anxiety 

 Everyone experiences worry or fear on occasion. For a person with an anxiety disorder, the anxiety does not go away and can get worse over time. Symptoms can be panic, racing thoughts, restlessness, unwanted thoughts, and avoidant behavior.  They also may cause physical symptoms, such as sweating, heart palpitations, dizziness, shakiness, insomnia, nausea, change in appetite and sleep habits. The feelings can interfere with ones relationships and job performance. 

Psychotherapy has proven to be very helpful with anxiety disorders. To be effective, psychotherapy must be directed at the person’s specific anxieties and tailored to his or her needs.  We are trained in diagnosing anxiety disorders and teaching patients healthier, more effective ways to cope. You will be trained in ways to calm your nervous system, change your thinking, and change behaviors that make anxiety worse. Clients can expect to practice their new anxiety management skills between sessions. Anxiety disorders are very treatable. The majority of clients struggling with anxiety are able to start improving their anxiety after a few sessions.

adult adhd

Adult ADHD is a neurobiological condition marked by inattentiiveness, procrastination, and organizational problems.  ADHD can have pervasive effects on emotional, social, vocational, marital, financial, and academic functioning.

The first step in treating Adult ADHD is to meet with a therapist and discern whether you have any other conditions such as anxiety, depression, OCD, learning disability, or addiction. Adult ADHD takes a toll on self-esteem and thus effective therapy helps change ones self-concept and limiting beliefs.  Individuals with Adult ADHD will benefit from learning the leading edge organizational, prioritizing, time management strategies. In addition, one can learn various focusing practices that have been shown to enhance concentration. For some individuals medication is a necessary component of the treatment.  Once the symptoms of ADHD are reduced, it may be beneficial to turn treatment toward vocational interventions.

YOUNG ADULTS DEPENDENT ON PARENTS

Adults ages 18 -28 are working to transition toward greater independence and responsibility.  The expectations on this age are more unclear than ever before and thus many  young adults are struggling to acquire and use the tools required to successfully navigate this stage. These individuals are referred to as 'failure to launch.'

Treatment of failure to launch requires a comprehensive approach. A good psychologist must be able to help assess barriers, help heal old wounds, set short term goals like a manager, and motivate like a coach. First, a therapist should explore the possibility of learning and attentional issues. Second, clients take part in a process uncovering the values and goals of the individual. These goals then must be broken down into shorter term objectives around developing pertinent skills, acquiring a job, managing money. Then, therapy moves to unearth the emotions, fears, and limiting beliefs that derail movement toward these goals. 

depression

Depression can be accompanied by lower confidence, decreased energy, irritability, loss of interest in normally enjoyable activities, changes in appetite and sleep habits, and even pain without a clear cause. Major depressive disorder can negatively affects ones relationships, work life, and general health. The cause is a combination of genetic disposition, environmental stress, and psychological factors.

Psychotherapy treatment is very effective for most people suffering from depression.  The aim is to identify issues that contribute to your depression and change ways of thinking and behaviors that make it worse. Your therapist should be able to work with you to create treatment goals that help you regain a sense of satisfaction and control in your life. In certain cases, your treatment will involve collaboration between your therapist and a medication prescriber.

Mindfulness and stress management

Mindfulness is the process of opening one's attention to the internal and external experiences occurring in the present moment. Research shows that practicing mindfulness for 8-weeks can yield numerous physical and mental health benefits. Since there are a great variety of mindfulness techniques and practices, a skilled therapist can help customize practices for your unique needs.

Grief

Grief is is something most people experience at some point in their lives. It is often associated with death, however, one can experience grief related to the end of a relationships, unemployment, moving, or ill health.  It has physical, cognitive, behavioral, social, and philosophical facets. 

Grief requires one to reconfigure their life in light of the loss. This leads some people through feelings such as denial, anger, bargaining, and depression. At times one can get stuck while processing their loss and need the help of a professional to discern what is complicating the grief and facilitate the remapping of their life.

Career counseling

When making career decisions that are right for you, it is important that you do a thorough inventory of your interests, abilities, values, personality, and background. Career counseling is a process that will help you learn about yourself and the work world so you can make career, educational, and life decisions. Once you decide on the best path for you, we will support you through making a resume, applying, interviewing, and adapting to a new job

Couples

It is common for marriages to go through significant challenges. Meeting with an an expert in marriage counseling helps couples of all types recognize and resolve conflicts and improve their relationships. Through marriage counseling, you can make thoughtful decisions about rebuilding your relationship or going your separate ways.
 

addiction

Addiction is a medical condition that involves compulsive engagement in short-term rewarding behavior despite long-term adverse consequences.  With addiction, one begins to lose control over substances or behavior, they become more preoccupied with the addiction, and the behavior continues despite the negative consequences to ones health, relationships, and work.

Psychotherapy for addiction focuses on discovering your values and meaning and committing to a course of action aligned with those values.   During this process clients learn the skills to better manage the uncomfortable thoughts and feelings that drive the addiction. 

Relationship Issues

If you feel like you have not been successful in relationships, psychotherapy can help you uncover what is getting in the way. A good therapist can help you hone in on unconscious beliefs about yourself and others, which negatively affect your relationship success. Psychotherapy can help you change the way you think about yourself and approach relationships in a different way.

Anger management

Anger is a signal that can arise as a result of feeling hurt, disappointment, fear, or vulnerability.  It can be logically analyzed for its route cause and the energy redirected in a productive way. If someone is noticing a lot of angry feelings, psychotherapy can be very effective in preventing the build-up of those feelings as well as controlling how one acts on those feelings. 

autoimmune conditions/ chronic pain

An autoimmune disorders is an overactive immune response in which your immune system attacks your own cells and tissues, such as those in your connective tissues. This leads to pain in areas such as your muscles and joints. 

Research has revealed that 80% of individuals with autoimmune conditions report uncommon emotional stress prior to the disease. Further, stress is known to make autoimmune conditions worse, which can create more stress, causing a vicious cycle.  Our therapists use the leading edge stress reduction techniques such as mindfulness meditation, breathing techniques, heart rate variability, and brain wave biofeedback.

Our therapists take a holistic approach to the condition. We support clients in organizing their pursuit of relief through medicine. In addition, we help clients become more mindful of how factors can affect their condition such as sleep, eating, exercise, hormesis, social support, thinking habits, and purpose.  If our tracking reveals any of these to be affecting symptoms, we support clients in making necessary changes.