Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT is a short-term, problem-focused form of behavioral treatment that helps people see the difference between beliefs, thoughts, and feelings, and free them from unhelpful patterns of behavior.
CBT is grounded in the belief that it is a person’s perception of events – rather than the events themselves – that determines how he or she will feel and act in response.
CBT can help with:
Depression
Anxiety
Panic attacks
Phobias
Obsessive compulsive disorders (OCD)
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Substance dependency
Persistent pain
Disordered eating
Sexual issues
Anger management issues
Most people with clearly defined behavioral and emotional concerns tend to reap the benefits of CBT. If any of the above issues resonate with you, I encourage you to try cognitive behavioral therapy.
With CBT, you’ll be able to adjust the thoughts that directly influence your emotions and behavior. This adjustment process is referred to as cognitive reconstructing, which happens through different CBT techniques.
Some CBT techniques are:
Journaling
Challenging beliefs
Relaxation
Meditation
Mindfulness
Social, physical and thinking exercises
Cognitive behavioral therapy is much more than sitting and talking about whatever comes to mind during a session. CBT sessions are structured to ensure that the therapist and the person in treatment are focused on the different goals of each session, which in turn ensures that each and every session is productive.
Are you having a difficult time handling the struggles in your life?
Could you use an expert opinion on what you’re going through, or a non-judgmental ear just to listen?
Do you think you could benefit the most from individualized attention?
Are you hesitant to talk to others about your problems?
If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then individual therapy could be the solution you’ve been seeking. Individual therapy differs from group or alternative therapy methods in the way that you are the sole focus of a single therapist who helps you develop and achieve your goals for therapy.
If you’ve been feeling hopeless or lost lately, or struggling with a problem in your life that feels unsurmountable, individual therapy could help you improve your everyday life. Individual therapy helps you win against whatever you’re battling by putting a real expert in your corner by means of a professional therapist.
So if any of these sound like you…
You keep worrying about the same problem over and over
You don’t know who you could ever trust with knowing about your secret struggle
You wish there was somebody who could tell you why you feel this way
You’re interested in therapy, but you don’t want to give up total control
Other areas of your life are being negatively impacted by your struggle
You need somebody to listen to you and your feelings for once
You’re interested in therapy, but not sure how it could fit into your life
…then individual therapy could be right for you.
Individual therapy is so helpful for so many people because it’s the best way to get truly customized therapy. Group therapy may have its own set of numerous advantages but if you want more control over the pacing of your therapy, the methods used, the amount of analysis or feedback you can receive, and the timing of your sessions, you owe it to yourself to look into individual therapy.
If you’re looking for help in improving your everyday life – or for a more tailored therapy experience – you would be a great fit for our individual therapy services.
Play therapy makes a difference. Play is an enjoyable, fun activity that elevates our spirits and brightens our outlook on life. Play relieves feelings of stress and boredom and, most importantly, helps us express ourselves.
What is Play Therapy?
Play therapy refers to a large number of treatment methods, all applying the therapeutic benefits of play. Play therapy helps children to address and resolve their own problems and builds on the natural way that children learn about themselves and their relationships in the world around them.
APT defines play therapy as the “systematic use of a theoretical model to establish an interpersonal process wherein trained play therapists use the therapeutic powers of play to help clients prevent or resolve psychosocial difficulties and achieve optimal growth and development.”
What does Play Therapy help?
Play therapy helps children:
Become more responsible for their behaviors and develop more successful strategies
Develop new and creative solutions to problems
Develop respect and acceptance of self and others
Learn to experience and express emotion
Cultivate empathy and respect for thoughts and feelings of others
Learn new social skills and relational skills with family
Develop self-efficacy and a better self esteem in their abilities
Play therapy aims to help a child’s growth and development. The practice of play therapy requires extensive, specialized education, training and experience. With my knowledge and background, I am confident that you and I can set your child up for success.
Is your teen under a lot of stress? Do they not seem as happy as they once did? Are they suffering from an eating disorder? Do you suspect they are using drugs?
Most of us remember our teenage years as a combination of great fun, burgeoning freedom and a tremendous amount of stress. During this time our hormone levels are skyrocketing, making us feel emotionally out of control. We also feel a greater need to perform well academically and fit into social circles. All of this stress can take its toll on a teen’s mental health and overall well-being.
Common Life Challenges Among Teens
Teens can often face some serious life challenges that impact their mental health and well-being.
Loss – Loss can come in the form of a death of a loved one, including a pet, and it can also come in the form of parental separation or divorce. Loss also happens when a family moves to a new location and the teen must go to a new school.
Stress – A little stress is normal in life and can even be motivating. But too much stress can cause burnout at any age. Many teens face tremendous amounts of stress to do well in school, hold down a job, and be accepted by their peers.
Violence – Teens that are bullied at school or at home suffer, and often alone. If not dealt with, the aftermath of violence can result in PTSD symptoms.
This is not an exhaustive list of reasons why a teen may want to speak with a therapist by any means. If you think your teen could benefit from therapy, please reach out to me.
“If only my child had come with an instruction manual!” That’s a thought that most parents have had at some point in their lives.
Nothing really prepares you to become a parent. Some of us were lucky enough to have parents that set a good example. But others grew up in homes where the dynamic between child and parent was anything but functional or consistently loving.
But the truth is, even if you did have loving parents that did right by you 24/7, you can never be fully prepared to handle sticky situations with your own children. You never really know what behavioral challenges your child may wind up struggling with, and how those will affect your other children and the family as a whole.
This is where parenting coaching comes in.
Coaching is a bit different from traditional psychotherapy or counseling in that it’s focus is more goal directed. Where as traditional therapy may have you spend weeks exploring past events to recognize how they have contributed to current moods and behaviors, parenting coaching helps you choose a goal (get my child to do their homework without a daily tantrum) and offers tried and true techniques to help get the outcomes you desire.
Who is Parenting Coaching For?
Parenting coaching is for any parent that wishes to resolve behavioral struggles with their children. These struggles can include typical daily struggles such as:
Morning routines
Homework struggles
Sibling bickering
But coaching can also help with more demanding behaviors that push the parent’s skillset. These include:
Dealing with a strong-willed child
Getting a picky eater to eat
Engaging with an angry or defiant teenager
Guiding a child with Attention Deficit issues
Let’s Get You the Results You Want
A coach is that person in your corner that offers the best tools to reach the goals you’ve set and cheers you on as you do the work and take the necessary steps. I’m here to share what I have learned over the years so you can gain control over your own actions and your home.
If you:
Are looking for ways to address behavioral issues in your child such as aggression and defiance…
Need help in taking care of yourself and managing your own stress…
Want to learn strategies to support your special needs child’s physical, emotional and social development…
Need guidance on creating a plan to address any other childcare issues or educational problems…
Couples counseling, also known as marriage counseling, is a type of counseling for intimate partners. It involves the exploration of any conflicts between the partners, is often short-term, and focuses on specific problems. Other goals of couples counseling are improving communication and interactions and strengthening relationships.
FIT (Female Integrated Training) introduces FIT for Girls Summer Camp! This week long program at Boss Wellness, LLC combines group training exercise and games and psycho education and processing groups with licensed therapist, Shantala Boss and licensed therapist Rhonda Rector. Groups are designed for girls ages 7 to 15. Girls will be separated based on age into groups.