Integrative Treatment

The B.R.I.D.G.E. Lab uses Integrative Treatments with our clients. This concept can best be understood through two different pathways. The first is how we integrate both the mind and the body in our practice, and the second is our integration of treatment across students' schools, homes, and communities. 

Top-Down vs Bottom-Up:

Traditionally, mental health care is thought of as top-down: utilizing the mind to influence emotional and behavioral outcomes. This approach is more of a traditional CBT model. However, when working with people affected by trauma, these techniques may not be as effective. Their bodies, and therefore their brains, perceive that they are constantly under attack. In this state, it is challenging to access the part of the brain used for critical thinking.

Newer models of treatment assess and treat from a bottom-up perspective. This approach down-regulates the nervous system and soothes the body to regulate emotions and thoughts. By itself, bottom-up practices fail to challenge the narratives and patterning that inform future choices and pathways.

Instead, we work to integrate top-down and bottom-up approaches. Clients under our care are made to feel safe, first and foremost, before we move on to address and dismantle some of the cognitive distortions occurring in their minds. 

Integrating Care Across All Environments:

No matter how much work a Clinician does with a student living through trauma, if that student leaves school to a home or neighborhood that is a constant source of stress and adversity, they’re going to revert to the feelings of fear and anxiety. It’s critical to consistently convince them that they are fine, over and over again, until their physical bodies let their guard down.

At the B.R.I.D.G.E. Lab, we work to make sure the messaging from a students’ school, home, and community are in agreement. This is essential to create lasting change. When the family system and the school system have the same language and consistent messaging, the skills learned in one environment are reinforced and students can practice them successfully in another. 

Teachers, Therapists, and Caregivers are all working towards the same outcome are the best way to ensure a student’s successful growth.