Counseling

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Psychotherapy with Adults

Throughout our lives, we all deal with challenges. The impact of these challenges can be insignificant but persistently bothersome, or they can interfere significantly with the aspects of our lives we value most. Sometimes the issues with which we struggle most are personal and internal, and other times they seem external – caused by other people or situations we encounter. We may experience self-doubt or question our personal relationships. We may be anxious, sad, or constantly irritable. We may wonder how to handle a difficult work situation or how to deal with the stress of an aging or ill parent.

In these circumstances, psychotherapy can be very helpful. Therapy can significantly reduce feelings of distress, depression, anxiety, and grief.  At the same time, therapy can increase self-knowledge, acceptance, and contentment with life. While many may still think of therapy as a last-resort response to a personal or family issue, it can have its greatest benefit when issues and problems are not yet full-blown.

Therapy involves talking to a trained professional about issues that are getting in the way of your happiness and success in life. Therapy provides you with an unbiased listener – someone who can be counted upon to give you nonjudgmental guidance and solutions to everyday problems. Working with a therapist provides insight into challenging situations, insight which your family and friends might have been unwilling to share with you. A therapist can suggest solutions to the problems that are bothering you the most and can help you find the answers within yourself. Therapy supports you while you reflect on past approaches to problems and while you contemplate new approaches that might be more successful.  

If you experience two or more of the symptoms listed below, or if one in particular causes you significant distress, therapy may be helpful:

• Relationship Problems - Questioning why or whether you should be with your partner, feeling unfulfilled by your relationship, having difficulty communicating, lacking affection, arguing frequently – about money, in-laws, sex, parenting, values, or decision making.
• Anxiety -  Excessive worrying, racing heartbeat, headaches, or muscle tension. Feeling nervous, anxious, tense, irritable, or on edge. Experiencing fear of losing control. Avoiding situations, people, or places.
• Depression - Feeling intense sadness, disinterest in previously enjoyed activities. Experiencing uncontrollable crying, change in appetite, and/or sleep, poor concentration, fatigue, feelings of worthlessness, thoughts of death and or suicide.

Psychotherapy with Children and Families

Therapy can be very helpful for children and their families if a child struggles with ADHD or has difficulty in school with no obvious explanation why, or if a family is going through a separation, divorce, or remarriage. Children can experience sadness, depression, and anxiety just as adults do. Some struggle with other issues more typically seen in adults, but increasingly affecting children as well.

The following are some of the more common reasons parents seek therapy for their children. If your child experiences significant distress from any of the symptoms listed here, therapy may be helpful.

• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) - Difficulty paying attention, following directions, remaining seated, waiting his/her turn, and shifting from doing one activity to another. 
• Oppositional Defiant Disorder - Often loses his temper, and is just angry or irritable, frequently argues with adults and defies authority, deliberately seems to do things to annoy others, and blames others for his/her mistakes. 
• Parent-Child Conflict - Difficult to get along with, fruitless attempts to steer your child toward doing the right thing and making good choices, defensive, moody, secretive, violates house rules, frequently lies, and misrepresents the truth.