Specializations
How we can help with CBT, Depression, Anxiety & More
Specializations
CBT: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one more the more popular modalities in talk therapy. The core idea of CBT is that it changes the way we think by physically changing our brain. CBT focuses on examining the relationship between our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and how that relationship impacts our everyday decisions. Ultimately, CBT is the theory that our thoughts impact our feelings and behaviors. In CBT, the therapist supports individuals uncover negative thinking patterns, learn to evaluate and challenge the validity of those thoughts, and ultimately replace them with healthier alternatives. This intervention involves practice inside and outside of session with the support and guidance of the therapist. CBT can treat depression, anxiety-related disorders, phobia, eating disorders, sleep disorders, substance use disorders, and OCD.
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Depression
Do you experience periods of time where you feel hopeless or have suicidal thoughts? Do you find it difficult to enjoy activities you normally find enjoyable, or you’ve noticed that you have minimal energy or motivation to participate in life?
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Feeling depressed is something that many of us have experienced at one time or another. Sometimes, depression is the direct result of experiencing stressful life event, such a death in the family, managing chronic pain, or the end of a relationship. Sometimes depression stems from genetic contributions and chemical imbalances in our brains. Most of the time depression is a problem with many different causes, all of which impact and influence each other. The good news is that depression can be successfully treated in talk therapy and people can leave therapy with a more optimistic life-view and techniques to manage depressive symptoms when future life challenges arise.
Anxiety
Anxiety can be difficult to manage. Low levels of anxiety can aid us in completing tasks on time or help us focus; when anxiety is experienced at high levels, however, it can be paralyzing and extremely disruptive. Here are some questions to consider:
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Do you have trouble resting or unwinding?
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Do you spend a lot of time worrying about the past or future?
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Does your mind seem to be constantly racing to the point where it disrupts your ability to complete daily work, or interferes with household or school-related tasks?
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Do you worry about how anxiety affects your relationships, work, school, or whether anxiety is getting in the way of you pursuing your goals?
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Do you sometimes feel stuck when you are trying to make a decision because you’re afraid that you’ll make the wrong one?
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Have you noticed any anxiety-related effects on your physical health such as digestive issues, muscle tension, or sleep disruption?
Everyone experiences anxiety in different ways. In therapy, we adjust our interventions and modalities to fit the specific needs of each individual. We also consider how anxiety has most impacted the individual’s life and focus on supporting them to alleviate those symptoms and experiences first. Children and teens also experience anxiety but they often show anxiety’s symptoms in different ways than adults. Our therapists are well-trained and experienced supporting folks of all ages in aiding them in managing their specific anxiety. We offer various treatment modalities, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, EMDR, Brainspotting and Somatic therapy.
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Trauma Therapy
It's not uncommon for someone to experience some or multiple traumas during their lifespan. Traumatic events arise from many common experiences: A difficult childhood, an abusive relationship, an unexpected loss. Whatever the cause, trauma counseling can support you in processing it and moving forward in a thoughtful and productive way.
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Our trauma-informed therapists help survivors of childhood abusive, domestic violence, and many other forms of trauma. While such trauma may have lasting impacts, our therapists can support you through the process of healing in a constructive and intentional way.
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Addiction
Psychotherapy has shown to be one of the most effective ways to treat addiction. Our addiction therapists can support you identifying the causes or triggers behind compulsions, and help you develop healthy, effective strategies to address addiction. As you begin to break away from the cycle of addiction, our therapists will work with you to address other underlying issues or concerns, which may include anxiety, relationship concerns, depression, or trauma. Ultimately, we will work to create new sense of self-esteem and self-efficacy and begin to move through life in a more proactive way instead of reactive.
Brainspotting
Brainspotting (BSP) was designed to support people in accessing and processing trauma and negative emotions. During brainspotting, the therapists aids the individual to position their eyes in a way to target sources of trauma and negative emotion. The therapist guides the eyes of individuals across their field of vision in efforts to find a brainspot that activates a traumatic memory and/or negative emotion. This supports the individual in accessing emotions on a deeper level and potentially target the physical effects of the trauma. Trauma can be stored in the body in a way that can influence how the brain functions. For instance, trauma can affect memory, emotions and overall physical health. Brainspotting is a technique that can be used to support the body in healing for years of trauma.
Brainspotting has been shown to help people move past trauma or upsetting situations, improve anxiety, cope with grief, and much more.
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EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a psychotherapy method that supports individuals in their efforts to recover and heal from trauma. EMDR works differently than traditional talk therapy as it does not involve talking about traumatic experiences in detail but instead, it allows the brain to process and heal from stressful events naturally through bilateral stimulation and information processing and reintegration. In many cases, individuals may experience psychological relief faster than traditional talk therapy modalities.
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We experience stress responses regularly which is a part of our natural fight, flight, or freeze instincts. When distress from a traumatic event remains such as upsetting images, thoughts, and emotions, this can create an overwhelming feeling of being back in that moment. EMDR therapy supports the brain in processing the trauma which can support the individual in moving forward past the painful memories. The experience is still remembered, but the fight, flight, or freeze response from the original event is resolved and not experienced by the individual at all or to a lesser degree.
EMDR can treat the below listed items-
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Anxiety and panic attacks
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Grief and loss
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PTSD
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Sexual or physical assault/abuse
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Substance abuse and addiction
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Depression and bipolar disorders
For more information about EMDR Therapy, you may visit: https://www.emdria.org/about-emdr-therapy/
Spiritual and Faith-Based Counseling
Our practice has several spiritual and faith-based counselors on the team whose goal is to support clients in their life journey while holding true to their values, mission, beliefs, and purpose. It can be difficult to find connections to your faith when you are struggling emotionally. Our counselors may use prayer, scripture, or other spiritual approaches in the therapy process, and they are here to support you find stability and reconcile your faith and emotions.
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