DEFINITION
What is Intergative Psychotherapy?
Psychotherapy has come a long way. Where traditional therapy often relied on a single model — one framework, one set of tools, one way of understanding the human mind — integrative psychotherapy takes a different view. It starts with you: your history, your nervous system, your culture, your body, and your particular way of experiencing the world. Then it draws from the full landscape of evidence-based therapeutic approaches to build something that actually fits.
Integrative psychotherapy weaves together methods from different schools of psychology and healing — cognitive and behavioral approaches, somatic and body-based therapies, narrative techniques, mindfulness, trauma-focused modalities, and more — depending on what each person needs. The result is care that is comprehensive, flexible, and genuinely personalized rather than one-size-fits-all.
It sits within a full ecosystem of integrative medicine — collaborating with physicians, naturopathic doctors, acupuncturists, and mind-body practitioners — because we believe mental and physical health are too connected to treat separately.
Qualifications & Background
Dr. Sally Novak brings something genuinely rare to her work as a psychotherapist: she is both a licensed clinical social worker and a doctor of Chinese Medicine, a certified yoga teacher, and a trained practitioner of somatic therapies, EMDR, DBT, and clinical hypnosis. That combination of Eastern and Western clinical training means she can meet patients at the intersection of mind, body, and spirit — not as a concept, but as a lived clinical practice.
INDICATIONS
What conditions does it treat?
ADVANTAGE
Why Intergative Psychotherapy at GWCIM?
Most therapy practices offer therapy. What GWCIM offers is something broader: integrative psychotherapy embedded within a full multidisciplinary medical center, where your mental health care doesn't exist in isolation from the rest of your health.
This matters more than it might sound. Depression can be driven by a thyroid condition. Anxiety can be rooted in gut inflammation. Trauma lives in the body, not just the mind. When your therapist can coordinate directly with your integrative physician, naturopathic doctor, and acupuncturist — and when everyone is working from the same whole-person framework — the care you receive is fundamentally more connected and more effective.
Our providers have training that goes well beyond conventional psychotherapy. Dr. Novak's background spans Chinese medicine, somatic therapies, EMDR, DBT, clinical hypnosis, and yoga — a toolkit that allows her to move fluidly between modalities and find the combination that truly fits each person. Patients who have been through years of conventional therapy and still feel stuck often find that this broader, more flexible approach opens doors that hadn't opened before.
We also take cultural sensitivity seriously. Mental health care should be accessible, respectful, and meaningful for people of all backgrounds and belief systems — and our clinical approach reflects that.
APPROACH
How do we do Intergative Psychotherapy at GWCIM?
Every patient begins with a genuine intake conversation — not a symptom checklist, but a real exploration of your history, your body, your strengths, and your goals. That conversation shapes everything that follows.
From there, Dr. Novak draws from whichever combination of approaches actually fits your needs — EMDR and somatic work for trauma, narrative therapy paired with DBT skills, or acupuncture alongside psychotherapy. Sometimes the body needs to settle before deeper psychological work can take root, and she knows how to get there.
The therapeutic relationship sits at the center of all of it. You're an active participant in your care, not a passive recipient — your values, goals, and pace guide the work. When it's helpful, Dr. Novak connects patients with complementary services right here at GWCIM — Somatic Experiencing, acupuncture, naturopathic care, functional medicine — and when the right resource exists somewhere else, she refers out without hesitation. Her goal is simple: making sure every patient has access to everything they need to heal, wherever that care lives.
Whole-Person Care
Mental health cannot be separated from physical health, life history, relationships, or the body. We treat the whole person.
No Single Map
No one therapeutic model fits every person. We draw from many traditions and adapt to what each individual actually needs.
Cultural Humility
Meaningful mental health care is culturally aware and inclusive. Every background and belief system is respected.
Compassion Is the Medicine
The quality of the relationship between patient and therapist is one of the most powerful drivers of healing there is. Trust, safety, and genuine human connection are clinically significant. We take that seriously.
EXPERTISE
Recommended Providers
LEARN MORE
More about Intergative Psychotherapy
Care Options
Initial and Follow-up Psychotherapy Consultations
One-on-one sessions with Dr. Novak. Available via telehealth.
Initial and Follow-up ReCODE Program Consultations.
Comprehensive, ongoing psychological support — from first assessment through continued care — addressing the emotional and relational dimensions of cognitive decline within the ReCODE program.
ReCODE Support Group
Dr. Novak facilitates weekly online support groups as part of the GWCIM ReCODE Program — one for patients with mild cognitive impairment, and one for family members and caregivers.
Patient Expectations
Your first visit is a real conversation — a chance to be heard before anything else. From there, your care is built around you: your story, your goals, your pace. No labels, no one-size-fits-all plans. You're an active voice in your treatment, not a passenger. When it helps, Dr. Novak brings in other GWCIM providers to make sure the full picture is being considered. And throughout all of it, we don't rush. Healing takes the time it takes — and we're committed to the whole journey.
Q&A
Q&A
Conventional therapy typically works within one or two theoretical frameworks. Integrative psychotherapy draws from a much broader range of evidence-based approaches — and at GWCIM, it also connects with the rest of your medical care. It's not just talk. It considers your body, your biology, your life circumstances, and your cultural background as part of the picture.
Yes, and often very well. Dr. Novak regularly works with patients who are on psychiatric medications, and she can coordinate with prescribing providers to ensure that psychotherapy and medication are working in the same direction. For some patients, integrative approaches may also reduce the need for medication over time — though any changes to medications are always made carefully and collaboratively.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a well-researched, evidence-based therapy specifically developed for trauma and PTSD. It uses guided bilateral stimulation to help the brain process traumatic memories that haven't been fully integrated. Many patients find it remarkably effective, particularly when talk therapy alone hasn't been enough. Dr. Novak is trained in EMDR and can help you determine whether it's appropriate for your situation.