Integrative Therapy
What Is Integrative Therapy?
Integrative therapy is recognized by the American Psychological Association (APA) as an effective approach to mental health treatment that tailors care to the individual. In fact, every person arrives at therapy with a unique combination of experiences, nervous system patterns, and personal goals. Therefore, integrative therapy honors that complexity by drawing from the most effective evidence-based approaches available.
At Center of Balance Counseling, integrative therapy means working at every level of your experience. Specifically, we address your thoughts, emotions, body, nervous system, and relational patterns together. As a result, this comprehensive approach creates deeper and more lasting change than any single modality alone.
Bottom Up, Body Based Therapy
Central to my integrative approach is bottom up, body based therapy. Traditional therapy often works top down — starting with thoughts and hoping emotional change will follow. Bottom up therapy, however, works differently.
Instead of starting with the mind, we start with the body, sensations, and nervous system. As a result, insight and emotional healing emerge naturally from that foundation. This matters because trauma and anxiety don’t just live in our memories. They also live in our muscles, our breath, and our nervous system responses. Consequently, working with the body first creates the conditions for genuine healing rather than just intellectual understanding.
Psychoeducation
One of the most powerful tools in therapy is psychoeducation. Simply put, it helps you understand what is actually happening in your brain, body, and nervous system. For example, it explains why your nervous system responds the way it does during anxiety or trauma responses.
Many people come to therapy feeling confused or ashamed by their own reactions. However, understanding the neuroscience behind your experience can be profoundly healing. When you understand your reactions rather than judging them, self-compassion becomes possible. Furthermore, change becomes much more accessible.
Polyvagal Theory
My integrative approach is deeply informed by Polyvagal Theory, developed by Dr. Stephen Porges. In short, Polyvagal Theory explains how the autonomic nervous system regulates our sense of safety, connection, and threat.
Many people struggling with trauma or anxiety feel stuck in states of hypervigilance or shutdown. Moreover, this can happen even when they are objectively safe. Understanding your nervous system through Polyvagal Theory helps explain reactions that might otherwise feel confusing. Most importantly, it provides a roadmap for healing — learning to recognize your nervous system states and moving toward greater regulation and safety.
Emotional Regulation & Nervous System Tools
Understanding your experience is important. However, having concrete skills to work with difficult emotions in real time is equally essential. Therefore, a core component of integrative therapy is developing practical tools for nervous system regulation.
Through this kind of therapy you’ll develop skills including:
- Grounding techniques for moments of overwhelm
- Breathing and somatic practices for nervous system regulation
- Mindfulness skills for present moment awareness
- Window of tolerance work — staying within a manageable emotional range
- Self-compassion practices for working with shame and self-criticism
- Boundary setting and relational skills
As a result, these tools don’t just help you cope — they build genuine nervous system resilience over time.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
While my approach is primarily body-based, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) also plays an important role. Specifically, CBT helps you examine the thinking patterns that shape your emotional experience and behavior.
For example, CBT identifies automatic thoughts and deeply held beliefs that may contribute to anxiety or depression. Subsequently, by developing more balanced ways of thinking — what CBT calls cognitive reframing — you gain greater flexibility in how you respond to life’s challenges. In integrative therapy, however, CBT is always used alongside body-based approaches rather than in isolation.
Psychodynamic Therapy
Psychodynamic therapy explores how unconscious patterns and early experiences shape your present-day thoughts and behaviors. For instance, patterns like perfectionism, people-pleasing, or difficulty with intimacy often have roots in earlier experiences.
Consequently, integrative therapy draws from psychodynamic principles to help you understand where your patterns came from. Furthermore, it explores what purpose they originally served and how they may be limiting your life today. As a result, this understanding creates the foundation for genuine change rather than surface-level symptom management.
Attachment Based Therapy
Attachment based therapy explores how your early relationships shaped your beliefs about safety, connection, and trust. Moreover, it examines how those early patterns show up in your adult relationships today.
Many people believe their attachment patterns are fixed. However, research consistently shows that attachment patterns can heal and change through therapy. In fact, a safe, attuned therapeutic relationship is itself a powerful vehicle for attachment healing. Through this work, we identify your relational patterns, understand their origins, and gradually develop the capacity for more secure, fulfilling connections.
An Integrated Approach Tailored to You
No two people are the same. Therefore, no single therapeutic approach serves everyone equally. Integrative therapy allows me to draw from the full range of evidence-based approaches and combine them in a way that is uniquely tailored to you.
Whether you need nervous system regulation, trauma processing, cognitive reframing, or relational healing — integrative therapy provides a comprehensive framework for genuine transformation. Most importantly, it meets you exactly where you are.
Return to your
Center of Balance
541-499-7338
I offer a FREE 15-minute consultation.
Find out how Integrative Therapy can help you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Integrative Therapy?
Integrative therapy is a personalized approach to mental health treatment that combines multiple evidence-based therapeutic modalities. Rather than relying on a single method, it draws from approaches such as EMDR, Internal Family Systems (IFS), somatic therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), psychodynamic therapy, and attachment based therapy. As a result, treatment is tailored to your unique needs, history, and goals rather than fitting you into a one-size-fits-all framework.
When is Integrative Therapy Needed?
This approach to therapy is helpful for a wide range of mental health concerns. For example, it is particularly effective for trauma, PTSD, anxiety, depression, grief, burnout, and relationship patterns. However, it is also valuable for people who simply feel stuck, disconnected, or ready for deeper personal growth. If you have tried therapy before and felt that something was missing, integrative therapy may provide the comprehensive, tailored approach your healing requires. Furthermore, if you are dealing with complex or long-standing patterns that haven’t responded to a single therapeutic approach, integrative therapy offers a more flexible and thorough path forward.
How does Integrative Therapy Work?
This type of therapy works by combining multiple evidence-based approaches tailored to your specific needs. First, we assess your history, goals, and what you hope to change. From there, we draw from whichever approaches will be most helpful — for example, somatic therapy for nervous system patterns, EMDR for trauma processing, CBT for thinking patterns, or IFS for internal healing. Throughout the process you’ll also develop practical tools for emotional regulation. As a result, integrative therapy creates change at every level — your thoughts, emotions, body, and relationships.
How much does Integrative Therapy Cost?
Rates are the same as all other therapy services.
**Insurance Coverage:** I accept Aetna, First Choice Health, Providence, and Pacific Source insurance in Oregon and Washington. I accept Aetna in Georgia, New Jersey, and Florida. If you have insurance from another provider, I can work with you as an out-of-network provider and provide a superbill for reimbursement.
**Private Pay Options:** For clients without insurance or preferring to pay privately, payment can be made by debit, credit and HSA/FSA accounts. Several sliding scale spots are available for those with financial need.
Regardless of how you pay, therapy is an investment in your healing. Schedule a Free consultation to discuss what works best for your situation and insurance coverage.
How long does Integrative Therapy Take?
The length of integrative therapy depends on your individual goals, history, and needs. For example, some people notice meaningful shifts within the first few weeks of consistent sessions. However, deeper healing — particularly for complex trauma, longstanding patterns, or attachment wounds — often takes several months or longer. Therefore, the timeline is always collaborative. Together we design a plan that supports your goals at a pace that feels comfortable and sustainable for you. Most importantly, the goal is always genuine, lasting transformation rather than quick fixes.
Latest from the Blog
Signs You are in a Cult
What Is (IFS) Internal Family Systems Therapy?
Social Media, Device, and Internet Addiction
Center of Balance Counseling offers integrative therapy for adults throughout Oregon, Washington, Georgia, Florida, and New Jersey. Kaijah Bjorklund, LPC provides integrative therapy combining EMDR, Internal Family Systems (IFS), somatic therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), psychodynamic therapy, and attachment based therapy. Integrative therapy is informed by Polyvagal Theory, bottom up body based approaches, and neuroscience-based techniques for trauma, anxiety, PTSD, depression, grief, and personal growth. All integrative therapy sessions are available online via secure telehealth.