Young Adults

A main treatment focus includes young adults, ages 18-25 and beyond, which is a time of many life transitions.  You may find yourself feeling increasingly anxious or depressed during these adjustment periods. Some contributing factors may include generational "norms" and beliefs.  For example, it is extremely common to believe that nothing but fast, easy, and completely perfect results are acceptable. Perfectionism can accompany fears of failure, rejection, and even fears of success.  This can leave one feeling totally paralyzed about making decisions concerning relationships, jobs, and school. If you are struggling with life adjustments or symptoms impacting your mental health, solution-focused, skill-based therapy may assist you greatly. Other themes that are common may include “people pleasing,” substance abuse, and “Imposter Syndrome.” Stress management, emotion management, mindfulness, and healthy relationship skills are essential to feeling happier. 

Chronic Pain

Chronic Pain can be successfully treated using CBT-CP or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain, using a multipronged and structured approach. CBT can assist you in learning how “catastrophizing,” and other ways of thinking that can cause a viscous cycle of avoiding activity and maintaining and exacerbating pain.

Learning about your parasympathetic (Rest and Digest) vs. your Sympathetic “Fight/Flight/Freeze” nervous system, and how to activate your relaxation response, can be effective in turning down the pain response and improve quality of life.

Exploring themes with chronic pain can help you to develop coping strategies to mange your condition. Common treatment topics include: How is “pain,” signaling you to “pay attention,” to areas in your life you might otherwise be avoiding? What are the pros and cons of both maintaining and reducing pain? What was occurring in your life when pain started? Instead of avoiding and perpetuating pain, learn how to face it and move forward with new tools and insights.

Anxiety & Depression

Anxiety and Depression are often closely linked, although reasons for this are not entirely clear.  Anxiety is a normal part of life, but therapy can help when it gets in your way of forming relationships, taking tests, or even day-to-day activities. Therapy helps you learn skills to manage anxiety symptoms.

Sadness is also a normal part of life, but when it sticks around for too long, depression can develop as well. Some people are born with a pre-disposition, and you may experience overwhelming symptoms to the point where your life feels impossible.  Therapy can also help you understand how thoughts and beliefs cause depression to persist.  Often times, when new beliefs and coping skills are learned, depression can be alleviated.

Bipolar
& PTSD

If you know you have Bipolar Disorder or you wonder if you may be struggling with symptoms, therapy and medication management is usually essential for your well-being.  If you don't already have a doctor, I will help with referrals. The skills taught in DBT can CBT and be very effective to assist you with balancing the extreme emotional highs and lows that are part of this condition.  Living with Bipolar symptoms can feel very isolating and never ending. However, with the right therapist and support network, relief is available.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a natural reaction when you have experienced any kind of traumatic event.  Not everyone that experiences trauma will develop this condition, and symptoms can manifest weeks or even years after an event. PTSD is a disorder that is commonly associated with the trauma of combat.  However, symptoms may develop from experiencing or witnessing a number of events, including but not limited to childhood traumas, sexual assault, suicide, and death. PTSD also impacts many crisis workers, paramedics, and law enforcement officers, who are often people that may not want to get help. Everyone deserves to feel well and be supported, and therapy can be a safe space to start this healing process.

If you have come to this website and you believe you are feeling suicidal or having a mental health emergency, please know that you have options and you can call 911, or the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255(TALK).