Cognitive behavioural therapy
CBT
Notice the thought patterns that steer your mood — then test and loosen the unhelpful ones.
What it is
CBT works on the connection between what you think, what you feel, and what you do. You and your therapist map the specific loops that keep a problem going — say, 'I'll mess it up' → skip it → feel worse — and then run small, real-world experiments to loosen them. It's one of the most researched forms of talk therapy.
What a session feels like
Structured and collaborative. Expect an agenda, worksheets you'll actually use, and small between-session experiments — more like coaching with depth than lying on a couch.
Often used for
Practised here by
Dr. Maya Okafor
,
Jordan Abara
,
Amara Whitfield
,
Dr. Elena Petrova
and
Tomás Herrera
.
Eye movement desensitisation & reprocessing
EMDR
A structured, well-studied therapy that helps stuck memories lose their charge.
What it is
EMDR is a structured approach developed for trauma. While you briefly hold a difficult memory in mind, your therapist guides you through sets of side-to-side eye movements or taps. Over sessions, many people find the memory becomes easier to recall without the same flood of distress. You don't have to describe the event in detail for it to work.
What a session feels like
Preparation comes first — grounding skills and a clear plan. Processing sessions are carefully paced, and your therapist checks in with you constantly. You're in control the whole way.
Often used for
Practised here by
Dr. Maya Okafor
and
Amara Whitfield
.
Acceptance & commitment therapy
ACT
Stop wrestling the quicksand: make room for hard feelings and steer by your values anyway.
What it is
ACT (said as one word, 'act') starts from an honest premise: some pain can't be argued away. Instead of fighting thoughts and feelings, you learn to unhook from them — and put your energy into the things you actually care about. It pairs mindfulness skills with values work and committed action.
What a session feels like
Experiential and often surprisingly playful — metaphors, brief exercises, values conversations. Less 'is this thought true?' and more 'is this thought useful?'
Often used for
Practised here by
Jordan Abara
,
Marcus Adeyemi
,
Dr. Elena Petrova
and
Tomás Herrera
.
Dialectical behaviour therapy skills
DBT skills
Concrete skills for big emotions: distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and saying what you need.
What it is
DBT skills training teaches four families of practical skills — mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. It was developed for people whose emotions arrive fast and big, and its skills have since helped a much wider group. At Aurora we offer DBT-informed individual work rather than a full DBT program.
What a session feels like
Skill-focused and concrete. You'll learn a named skill, practise it in session, and take it into the week — building a personal toolkit page by page.
Often used for
Internal Family Systems (parts work)
Parts work
Meet the different 'parts' of you — the critic, the pleaser, the protector — with curiosity instead of combat.
What it is
IFS starts from the idea that a mind naturally has parts: the one that wants to speak up and the one that says don't you dare. Rather than silencing any of them, you learn to relate to each part with curiosity — understanding what it protects — so the calmer, steadier you can lead. Many people find it a compassionate fit for old wounds and harsh inner critics.
What a session feels like
Slower and more inward. Your therapist guides gentle conversations with the parts of you that show up — it can feel unusual at first, and often lands deep.
Often used for
Practised here by
Amara Whitfield
.
Psychodynamic therapy
Psychodynamic
Understand the patterns underneath — how your history shows up, uninvited, in your present.
What it is
Psychodynamic therapy looks at the deeper patterns running under the surface: the relational templates you learned early, the feelings that were never safe to have, the ways the past repeats in the present. Insight builds gradually, and the relationship with your therapist itself becomes useful information.
What a session feels like
Open-ended and exploratory. You bring what's on your mind; your therapist listens for the threads and patterns, and reflects them back. Fewer worksheets, more depth.
Often used for
Practised here by
Renata Silva
,
Marcus Adeyemi
and
Grace Nakamura
.
Mindfulness-based approaches
Mindfulness
Train the skill of stepping out of autopilot — observing thoughts and feelings without being run by them.
What it is
Mindfulness-based therapies (like MBCT) train attention: noticing thoughts, feelings, and body sensations as they happen, with less judgment. That gap between stimulus and reaction is where choice lives. No incense required — this is skills training, adapted to your actual life.
What a session feels like
A blend of guided practice and discussion. Expect short exercises in session, honest troubleshooting ('my mind would not shut up'), and practices sized to fit real schedules.
Often used for
Practised here by
Dr. Maya Okafor
,
Jordan Abara
,
Marcus Adeyemi
,
Dr. Elena Petrova
and
Grace Nakamura
.
Emotionally focused therapy
EFT
For couples: slow the argument down and find the longing underneath the protest.
What it is
EFT is a leading approach for couples. It treats most recurring fights as protest against disconnection: underneath 'you never listen' is usually 'I can't reach you.' Your therapist helps you both step out of the attack-defend cycle, name what's underneath, and rebuild a secure connection.
What a session feels like
Emotion is welcome here. Your therapist actively slows heated moments, helps each partner say the softer thing underneath, and coaches new conversations in the room.
Often used for
Practised here by
Renata Silva
and
Grace Nakamura
.