Anxiety
Anxiety can be informational, but when the information is overwhelming, that is not helpful. When our triggers are sensitive, feelings of nervousness and overwhelm can dominate our existence. Learning to detect early signs of anxiety, and ways to manage those emotions can lead to longer-term success. We will do a lot of mood mapping, trigger mapping, and experimenting with relaxation strategies.
Depression
Depression and sadness can touch all places of our life. And the longer we wish it away, thinking it will resolve itself by ignoring it, the more it can dominate our worldview. Our first goal is to begin the smallest goals. Finding a feeling of accomplishment, even on small things, can feel huge when our sadness is also huge. Next, we will work together to define what short-term goals look like. We will work together to find a safe path out of the hole, and when you are able to stand in the warmth of the sunshine, we will work together to determine what happiness will look and feel like.
Relationships
If you are seeking help with interpersonal relationship dynamics, first meetings will focus on what your healthier relationships look like, and what you feel is happening differently. As to the more trying relationships, what would make you feel better about how you are communicating with these folks? What do you wish was different? Is this a conversation that could include the other people in a group therapy session? Could that be a longer-term goal? Improving relationships is a team effort, and we will focus on helping to rebuild your team in a way that everyone will feel warmth and appreciation.
Couples and Family Dynamics
It is frustrating to be speaking in a way that we feel is clear and easy to understand, but everyone we live with, or the people we love continue to find fault. This can feel like the weight of the world on everyone’s shoulders, which leads to more tension and more sensitivity for everyone. If you or your loved ones have ever felt like you are, ‘walking around on eggshells’, you know it is not a positive way to live. This therapy is communications-based, working to choose words that ease conversations. When family wishes to be involved in the process, that is a sign that the love is there, and rebuilding bridges meaningfully and carefully is key.
Positive Parenting
When communicating with our children, our words matter, our tone matters, our body language matters. The kids are watching everything we do. Do you remember being a child and feeling an adult was lying to you? Your child has those same insights. Mapping out positive parenting counseling will happen in the first few sessions, as we all get to know each other. Yelling or corporal punishment can become a default position when adults are overwhelmed, but this is never a long-term solution. Children cannot be scared into a positive relationship with their parent, only a compliant one. In positive parenting, a lot of solution focused interventions, along with working to understand each other’s cognitive misperceptions.
* Group Therapy available for this topic
Gender & Sexuality
Working on gender and sexuality is probably the most individual and personal aspect of therapy. This is an act of complete vulnerability in dialogue on emotions, fears, fantasies, and future goals. First meetings will be discussions that focus completely on you the client and what you are hoping for. Frequently, this is going to focus on setting and meeting small goals. This line of therapy can also bleed into a lot of family work, depending on family history and experiences. Your therapist will work with you and advocate with and for you, as the path reveals itself.
Trauma
Trauma can be extremely complex, where the first event happens, and goes untreated. As the initial emotional assault lays there, it grows increasingly complex as we age. For instance, growing up with strict disciplinarian at home, and rigid teachers in school will offer significantly different trauma responses than absentee parents with strict parents. As life continues, what makes us angry, nervous, sad or scared can exist with us not knowing why we act the way we do when a boss or a spouse challenges us. It can lead to substance use, violence, or maladaptive responses. Trauma can happen at any age. Where it is hard is that you may be reliving it over and over again, sometimes without even knowing you are recalling the event; your brain remembers . Therapy will first focus on making the individual feel safe, and build essential coping skills. After those are built , the client will work on the trauma in a safe and controlled setting.
Drugs & Alcohol
Substance use can touch every part of our lives. Working within substance use is about treating the person in addiction, as well as the people who love them. Mental health management around drugs and alcohol works best when the client has a reason to want to make the change. No matter how small the reason to stop, that is the starting point.
For people in earliest stages of seeking sobriety, the focus may be on harm reduction. For loved ones, goals will be more on supporting the loved one on their path to sobriety.
Men's Issues
Men's issues can be an overly broad topic, as men coming to therapy for issues managing their struggles with daily living may be doing it under a great deal of stress or discomfort. Therapy will be solution-focused, positive, and uplifting. Goals will be set, and accomplishments will be acknowedged and celebrated. When you come to therapy for first sessions, we will begin by digging into definitions of what is being worked on, first.
