Services

Because life’s challenges are often complex and diverse, we offer a wide range of counseling services. Additional information about each item is listed further below.

• Addictions
• Adjustment Disorder
• Anger Management
• Anxiety
• Bipolar Disorder
• Coping
• Couples Counseling
• Depression
• Eating Disorders
• Emotional Distress
• Employment Issues
• Loss
• Personal Growth
• Personality Disorder
• Relationship Issues
• Self Esteem
• Serious Medical Problems
• Sexual Problems
• Sleep Disorders
• Special Needs Child (mental/emotional/behavioral/medical)
• Trauma, Violence or Abuse

Addictions: Alcohol, Substance Abuse, Smoking,

Excessive use of alcohol, inappropriate use of legal drugs and/or abuse of illegal drugs, smoking cigarettes and over eating are all addictions. These behaviors of obsessions, loss of control, compulsions, and ongoing use with no regards to negative consequences are a result of addiction. Some people do this addictive behavior daily and others do it recreationally. There are addictions that can be physical and others can be psychological. If someone is dual diagnosed they have a mental health problem and an addiction problem. It is not uncommon to find that a person self medicates to cope with their mental health issue. If you have or are unsure if you have an addiction you need to go to a medical professional for further diagnosis. Once the official diagnosis is made it may be recommended that you go to an addiction counselor or specialty group for further support and treatment.

Adjustment Disorder

Can be when a person has difficulty relating to an experience that is either physical, personal, and/or professional which may be hindering them emotionally from addressing the issue. Someone that has an adjustment disorder may have a new onset medical diagnosis, could have been laid off from a job, suffered the loss of a loved one, and/or is having difficulty with functioning in school.

Anger Management

Anger is a natural human emotion and is nature’s way of empowering us to “ward off” our perception of an attack or threat to our well being. The problem is not anger, the problem is the mismanagement of anger. Mismanaged anger and rage is the major cause of conflict in our personal and professional relationships.

Domestic abuse, road rage, workplace violence, divorce, and addiction are just a few examples of what happens when anger is mismanaged.

Anxiety

People who have difficulty staying focused on a task, racing thoughts, negative thinking, nervousness, sleep disruption, restless, easily overwhelmed, and irritability may be suffering with anxiety. If you have racing heart beat, difficulty catching your breath, excessive sweating, feeling faint, you could be experiencing a panic attack. Anxiety can be continuous or fleeting. It becomes a problem when you can no longer manage it and you feel paralyzed with fear or have difficulty accomplishing chores and responsibilities. If you have ongoing feelings of any of the above mentioned symptoms it is advisable to seek help and rule out anxiety. Therapy would be an opportunity to learn how to address it with various problem solving techniques.

Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is when a person experiences extreme mood swings that can take on different forms such as depression, mania, or mixed mood. Depressive symptoms can be sadness, hopelessness, anxiety, suicidal thinking, low energy, disruptive sleep, difficulty concentrating, and loss of interest in daily activities. Mania symptoms can include; pressured speech, racing thoughts, sleeplessness, euphoria, reckless behavior, excessive spending, inflated self esteem, increased sex drive, self medication (i.e. drug abuse) and difficulty concentrating. Mixed mood can be a combination of depression and mania, possibly resulting in cycling from one end of the mood spectrum to another within a short period of time.

People that are diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder often benefit from medication management by a licensed psychiatrist medical physician combined with talking therapy with a mental health professional. Some people that suffer with Bipolar Disorder self medicate with drugs and alcohol which can mask their mood temporarily and/or possibly exacerbate a person’s mood and cause detrimental harmful effects. It is recommended that if you are having drastic mood swings to seek medical advice for further evaluation.

Coping

Sometimes emotional distress or relationship problems are associated with coping mechanisms, such as excessive shyness, weak communication, lack of assertiveness, or poor anger control. Therapy can enable you to acquire or strengthen skills that can benefit many of the most important areas of your life.

Couples Counseling

Whether you are married or in a long-term relationship with someone problems can arise with communication. Often the breakdown in communication can cause anger, hostility, frustration and sadness which can possibly result in damaging behavior like infidelity. When you realize your life with your spouse/significant other has changed and you are no longer spending time with that person, living separate lives, or always yelling at each other you may benefit from couples counseling. In this setting, a therapist acts as a mediator and facilitator on how to improve communication skills.

Depression

When you are experiencing feelings of sadness, fearfulness, withdrawn, isolation, loss of interest, low energy, disruptive sleep and change in appetite that affects your ability to function in daily activities such as work, home and/or school. That continuous feeling of being melancholy and no matter what you do you can’t shake it. If you are overly sensitive and tearful then you may be suffering with symptoms of depression. Some people that experience Depression have low motivation to complete activities, work, and/or do their daily chores. Depression can even affect your ability to maintain appropriate hygiene and good health. Outside circumstances can greatly affect mood, so it is suggested when you are going through a stressful situation that seeking outside help for guidance and support will help to assess what is going on biologically, physically and emotionally. It is a good idea to talk with a professional if you experience any of these symptoms for more than two weeks.

Eating Disorders

The signs and symptoms of eating disorders vary with the particular type of eating disorder.

Anorexia nervosa; When you have anorexia nervosa, you’re obsessed with food and being thin, sometimes to the point of deadly self-starvation.

Bulimia nervosa; When you have bulimia, you have episodes of bingeing and purging.

Binge-eating disorder; When you have binge-eating disorder, you regularly eat excessive amounts of food (binge).

Because of its powerful pull, an eating disorder can be difficult to manage or overcome by yourself. Eating disorders can virtually take over your life. Unfortunately, many people with eating disorders resist treatment. You should get referred to a qualified mental health provider for treatment.

Emotional Distress

From time to time, everyone experiences emotional pain. But sometimes the distress is particularly severe or long-lasting and interferes with your ability to function in your daily life. If you are experiencing sadness, grief, or anxiety that is persistent, therapy can help relieve the symptoms, address the underlying causes for your distress, and provide you with help in restoring emotional well-being.

Employment Issues

Making a choice of what career path you will take is a complicated decision. Whether you go into a trade or a professional school for educational assistance, it will further help you determine what the best direction to explore is. Today, going back to school for a second career is also common, especially with the changing in economy and a need to reinvent yourself in a new career.

Loss

Experiencing a break from someone who is important to you (through death or separation)can result in great emotional pain. Therapy can be significantly helpful in coping with the loss.

Personal Growth

Therapy can help you overcome obstacles that have kept you from reaching your goals and becoming the person you want to be. Although you might not have a clinical condition or symptoms, therapy can help you learn more about yourself, as well as others, and how you can live your life with deeper personal satisfaction.

Personality Disorder

These are character trait(s) that makes it challenging to function in society and maintain typical relationships with peers, family members and/or colleagues. Persons suffering with this disorder may have anger management problems, engage in reckless behavior such as (alcohol, drug use, excessive shopping sprees, dangerous driving, and multiple sex partners), maintain a poor sense of self, or have a chronic feeling of emptiness. Some forms of personality disorders are; narcissistic, borderline, histrionic, antisocial and obsessive compulsive. If you or your family member has a personality disorder it can greatly impact being productive in school, work, and the social environment.

Relationship Issues

Your distress may be coming from difficulties in your relationship with a spouse, parent, child, co-worker or significant other. Therapy can be valuable in helping you understand the root of the problem and providing you with the understanding and skills you need to improve the relationship.

Self Esteem

Feeling bad about yourself, being insecure, unable to hold your head up, difficulty in social situations, and lack of self worth can greatly impact your self esteem. Many people are very critical of themselves about their appearance and no matter what they do they are never satisfied about how they look. It is important to have confidence, a strong self image and good interpersonal skills. It is necessary to feel good about yourself on the inside so that you can be confident on the outside. Learning how to be happy with the way you are helps to shape who you are as a person. The image you have of yourself is carried out on to how others see you too. Learning effective self esteem building skills can empower you to be a stronger and a more effective person in life.

Serious Medical Problems

Sometimes for unknown reasons a medical condition is diagnosed such as; cancer, diabetes, lupus, or renal failure. Other conditions can occur in childhood like Juvenile Diabetes and persist in adulthood, which is a chronic condition. These diagnoses are life altering events that not only affect the patient, but also impact the family. Learning to accept, process and deal with a serious medical problem or chronic condition can be overwhelming and send a person into depression. If you are your family member has been faced with an overwhelming or debilitating medical condition it is advisable to seek outside help for support and guidance.

Sexual Problems

While they can be embarrassing to talk about, sexual dissatisfaction and sexual dysfunction are very common problems. There are therapists who are particularly experienced at helping with understanding and overcoming issues that may be impairing sexual functioning.

Sleep Disorders

Sleep disorders involve any difficulties related to sleeping, including difficulty falling or staying asleep, falling asleep at inappropriate times, excessive total sleep time, or abnormal behaviors associated with sleep.  More than 100 different disorders of sleeping and waking have been identified. They can be grouped in four main categories:

• Problems with falling and staying asleep (insomnia)
• Problems with staying awake (excessive daytime sleepiness)
• Problems with sticking to a regular sleep schedule (sleep rhythm problem)
• Unusual behavoirs during sleep (sleep-disruptive behaviors

Special Needs Child (mental/emotional/behavioral/medical)

Becoming a parent is a big responsibility. Sometimes just getting pregnant can be rigorous, time consuming and frustrating, especially when infertility is involved. When a child is born, often medical or other health issues are not always detected early, but when children don’t reach their milestones an intervention is frequently made. Whether you have a child that is diagnosed from birth with problems or it is detected later on, it can be unsettling, overwhelming and devastating to the family. Having a child with special needs is difficult enough let alone how it impacts the parents and the family. At times, couples and siblings get upset with the identified caregiver for devoting all of their time and attention to the special needs child. A mental health counselor can assist the patient and the family on how to manage their feelings and cope with the issues at hand.

Trauma, Violence or Abuse

Victims of trauma, violence or abuse can feel so overwhelmed by feelings of fear, anger, or helplessness that their ability to function effectively is significantly impaired. Therapy can help provide a safe, confidential setting in which to discuss your victimization issues with a caring, supportive person and find ways to move forward with your life.