Therapy Glossary
Therapy has its own vocabulary. Some terms are technical; some are everyday words used in a specific clinical way. This glossary defines the terms you are most likely to encounter when reading therapist bios or looking at therapy options. We use plain language and skip the jargon where we can.
If you have a question about a term that is not here, contact us and we will explain it.
A
ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy)
A therapy approach focused on making room for difficult thoughts and feelings rather than trying to eliminate them, and then taking action toward what matters to you. Especially useful for anxiety, depression, and adapting to life transitions. Read more about ACT in the context of our work. More on ACT
Affirming therapy
Therapy that actively supports a client's identity rather than tolerating it. Most commonly used to describe LGBTQIA+ affirming, neurodivergence-affirming, and racial/cultural-affirming care. The word "affirming" gets used loosely; at Aurora, it has a specific meaning.
Attachment / Attachment-based therapy
A framework that understands how the relationships you had with caregivers in childhood shape the relationships you have now. Attachment-based therapy works with the patterns of closeness, distance, security, and rupture that you carry into adult life. More on attachment styles
Attunement
The therapist's capacity to sense what is happening for you emotionally, often before you can articulate it, and to respond in a way that matches. A foundational element of effective therapy. Full definition.
B
Behavioral activation
A core CBT technique for depression. The premise: when you are depressed, motivation usually follows action rather than preceding it. Behavioral activation involves carefully scheduling activities that have historically given you a sense of pleasure or accomplishment, even before you feel like doing them. Full definition.
Bilateral stimulation
Alternating left-right input (eye movements, taps, sounds) used in EMDR therapy as part of trauma processing. The mechanism is still being researched; the clinical effect is well-supported. Full definition.
Borderline personality disorder (BPD)
A mental health condition characterized by intense and unstable emotions, relationships, and self-image. DBT is the most-researched treatment. More on BPD
C
CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)
A structured, evidence-based therapy that works by changing the patterns of thought, feeling, and behavior that keep clinical concerns in place. Best-researched approach for anxiety, depression, OCD, and insomnia. Read our CBT page.
Confidentiality
The legal and ethical protection that what you say in therapy stays between you and your therapist, with narrow exceptions. We share confidentiality limits clearly at intake. See FAQs for the details. Full definition.
Countertransference
The therapist's emotional response to a client, which can be useful clinical information when the therapist is aware of it. Full definition.
D
DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy)
A therapy originally developed for clients with intense emotion dysregulation; now used for a wider range of concerns. Teaches four skill modules: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, interpersonal effectiveness. Read our DBT page.
Dialectical
Holding two things that seem to contradict at the same time. The most important dialectic in DBT: "I accept you exactly as you are, and we are working on change." Full definition.
Distress tolerance
A DBT skill module. What to do in the moments when emotion is too big to think through. Tools for getting to the other side of the wave without making things worse. Full definition.
E
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)
An evidence-based therapy for trauma. Involves recalling a target memory while engaging in bilateral stimulation, which helps the nervous system reprocess and integrate the memory. Read our EMDR page.
Emotion regulation
The capacity to recognize, understand, and manage emotional experience without being run by it. A DBT skill module and a general aim of much therapy. Full definition.
Exposure / Exposure therapy
A behavioral therapy technique used for anxiety, OCD, and phobias. Involves carefully, gradually facing what you fear in a way that allows the nervous system to update its assessment. Done well, it is one of the most effective interventions in mental health. Full definition.
ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention)
A specific form of exposure therapy, considered the gold-standard treatment for OCD. The client is gradually exposed to triggering thoughts or situations and supported in not engaging in the usual compulsive response. Full definition.
F
Family systems therapy
A therapy approach that treats the family as a single system rather than treating individual members in isolation. Often used when the patterns one family member is struggling with are part of a larger dynamic. Read our family therapy page.
G
Gottman Method
A research-based approach to couples therapy developed by Drs. John and Julie Gottman, built on decades of studying what predicts whether relationships last. Used by several of our clinicians for couples work.
Grief
The response to loss. Not only sadness; often includes anger, guilt, relief, ambivalence, exhaustion. Includes losses other than death (divorce, infertility, job loss, estrangement). Read our grief page.
H
HSA/FSA (Health Savings Account / Flexible Spending Account)
Pre-tax accounts that can be used for eligible healthcare expenses, including therapy. We accept both. Read about using HSA/FSA for therapy.
Holding (or "holding space")
A clinical concept describing the therapist's role in providing a steady, attentive presence that allows the client to feel their experience without being overwhelmed by it. Full definition.
I
IFS (Internal Family Systems)
A therapy approach that understands the mind as having different "parts," each with its own perspective and needs. Often useful for trauma and for clients who experience conflicting internal experiences. Some of our clinicians integrate IFS-informed work. More on IFS
Intake
The first appointment with a therapist. Used to understand what brings you in, gather background, and decide together how to proceed. Full definition.
L
LCSW / LICSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker)
A master's-level clinical social worker, licensed in Massachusetts to provide psychotherapy. Full definition.
LMHC (Licensed Mental Health Counselor)
A master's-level mental health counselor, licensed in Massachusetts to provide psychotherapy. Full definition.
M
MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction)
An evidence-based program developed by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn that uses mindfulness practices for stress, anxiety, depression, and chronic pain. More on mindfulness-based therapy
Mindfulness
The practice of paying attention, on purpose, to the present moment, without judgment. A foundation of many therapy approaches. More on mindfulness-based therapy
N
Neurodivergent / Neurodivergence
An umbrella term for variations in human neurology that fall outside the dominant "neurotypical" pattern, including autism, ADHD, dyslexia, sensory processing differences, and others. Neurodivergence-affirming therapy works with these differences rather than treating them as deficits to fix. More on neurodivergent-affirming therapy
O
OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder)
A condition characterized by intrusive, distressing thoughts (obsessions) and behaviors or mental acts performed to neutralize the distress (compulsions). The gold-standard treatment is ERP. More on OCD
Out-of-network / OON
A therapist who is not contracted with your specific insurance plan. You may still get partial reimbursement through your plan's out-of-network benefits. We provide superbills for OON reimbursement. Full definition.
P
Parent guidance / Parent coaching
Sessions with parents (alone or alongside child therapy) focused on the parenting strategies and family dynamics affecting a child or teen. Full definition.
Parts work
A general term for therapy approaches (including IFS) that work with internal "parts" or sub-personalities, each with its own perspective. Full definition.
Play therapy
Therapy with children that uses play as the primary medium. The play is the work, not the prelude to the work. Read our play therapy page.
Postpartum depression / Postpartum anxiety / Postpartum OCD
Mood and anxiety conditions that emerge in the period after birth. Common, treatable, often missed. Read our perinatal page.
PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder)
A clinical diagnosis describing a specific pattern of symptoms following exposure to a traumatic event: intrusive memories, avoidance, hyperarousal, mood changes. Full definition.
Psychodynamic therapy
A therapy approach that focuses on how unconscious patterns, often rooted in early relationships, shape present-day experience. Tends to be longer-term and more exploratory than CBT. More on psychodynamic therapy
S
Somatic / Somatic therapy
Therapy approaches that work with the body alongside the mind. Useful when emotional experience is held in the body (common in trauma) more than in narrative memory. More on somatic therapy
Superbill
A receipt with diagnostic and procedure codes that you can submit to your insurance for out-of-network reimbursement. Full definition.
Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (988)
The U.S. mental health crisis line, available 24/7 by call or text. For immediate crisis, call 988 or 911. We are an outpatient practice and not a 24/7 service.
T
Telehealth
Therapy delivered via secure video session. We offer telehealth for clients located in MA, VT, MI, FL, or CT. Read our telehealth page.
Therapeutic alliance / Working alliance
The relationship between you and your therapist. The strongest predictor of whether therapy works. Full definition.
Trauma
Not defined by the event but by what the event did to the nervous system. Includes single-incident trauma, complex / developmental trauma, relational trauma, medical trauma, and identity-based trauma. Read our trauma page.
Trauma-informed
An orientation, not a specific technique, that treats every client as potentially carrying trauma and shapes therapy accordingly (pacing, choice, attention to safety). Full definition.
Transference
The pattern of feelings and reactions a client brings into the relationship with the therapist that often originates in earlier relationships. Working with transference is a core element of psychodynamic therapy. Full definition.
W
WPATH (World Professional Association for Transgender Health)
The international body that sets standards of care for gender-affirming health, including the criteria for letters supporting medical interventions. Full definition.
Did we miss something?
If a term you encountered is not here and you would like a plain-language definition, contact us. We will add it.