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About Therapy
Common Struggles We Treat
Challenges related to COVID-19
Effects of trauma
Discrimination related to LGBTQIA+ and/or cultural diversity issues
Low self esteem
Anxiety
Panic Attacks
Social Anxiety & shyness
Relational problems with family and/or friends
Behavioral issues
Unwanted habits
Procrastination and low motivation
Addictive behaviors
Depression
Bi-Polar spectrum problems
Coping with illness or physical pain
Sleep difficulties
Obsession and compulsions
Work/School related stress
Spousal and couples issues
Feminist Issues
Mens Issues
Divorce/Co-Parenting
Symptoms of Anxiety
Anxiety is often be misunderstood by well-meaning friends, family, and sometimes even by those who suffer. So, let’s start making sense out of what you've been experiencing and moving toward the path of healing. A word of caution before we begin . . . it is very easy to read a list of symptoms and become convinced that you have a particular condition.
Listen to your heart and your gut as you review the list. Do you feel this way sometimes? Occasional anxiety can be a normal, even healthy, part of life. Or, is the anxiety causing real problems in your life?
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Do you feel like you worry CONSTANTLY? Like the thoughts in your head just won't stop?
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Do you feel restless, keyed up or on edge a lot? Do you often feel shaky or have that butterflies-in-your-stomach sensation?
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Are you easily irritated, tired frequently or having trouble concentrating?
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Do you worry A LOT about being embarrassed or judged?
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Do you have panic attacks?
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Do your muscles stay tense?
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Do you have trouble falling asleep or wake up worrying at 3am?
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Have you experienced something traumatic and feel like you can't get past it?
If you answered “yes” to a couple of the questions above, you may be experiencing anxiety. The type and extent of the anxiety will affect how many of the above questions fit your symptoms. Social anxiety, anxiety attacks and generalized anxiety disorder are a few of the common anxiety disorders that people can struggle to deal with in everyday life.
If you still have questions or if you're utterly convinced we’re describing you, we welcome your call, your email, your questions. We can talk specifically about what.
Symptoms of Depression
Depression can often be misunderstood by well-meaning friends, family, and even by those who suffer. If you’ve ever had someone say, “Just get over it” or “Stop feeling sorry for yourself,” you know what we’re talking about.
We all know how to WebMD a condition, so let’s talk about how people usually describe being depressed. The first image that comes to mind is that antidepressant commercial from years ago with the blob. The poor little guy was so miserable and blob-like and just couldn’t enjoy or feel good about anything. Watching that commercial even made us feel depressed!
Some other ways we hear real people talk about depression:
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“I just don’t know what’s wrong with me. I don’t want to do anything.”
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“I cry a lot” (usually said with tears in their eyes).
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“I don’t have any energy.”
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“I feel empty, and I wonder, “What’s the point?”
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“I don’t care about things. I used to love to ________, but I don’t even care about that anymore.”
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“I just want to stop feeling this way.”
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“It’s all I can do to drag myself out of bed in the morning.”
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“I’m stuck in a dark hole.”
Depression is like carrying an actual 50-pound weight around. It quickly sucks the life out of us, makes it hard to have any positive experiences, makes us want to be alone— which usually feeds the depression beast—and at its worst, it tries to convince us that life isn’t worth living. Depression is a tyrant! And, it’s a tyrant no one should have to face alone.
We’ve been there—in the dark, in the ooze and the muck, certain that things will never get better. We’re here to tell you that that is depression’s favorite lie. It’s not true . . . not one bit. Please don’t stay lost in the dark by yourself. It’s way too hard and too painful. Reach out. Or, allow someone to reach out to you. You don’t have to keep suffering. You deserve so much better than this pit!
Depression is one of the most common reasons why people seek counseling. Depression can suck all the joy out of life and make you feel absolutely miserable. But, there’s good news—depression is very treatable! If you’ve been struggling with depression, read on or just call or email us to talk more. We'd love to offer you help and tools!
Let us help you learn how to deal with this depression and get back to life as you want it to be. We’d love to talk about how we might partner together to help. Contact us today!
RELATED ISSUES
Many other symptoms and experiences can be connected with depression as well. Often, when we’re feeling depressed, we don’t feel good about ourselves and may suffer from low self-esteem and low self-confidence, which can impact every other part of life too. Sometimes we can become so depressed that we engage in self-harming behaviors, ranging from overeating to cutting.
Other mental health diagnoses can also overlap with depression. Anyone who struggles with Bipolar Disorder knows that depression is a major part of the ups and downs. Often, anxiety and depression go hand-in-hand as well. Substance abuse and numerous other mental health struggles can co-occur with depression too. Sometimes these symptoms may be more organic and biological in nature, and sometimes they’re very tied to something going on in our lives. The environments we live in (home, work, school, community) can have a big impact on how we feel. Situational depression is real and can be debilitating, and you CAN get help. Heck, even the weather can affect our moods--Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a legit issue too!