Specialties
When and Why to Seek Help From a Therapist
One of our therapists encouraged someone he knew to see a therapist regarding some conflict this individual was experiencing. His response was, “Why do I need to talk to a therapist?” He spoke about how he has a good relationship with his children and with his wife. There are no issues at work.
Understanding Misconceptions About Seeking Help
He spoke about how he is not isolating, staying in bed all day, or not taking care of himself. His basic premise for why he does not need to talk to a therapist was that he is functioning just fine, but he missed the main point of the recommendation. We wonder how many others are thinking along similar lines. After all, his reasoning isn’t completely flawed, given the bias that exists in mainstream culture. Please reach us for EDMR trauma therapy.
Negative Bias to Mental Health
The message we often hear from mainstream culture is that only “dysfunctional” or “messed up people” see therapists. There is a negative bias towards mental health in our culture that is widespread. There are two main misconceptions to explore when it comes to seeking help for anxiety or depression. The first misconception deals with the “type of people” who seek therapy, and the second misconception deals with when people need to seek help.
Misconception #1
The misconception of people needing to be “crazy” or “dysfunctional” to seek therapy is simply false. Actually, it’s the opposite. Most people who are experiencing a manic episode or a psychotic episode would probably not seek help at all because they might not recognize their emotional state and think they are fine. Please reach us for child-centered play therapy.
Our Clients
Most clients we see are high functioning individuals who are business owners, managers, leaders in their place of work, or even high achieving students. We are all born with something called resilience. Resilience is how much emotional distress you can handle.
Breaking Point
Think of it as a glass being filled with water. The glass will overflow if the water is being poured constantly into the glass at some point. When the water overflows, you have reached your breaking point. It takes self-awareness to recognize that your glass is being filled, and you need to take action to prevent it from overflowing. Recognizing your limitations and seeking help before things get out of hand shows your attunement to your emotional state.
Misconception #2
The second misconception about therapy deals with timing. The question is, when do you seek help? Will you be proactive or reactive? First of all, there are times in life that can catch you off guard, but you can still respond in a proactive way. For example, say a close family member dies unexpectedly.
Although you could not predict a sudden loss, you can still be proactive. If we think about the grieving cycle, we know that depression comes towards the end of the overall grieving process.
Manage Your Emotions Better
The therapist can help you learn skills to manage your emotions before they become too intense. The goal of therapy is not to change what you feel but to help you manage and navigate through the complex emotions that come with grieving a loss. Addressing issues before they become unmanageable or overwhelming requires courage and strength.
When to seek IMMEDIATE help:
How We Help
Anxiety | Depression
Anxiety and feeling down can be influenced by our environments and other factors that are out of our control. Delay in treatment can intensify these emotions.
Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR)
Eye Movement and Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) helps one get through their past traumatic experiences and through anxiety/depression.
Chemical Dependency & Addictions
Helping clients understand possible reasons behind their addictive behaviors and using therapeutic interventions like Motivational Interviewing.
Child-Centered Play Therapy
Therapeutic interventions are specifically designed to help children process their internal emotions through their natural language of play.
Family Therapy
Creating a safe therapeutic space for all members leads to the ability to express internal emotions and improve communication within the family unit.
Marriage | Couples
Improving communication often is a major goal of marriage or couples counseling. Unresolved past pain or hurt can also impact the partnership in a negative way.