Process-Based Therapy in New York

Personalized, depth-oriented change that lasts.

You are more than a diagnosis. Your healing deserves more than a one-size-fits-all formula.

Process-based therapy (PBT) offers a truly personalized approach—one that adapts to you, your values, your pain, and your path forward. Rather than focusing narrowly on symptoms, process-based therapy works at the root, targeting the psychological processes that keep suffering in place—and the ones that help us grow.

In a world that often rushes to label, fix, and move on, process-based therapy invites us to pause, understand, and engage with our struggles in a deeper, more meaningful way.

Process-Based Therapy Symbolized by Clear Path through Fog

What is process-based therapy?

Process-based therapy is an emerging, research-informed approach that centers not on diagnoses, but on the underlying processes of change. These processes—like psychological flexibility, self-compassion, cognitive defusion, and values-based action—are the mechanisms that truly move us toward healing.

PBT draws from multiple evidence-based traditions, especially acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and contextual behavioral science. But it’s not a technique buffet. It’s a flexible framework that prioritizes function over form—what works for this person, in this moment, given their context?

Where traditional models ask “What’s wrong, and how do we fix it?”, process-based therapy asks:

What are you struggling with most right now?
What patterns keep this struggle going?
What capacities could help you move toward what matters?

In this way, PBT becomes not just a therapy, but a collaboration rooted in your real life, your lived complexity, and your inner wisdom.

Why choose process-based therapy in New York?

New York is a state of diversity, ambition, and constant motion. From Buffalo’s deep-rooted neighborhoods to the energy of NYC, many New Yorkers feel pulled in a dozen directions at once. High pressure environments often lead to anxiety, burnout, or disconnection from self and others.

Process-based therapy is uniquely suited to this context. It offers a grounded, deeply tailored approach for those who:

Don’t resonate with standard, symptom-focused therapy
Have multiple overlapping challenges (e.g., anxiety and relationship patterns and self-esteem)
Want an approach that honors both science and individuality
Value depth, nuance, and active collaboration

Here in New York, where no two lives look the same, process-based therapy helps you craft a path forward that reflects you—your values, your priorities, and your goals for change.

How does process-based therapy work?

At its core, PBT is about identifying and targeting key psychological processes that sustain distress or support growth. Your therapist collaborates with you to:

1. Map out what matters.

What values feel most alive for you? What kind of life do you want to live—even amidst challenges?

2. Identify stuck processes.

Instead of labeling symptoms, we explore patterns like:

Rigid avoidance
Perfectionism
Self-criticism
Rumination
Emotional suppression

3. Target effective change processes.

Using interventions drawn from ACT, CBT, DBT, and mindfulness, we activate processes like:

Values-based action
Self-compassion
Flexible perspective-taking
Emotional openness
Cognitive flexibility

4. Adjust flexibly as needed.

There’s no fixed protocol. Your therapy evolves as you evolve.

Process-based therapy often feels both deeply personalized and deeply strategic. You won’t be handed generic worksheets—you’ll be met with curiosity, presence, and tools that make sense for your process.

Benefits of Process-Based Therapy

Clients who engage in process-based therapy often report that it feels more respectful, more accurate, and more growth-oriented than other models. Key benefits include:

✔️ Tailored treatment that evolves with you

✔️ Deeper self-understanding that moves beyond diagnostic boxes

✔️ Tools for lasting change, not just symptom relief

✔️ Greater alignment with values, purpose, and meaning

✔️ Relief from stuck patterns through flexible, evidence-informed strategies

✔️ Resilience in complexity—for people with co-occurring or shifting challenges

Whether you're navigating anxiety, trauma, identity questions, or life transitions, PBT helps you move from survival to connection, from confusion to clarity.

Andrew Wilton LCSW, Process-Based Therapist in New York

Process-Based Therapy Near Buffalo & Across New York State with Andrew Wilton LCSW

I offer process-based therapy for adults across New York, including in Buffalo and surrounding areas. With over 18 years in the helping professions and a practice rooted in integrative, depth-oriented care, I work from a foundation of presence, collaboration, and nuance.

My approach is grounded in the belief that healing happens through relationship and precision. Together, we’ll map out what matters to you, explore the processes holding you back, and move toward meaningful change—step by step, at your pace.

Whether you're dealing with a recent crisis, a long-standing pattern, or a sense that “something’s not right,” process-based therapy can offer a compass through the fog.