Michele Barton, Ph.D., Director of Clinical Training and CFI-Greenwich

Dr. Michele Barton will create a specialized treatment plan that will incorporate a few different approaches based on your personal goals, timeline and background. This can be a combination of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Biofeedback, Mindfulness and Virtual Reality Therapy (VRT).

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a form of psychotherapy that emphasizes the important role of thinking in how we feel and what we do. It is briefer and more time limited compared to traditional talk therapies. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is considered among the most rapid in terms of results obtained. 

Mindfulness and Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is a program that helps you learn to calm your mind and body to help you cope with illness, pain, and stress. MBSR teaches “mindfulness,” which is a focus only on things happening in the present moment. When you are mindful, you do just one thing and you pay close attention to that one thing.

What is Virtual Reality Therapy?

Virtual reality therapy (VRT) is the use of virtual reality technology for psychological or occupational therapy. With VRT, the psychologist can help you navigate stressful or anxiety provoking situations from the safety of an office. Dr. Barton has special expertise in combining VRT with CBT and other approaches in order to address conditions including: specific phobias (fear of flying, cats, dogs, subways), public speaking anxiety, chronic pain reduction, emotion dysregulation and more.

What is Biofeedback Training?

Biofeedback therapy is a non-drug treatment in which patients learn to control bodily processes that are normally involuntary, such as muscle tension, blood pressure, or heart rate. At CFI Dr. Barton utilizes a specific biofeedback technique called Heart Rate Variability (HRV) Biofeedback. With this type of training, a patient will come into the office and learn relaxation techniques while their heart rate, galvanic skin response and breathing pattern are all being monitored. Through working with your psychologist, you learn to be able to control your symptoms without medication – just by the power of breathing. When you combine standard CBT with biofeedback training, your treatment becomes even more effective and permanent.