Therapy

Individual therapy, often called counseling, talk therapy, or psychotherapy, is a type of therapy that involves a patient and a licensed or trained therapist. Individual therapy generally takes place in the private office of a trained therapist, but it can also take place in a hospital, mental health facility, place of work, school, over the phone, and even chat or video conferencing in some cases with the advancement of technology. In therapy, it is important that the patient feel safe, secure, and know what they say is confidential. Without truly letting one’s guard down, most therapists will have trouble getting to the root of the cause.

Group therapy is when two or more people participate in a therapy session with one or more trained therapist at the same time. On a broad scale, group therapy can apply to a range personal disorders and problems including but not limited to eating disorders, anger management, and substance abuse. Group therapy can take place in professional settings, places of worship, peoples’ homes, and even public places. Group therapy can benefit those that go through improving self awareness and motivation to change, building trust and self-esteem, and feeling less isolated knowing others are facing similar problems. To benefit from group therapy the most, individuals must be willing to participate and be open to talk about their problems and challenges.

Family therapy can be helpful for many families because a patients’ family members are often times the people who can and will help aid the person back to recovery. Family therapy can be helpful in any situation that causes stress, anger, conflict, or grief.

Couples therapy is typically more focused on the current day to day problems and is designed to focus on managing situations and feelings. Effective marital and couples therapists can help in how the relationship between two people is viewed, modifying dysfunctional behaviors, decreasing emotional avoidance, improving communication, and focusing on both problems and strengths of the relationship.

One type of therapy that we choose to employ in certain circumstances is Recreational Therapy. This generally covers a range of recreational activities that help cultivate positivity and an increase in happiness for the patient. The overall premise of Recreational Therapy is that a moving and active body and mind generally helps to improve the happiness and overall health of an individual. The therapy is a fantastic tool, since it not only targets the mental or behavioral health issues, but adds elements that improve an overall healthy body and mind. While Recreational Therapy is an excellent tool for most patients, we often use it with geriatrics, pediatrics, individuals with developmental disabilities and those suffering from mental health issues.

EMDR, or Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing Therapy, is a type of psychotherapy that has been studied extensively, and proven extremely effective for individuals suffering from trauma. The benefits of EMDR means that the ability to overcome many types of psychological trauma or stress has never been easier. The treatment generally has 8 phases: History and Treatment Planning, Preparation, Assessment, Desensitization, Installation, Body Scan, Closure and Reevaluation. Each client may take more or less time to treat depending on their overall needs, since the overall goal of EMDR is to completely process all of the negative experiences, and to include the new experiences that can help get a patient back on track.