By Anonymous March 04, 2008
She uses her intelligence to hear and understand and help. I felt very comfortable with her. ...read more
By G & N Enterprises January 30, 2008
Thanks for the connection to our network, we will pass your information onto others, everyone needs Psychotherapy at least one time in life. ...read more
It's beginning to look like Spring is here! Time to renew our energy and intentions to create joy in life. For those who may struggle with ADHD, it could be a time to find new hope and helpful strategies. In the past 15 years there's been increasing awareness of ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder) in adults. It's estimated that 10% or more of the adult population has ADHD. The name creates confusion because many people assume that having ADHD means difficulty focusing attention. Actually adults with ADHD often have the ability to "hyperfocus" at times and to enjoy exceptional engagement in activities and experiences they find interesting. The physically restless, hyperactive aspect of ADHD often subsides as people mature and adults with ADHD may not experience such hyperactivity. Instead the adult with ADHD may be someone who is spontaneous, energetic, and creative. Adults with ADHD have had time to develop ways to compensate for their problems with attention. Common problems for adults with ADHD involve forgetfulness, time management, scattered thoughts, difficulty in planning, organizing , and prioritizing; as well as acting impulsively, and being easily irritated or frustrated. When the multiple tasks of life are experienced as overwhelming, procrastination may be over-relied upon as an attempt to manage the overwhelm, but this just creates more problems. As the adult with ADHD finds his or herself digging deeper into a hole of unfinished or undone tasks, he/she naturally feels frustrated and depressed, sometimes hopeless. Emotionally adults with ADHD often carry a great sense of failure and shame, especially if they have not been diagnosed nor benefitted from treatment and an awareness of the many effective ways that do exist to manage their symptoms. He or she may have lived their life believing that they are stupid or crazy or not good at the things others take for granted. He or she may feel isolated and alone. ADHD can also affect how the adult interacts in relationships and functions on the job. The current understanding of Adult ADHD indicates that it is a problem with the availabilty of chemicals in the brain, such as dopamine and norepinephrine. These chemicals are important in regulating stress, controlling alertness, and producing pleasurable feelings. Pharmaceutical medicines, alternative remedies, along with nutritional choices and exercise can affect our balance of these brain chemicals. It is an individual decision whether or not to take medication or explore other treatment options. However, it is important for anyone who thinks they may suffer from ADHD to be diagnosed by an experienced, caring professsional. Armed with greater knowledge of this particular variation in human brain functioning, adults with ADHD can seek out the resources and tools that abound. Join an online forum or support group. Participate in counseling. Change eating and exercise habits. Find and use new organizing tools. Learn that being different in how one processes experience doesn't mean being wrong or "bad". Live a new and self-directed life of one's fullest potential. If you have questions about your own experience or a loved one who may have ADHD, feel free to give me a call. And have a great day! ...read more
By Northside Counseling April 01, 2013
Good News for Psychodynamic Psychotherapy!Psychodynamic psychotherapy, sometimes known as "the talking cure," is based on Freud's ideas that current problems and symptoms are largely based long-standing psychological conflicts that can be determined by examining a person's past and the present interactions of the therapist-client relationship. While psychoanalysis and psychodynamic therapy were once considered by almost everyone to be the "gold standard" for psychological treatment, they have fallen out of favor during the past couple of decades. Psychodynamic training programs have been shutting down in droves, partially because there has been lack of "scientific proof" that this method works (because it is so individualized and depends so significantly on the relationship between therapist and client) but mostly because it is costly in terms of time and money. Once managed care and wider use of psychotropic medications became major factors in determining treatment, therapy that requires between two and four sessions per week (and their related fees) fell into general disfavor. Additionally, becoming a well-trained psychodynamic therapist or (ultimately) psychoanalyst took years of specialized training.Many people who were initially trained in psychodynamic and psychoanalytic theory have been disappointed to see how short-term and cognitive-behavioral techniques (which can be standardized for studies) have replaced the more intensive and uncovering type of work for almost all problems. Now an article just published in theJournal of the American Medical Association (JAMA, October 1, 2008)has reported that psychodynamic therapy that lasted at least a year or for more than 50 sessions had better overall outcomes for 96% of people who experience complex psychological problems (such as depression and anxiety), compared with people receiving shorter-term psychotherapy.Short-term and cognitive-behavioral techniques can be very useful for some types of problems and issues (particularly problem-solving, very specific issues, and as an adjunct to treatment with medication ), plus generally involve fewer sessions and therefore lower costs. People who experience long-term dissatisfaction with their lives, problems which keep interfering with life or relationships over and over again, or want to examine the quality and meaning of their lives can often do better with the longer and more frequent psychodynamic psychotherapies. These types of problems are generally rooted in more complex interactions of past experiences and relationships that require more time to get into and to examine with some effectiveness; then more time in therapy is needed to work out and practice new ways of thinking and acting.Here is the link to the New York Times article that reported on this exciting evaluation of psychoanalysis and psychodynamic treatment:http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/01/health/01psych.html?partner=permalink&exprod=permalinkHello World!Welcome to my blog.What I am hoping to accomplish here is to have a relatively- immediate and casual place to post articles, tidbits, and musings related to the rather largely-encompassing subjects of psychology, psychotherapy, and (in all honesty) life. If all goes well, there will also be responses, musings, and tidbits from readers.Because this is my first foray into the blogosphere, I suspect that there will be a certain process of trial and error -- although I hope not too many errors. I will be moderating comments, which means that I can and will delete posts that do not fit into what I consider a professionally-centered endeavor.Most specifically, I hope that there will be information and ideas here that readers will find helpful, interesting, and/or informative.Thanks for reading. ...read more
By Carol R Cann, MA, LCPC, CADC October 12, 2008
There are a wide variety of jobs in social service. From healthcare to government positions, social service jobs provide vital resources to people in need. Some work with children while others may work with the elderly. Many people in our communities rely on the services these trained professionals pr... ...read more
In this time of economic turmoil, jobs in health care are among the most stable and satisfying careers to be in. Healthcare provider is synonymous to recession proof. Health is everyone’s concern even in the midst of financial crisis, thus one of the most demanding jobs available is infant menta... ...read more