Creating a Holistic Healing Approach

Kelly Rad LMSW, CCATP, CCTP-II 6/14/25

By combining psychosomatic therapy techniques with other evidence-based modalities, I provide clients with a holistic approach to overall well-being. This integration of psychotherapy interventions not only addresses the physical symptoms of the body, but also works on the emotional and psychological causes. This comprehensive approach enables clients to heal both mentally and physically, creating lasting relief from mental and physical symptoms.

My goal is to empower clients to recognize the connection between their thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations. By cultivating awareness, compassion, and self-care practices, clients can achieve greater life satisfaction and overall feelings of wellness.

How I Integrate Positive Psychology with DBT in Therapy

By combining the principles of positive psychology and DBT, I offer an approach that helps clients not only manage and reduce negative emotions but also foster positive emotions, build resilience, and lead a fulfilling life. Here’s how I integrate both approaches into therapy:

1. Building Emotional Resilience with a Strengths-Based Focus

Positive Psychology emphasizes discovering and leveraging personal strengths, while DBT offers strategies to manage emotional regulation and distress tolerance. Together, we build emotional resilience by focusing on the positive strengths a client already possesses and using DBT skills to better manage intense emotions.

How I Apply This in Therapy:
We work together to identify your core strengths—whether that’s empathy, creativity, problem-solving, or perseverance. Using DBT’s mindfulness and distress tolerance skills, I help you learn how to regulate difficult emotions in the moment, allowing you to approach challenges with a balanced, strengths-based mindset. By focusing on what’s going well in your life, and equipping you with tools to manage the more difficult moments, you can cultivate a resilient outlook on life.

2. Cultivating Mindfulness to Strengthen Positive Emotions

Mindfulness is a foundational skill in DBT, teaching clients to be present without judgment. In positive psychology, mindfulness is also central to cultivating positive emotions like gratitude, joy, and love. By integrating these two approaches, we can increase awareness of both your emotional states and the positive aspects of your life.

How I Apply This in Therapy:
In our sessions, we practice mindfulness techniques to help you stay grounded and aware of your emotions. While DBT mindfulness focuses on accepting and observing emotions without judgment, I also incorporate gratitude practices from positive psychology. For example, after mindfulness exercises, we reflect on the things you are thankful for, which reinforces a positive emotional experience. This combination helps you not only tolerate difficult emotions but also experience more joy and fulfillment in daily life.

3. Using DBT Skills for Positive Change and Self-Improvement

DBT is all about making effective changes in your life, and positive psychology similarly emphasizes growth, meaning, and achieving one’s potential. Through DBT’s skills training and positive psychology tools, we can create positive and lasting change in your life.

How I Apply This in Therapy:
We work together to set achievable goals and use DBT’s radical acceptance and problem-solving skills to help you approach challenges with both self-compassion and determination. At the same time, we tap into positive psychology’s strengths-based approach to help you focus on solutions and opportunities for growth. Whether you are navigating a difficult relationship, career change, or personal goal, these tools can guide you toward creating a life aligned with your values and strengths.

4. Embracing Acceptance and Self-Compassion

DBT teaches Radical Acceptance—the idea of fully accepting reality as it is, without judgment. Positive psychology builds on this by encouraging self-compassion—treating yourself with kindness and understanding in times of struggle. Combining these two can help you be more compassionate toward yourself, which is key to overcoming setbacks and living a fulfilling life.

How I Apply This in Therapy:
I help you practice radical acceptance of your current circumstances while encouraging self-compassion, especially when facing challenges or setbacks. Instead of harsh self-criticism, I guide you toward treating yourself with kindness and focusing on personal growth. With this combination, you can acknowledge your mistakes, learn from them, and move forward without unnecessary shame or guilt.

5. Fostering Purpose and Meaning Through Behavioral Change

Both positive psychology and DBT emphasize creating meaningful, purposeful lives. While DBT focuses on behavioral change and setting goals, positive psychology helps you connect to your sense of purpose and long-term well-being.

How I Apply This in Therapy:
Together, we will explore what gives your life meaning and align your actions with your core values. Through DBT’s goal-setting techniques and positive psychology’s sense of purpose exercises, we break down large goals into manageable steps and work toward creating a life that feels aligned with your deepest values. By combining these two methods, clients experience greater satisfaction and joy in pursuing their personal goals.

6. Developing Optimism and a Growth Mindset

A central tenet of positive psychology is developing an optimistic mindset—the belief that you can grow and improve over time. DBT teaches skills to break negative thought patterns and shift thinking toward more balanced perspectives. When combined, these approaches can help you create a growth mindset, where you are open to change and focused on personal development.

How I Apply This in Therapy:
We use DBT cognitive restructuring to help you challenge negative thought patterns and replace them with more balanced, optimistic ones. At the same time, we apply positive psychology’s strengths-based approach to remind you that growth is always possible and that setbacks do not define you. This combination promotes long-term happiness and fosters resilience in the face of challenges.

In Conclusion

By integrating positive psychology with Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), I create a comprehensive approach that allows clients to manage distress, cultivate positive emotions, and lead meaningful, fulfilling lives. This combined approach emphasizes both acceptance and growth—helping clients build emotional resilience, identify their strengths, and take actionable steps toward a brighter, more balanced future. Whether you’re looking to reduce emotional suffering, achieve personal goals, or increase your overall well-being, this integrative approach offers tools to thrive in every aspect of life.

This integration allows clients to not only find stability and emotional regulation but also grow into the best versions of themselves, increasing life satisfaction and meaning along the way.

Helping Parents Manage Anger and Practice Mindfulness

As a parent, it's easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of daily responsibilities, emotional stress, and sometimes challenging behavior from your child. Anger can arise quickly, and before you know it, you're reacting in ways that might not align with the kind of parent you want to be. Mindfulness and anger management strategies are powerful tools that can help you pause, reflect, and choose your responses intentionally.

In our work together, I focus on providing practical tools to help you manage those moments of intense frustration or anger and respond in a way that fosters connection, understanding, and effective discipline.

1. Recognizing the Triggers

The first step to managing anger is becoming aware of the triggers that set you off. Many parents are unaware of what sparks their anger in the moment—whether it's a child's behavior, a stressful situation, or an unmet need. Through self-reflection and mindfulness exercises, we explore these triggers so that you can recognize them before they escalate.

How It Works:
We identify common situations or patterns that bring up anger, such as when your child doesn't listen or when you're feeling overwhelmed by responsibilities. Once we pinpoint these triggers, you can be better prepared to manage them rather than reacting impulsively.

2. The Power of Mindfulness in the Moment

Mindfulness is a practice that helps you pause and create space between the feeling of anger and your reaction. When you're mindful, you're able to recognize and acknowledge the emotion without immediately acting on it. This gives you the opportunity to respond thoughtfully, rather than react in frustration.

How It Works:
I teach you mindfulness techniques, such as deep breathing and grounding exercises, that can be done quickly in the moment when you feel anger rising. For example, when you feel your temper flare, take a deep breath and count to four, focusing on your inhale and exhale. This simple act of mindfulness can give you just enough space to respond with more intention.

3. Developing Healthy Coping Mechanisms

Instead of reacting with anger, I help you reframe the situation and develop healthier coping strategies. This includes learning to regulate your emotions and finding alternative ways to release stress without it affecting your relationship with your child.

How It Works:
We explore different strategies to help you manage your emotions, such as taking a timeout when needed, practicing self-compassion, or developing healthier communication techniques with your child. You’ll learn how to model calmness and problem-solving for your child, instead of reacting out of frustration.

4. Practicing Self-Compassion

Many parents struggle with guilt or frustration when they feel like they've failed or reacted poorly to a child's behavior. Self-compassion is key to breaking this cycle of guilt and allowing you to move forward more positively.

How It Works:
I guide you through exercises that help you show kindness to yourself during moments of stress or anger. By recognizing that parenting is a journey, not a perfectionist goal, you will be able to offer yourself the same patience and forgiveness that you strive to give your child.

5. Building Emotional Awareness and Communication Skills

Understanding the emotions behind your anger—whether it’s stress, exhaustion, or feeling unheard—helps you to express your feelings more constructively. Instead of exploding in frustration, you’ll learn how to express your emotions and needs clearly to your child in a way they can understand.

How It Works:
We work on developing emotional literacy—helping you identify your emotions and articulate them in a calm, non-reactive way. I teach you effective communication strategies like using "I feel" statements, which encourage understanding without blaming or criticizing your child.

6. Modeling Mindful Parenting for Your Child

One of the most powerful ways to manage your anger is to model mindful behavior for your child. When you practice emotional regulation, mindfulness, and problem-solving, you are teaching your child how to navigate their own emotions and reactions.

How It Works:
Together, we develop strategies for modeling self-regulation in front of your child, such as calmly walking away to cool down or expressing your feelings without anger. By doing this, you provide your child with a blueprint for how to handle difficult emotions, creating a more peaceful and cooperative environment at home.

The Outcome: A More Calm, Connected, and Mindful Parent-Child Relationship

By integrating mindfulness and anger management techniques, parents can experience greater emotional control and a stronger, more compassionate connection with their children. The goal is not to avoid anger altogether—because it's a natural human emotion—but to manage it in a healthy, constructive way that promotes understanding and positive parenting.

Through these tools, you will learn to respond with greater patience and empathy, leading to a more peaceful home environment and a healthier relationship with your child.

This approach helps parents understand the root causes of their anger, develop mindfulness in the moment, and ultimately respond in ways that support their child's emotional growth while also caring for their own well-being.

Helping Parents Manage Reactivity and Be Present with Their Kids

Parenting can be one of the most rewarding yet challenging roles, and as parents, we often find ourselves feeling overwhelmed or frustrated. It's completely normal to experience moments of anger or reactivity, especially when you're juggling so much. But as a therapist, I understand the importance of staying present with your child and responding to them from a place of calm and understanding. My goal is to help you manage those moments when you feel your emotions rising so you can be fully engaged and present with your child—without letting your reactions control the situation.

1. Acknowledge the Emotion, Without Letting It Take Over

Anger, frustration, and impatience are natural emotions that we all experience as parents. The key is not to suppress those feelings, but rather to acknowledge them without letting them dictate how we behave. I work with parents to help you understand what’s happening emotionally in those high-stress moments, so you can name the emotion without immediately reacting to it. When you have the awareness of what’s happening inside, you can then choose a more thoughtful response, rather than giving in to automatic reactivity.

How It Works:
I’ll guide you in recognizing the emotional triggers that lead to reactive moments. Once you’re aware of these, we work on finding strategies to pause before reacting. This pause is critical in helping you decide how to move forward in a way that serves both you and your child.

2. Building Mindfulness to Stay Present with Your Child

Being present means truly engaging with your child—not just physically but emotionally. When we’re overwhelmed, we can get stuck in autopilot, responding to our children without fully seeing or hearing them. Mindfulness is the practice of being fully aware of the moment, without judgment. This helps parents like you stay grounded, so you can engage with your child more intentionally.

How It Works:
I teach mindfulness techniques that you can use throughout your day. Simple practices like deep breathing or taking a moment to focus on your senses can help you stay grounded. The goal is to use these techniques in everyday moments, especially during times of stress, so that you can be fully present in your interactions with your child.

3. Managing Reactivity with Practical Tools

As a parent, there are moments when reactivity feels inevitable—when your child’s behavior or the stress of the day feels like too much. Instead of being swept away by frustration or anger, I help you develop tools to manage those moments. These tools allow you to press "pause," reflect, and choose how to respond in a way that builds connection, rather than creating distance.

How It Works:
Together, we’ll build a toolbox of strategies like taking a deep breath, using grounding techniques, or simply stepping away for a moment to collect yourself. The goal is to create space between your emotional reaction and your response, which allows you to choose actions that reflect your values as a parent. When you approach parenting with intention, you show up as your best self, even during challenging moments.

4. Embracing Self-Compassion in the Process

It’s easy for parents to be hard on themselves when they react out of frustration, especially if they feel they’re not living up to the kind of parent they want to be. In therapy, I help parents practice self-compassion, understanding that no one is perfect, and that growth happens over time. The goal isn’t to be a “perfect” parent, but to be someone who’s actively working on staying engaged, calm, and present in your child’s life.

How It Works:
When you experience a difficult moment or a challenging reaction, I encourage you to reflect without judgment. We focus on being kind to yourself and learning from each experience. The more you practice self-compassion, the more it becomes a part of your parenting style. You’ll find that your inner critic becomes quieter, and you can approach parenting with a sense of patience and understanding—both for your child and for yourself.

5. Strengthening Your Connection with Your Child

In our work together, the ultimate goal is to help you build a deeper connection with your child—one that’s based on mutual respect, understanding, and healthy communication. By managing your reactivity, practicing mindfulness, and showing up with self-compassion, you create an environment where your child feels seen, heard, and loved.

How It Works:
As we work on these techniques, you’ll not only become more mindful of how you react to your child’s behavior, but you’ll also notice a shift in the way your child responds to you. A calm, present, and engaged parent leads to a more cooperative and emotionally secure child. Over time, you’ll find that the bond you share with your child grows stronger and more resilient, even in the face of challenges.

The Outcome: More Peaceful, Connected Parenting

When you’re able to manage your reactivity and stay present with your child, you’ll find that you approach parenting with more calm, patience, and purpose. The goal is not to eliminate difficult moments but to handle them with awareness and intention. You’ll feel more connected to your child and more confident in your ability to guide them through their own emotional challenges. Ultimately, this leads to a more peaceful and fulfilling parenting experience for you and your child.

I hope this revision aligns better with your voice as a therapist who wants to help parents truly be present, engaged, and calm in their interactions with their children!

Citations:

1. Mindfulness and Emotional Regulation

• Kabat-Zinn, J. (1990). Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness. Delta.

• This book outlines how mindfulness can be used to regulate emotions and enhance mental well-being, which directly supports your emphasis on mindfulness techniques for parents.

2. Emotional Regulation and Parenting

• Gottman, J. M., & DeClaire, J. (1997). The Relationship Cure: A 5-Step Guide to Strengthening Your Marriage, Family, and Friendships. Crown Publishers.

3. Self-Compassion and Parenting

• Neff, K. D. (2011). Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself. William Morrow.

  • 4. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and Parenting

    • Linehan, M. M. (1993). Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder. Guilford Press.

    5. Mindful Parenting and Presence

    • Kabat-Zinn, J., & Kabat-Zinn, M. (1997). Everyday Blessings: The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting. Hyperion.

    6. The Importance of Connection and Secure Attachment in Parenting

    • Siegel, D. J., & Hartzell, M. (2003). Parenting from the Inside Out: How a Deeper Self-Understanding Can Help You Raise Children Who Thrive. TarcherPerigee.

    7. The Science of Reactivity and Behavioral Responses

    • Gross, J. J. (2002). Emotion Regulation: Affective, Cognitive, and Social Consequences. Psychophysiology, 39(3), 281-291.

    • ChatGPT. Open AI. 6/14/25