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Therapeutic Work

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When Josh and Jake, the founders of Cornerstones of Maine, developed our program they did so with the belief that therapeutic work needed to be the foundation of the Cornerstones' approach. At Cornerstones we believe that it is primarily through intensive and transformative clinical work that young adults can grow emotionally and develop both the resiliency and maturity needed to make enduring changes in their lives. While other programs may prioritize mentoring or coaching, we place therapeutic growth as the foundation of the work towards independence and autonomy.

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We do things a little differently

 

Experiential Therapy

Our founders recognized the limitations of an approach that relied solely on the traditional office-based psychotherapeutic model. To that end, they created the experiential therapeutic milieu that is the foundation of our program. An experiential therapy model was needed for a few reasons. First, our founders noted that our residents come to us pretty "therapy weary."  This is because they have spent years in and out treatment with multiple therapists.  Second, as providers, our founders discovered that traditional therapy didn't provide the same impact that experiential work did. Our founders recognized that addressing issues in the moment when they occur provided opportunities for greater impact and change than the traditional model of retrospectively discussing feelings once a week. 

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Clinical Approach​

At Cornerstones we utilize an integrative approach to clinical work. It is our belief that if you focus solely on behaviors or cognitions, you miss the crucial components of the emotional and interpersonal world. This is why we employ an integrative approach to treatment that is informed by attachment, cognitive behavioral, psychodynamic, and humanistic theory rather than choosing a one-therapy-fits-all model. Our staff are trained in numerous forms of interventions and are always in the process of continuing their training and keeping updated on contemporary research in the field. 

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Additional Therapeutic Modalities

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Individual Therapy

Individual therapy is scheduled twice a week at Cornerstones. 

 

Family Therapy

Family therapy sessions are scheduled once a week. These sessions are primarily done through Skype or another form of video conferencing.

 

Group Therapy

Group Therapy occurs twice a week at Cornerstones and is focused on helping our residents better understand how they experience others and how others experience them. This interpersonal focus has a tremendous benefit on their relationships with family and friends.

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Clinical Interventions

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At Cornerstones we utilize an integrationist therapeutic technique, which means that our clinicians are trained in numerous types of evidence-based clinical interventions.  Below are a list of some of the clinical interventions in our "tool box."

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  • Psychodynamic Psychotherapy: Our clinicians utilize psychodynamic psychotherapy models, such as Transference Focused Psychotherapy and Mentalization Based Therapy, to enable residents to develop their self-reflective functioning and to aid a resident in understanding the emotional experiences that contribute to how they experience themselves, interpersonal relations, and the world around them. 

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  • Cognitive-Behavioral Psychotherapy (CBT): CBT is similar to DBT in that it offers a skills based approach to managing cognitions (thoughts) and behaviors and provides practical approaches to helping residents successfully navigate life's obstacles.​

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  • Motivational Interviewing: Motivational Interviewing is a goal oriented method that focuses on recruiting a resident to be their own agent of change in their program. It is a primary method we use to address ambivalence in our residents.​

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  • Other techniques and influences:​

    • Attachment Theory

    • Humanistic Therapy

    • Interpersonal Theory

    • Relational Theory

    • Gestalt Theory

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