, thoughts, urges, and feelings, without immediately reacting or suppressing them. This practice aligns closely with DBT’s mindfulness module, encouraging clients to develop the habit of pausing and carefully noting emotions as transient experiences (Linehan, 2015).

Next, the client learns to describe emotions clearly and accurately, employing a structured approach to labeling their emotional experiences. This skill is reinforced using the emotional vocabulary developed by Brene Brown in Atlas of the Heart, where nuanced distinctions between related emotional states (e.g., anxiety, worry, dread, and apprehension) are explored. The intervention involves psychoeducation sessions using examples from Brown’s text, helping clients differentiate subtle variations among emotions, facilitating greater clarity and precision in emotional communication. By doing so, clients become more adept at recognizing and articulating their emotional realities, thereby reducing confusion and enhancing emotional literacy (Brown, 2021).

Building upon these descriptive skills, the client is encouraged to connect primary emotions—immediate, instinctive emotional responses—to broader categorical emotions. Using concepts derived from Emotion-Focused Therapy, clients will explore how primary emotions (e.g., sadness, fear, anger, joy, and disgust) reflect deeper, often unmet emotional needs. EFT emphasizes the adaptive value of emotions, guiding clients to recognize how primary emotions provide important information about personal values, attachment needs, and relationship dynamics (Greenberg, 2015). Through guided experiential exercises, clients learn to trace surface-level emotional reactions back to core emotional schemas and fundamental human needs such as belonging, security, and validation.

Lastly, the intervention targets effective management of emotional reactions by integrating strategies from DBT and EFT. Clients learn DBT distress tolerance and emotional modulation strategies, such as acceptance techniques, self-soothing skills, and opposite action, which encourage healthier responses to overwhelming or intense emotions (Linehan, 2015). Simultaneously, EFT-based interventions, including emotional transformation and chair dialogues, allow clients to experientially process their emotions. Clients gain insight into their internal emotional conflicts, fostering self-compassion and acceptance. These exercises are specifically designed to address emotional avoidance patterns, promoting emotional openness and flexibility, consistent with EFT’s focus on adaptive emotion regulation through experiencing and transforming emotions (Greenberg, 2015).

Throughout the intervention, clients maintain reflective journals to record emotional experiences, noting their observations, emotional labels, connections to deeper categorical emotions, and their reactions or responses. These reflective practices, inspired by Brown’s emphasis on emotional courage, self-awareness, and vulnerability, reinforce the development of robust emotional intelligence and resilience (Brown, 2021).

By integrating the structured mindfulness and regulation techniques from DBT, the nuanced emotional awareness and vocabulary of Brene Brown’s Atlas of the Heart, and the transformational experiential processes of EFT, this intervention provides clients with comprehensive, evidence-based skills to effectively regulate emotions, enhancing their overall psychological health and interpersonal well-being.

References

• Brown, B. (2021). Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience. Random House.
• Greenberg, L. S. (2015). Emotion-Focused Therapy: Coaching Clients to Work Through Their Feelings (2nd ed.). American Psychological Association.
• Linehan, M. M. (2015). DBT Skills Training Handouts and Worksheets (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.