Mental Health Care
DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, be sure to let us know. We will be happy to work with you.
Depression and anxiety are commonly presented together. Depression can manifest physically through symptoms such as stomach pains, headaches, disrupted or excessive sleep, and digestive problems, or emotionally through feelings of apathy, sadness, guilt, and exhaustion. Anxiety presents in various forms, but generally, it entails a sense of fear and dread accompanied by a range of physical symptoms such as shortness of breath, trembling, sweating, and dizziness.
While the causes of depression are unknown, a predisposition for it runs in families and it can be triggered by trauma and adverse life circumstances. Depression is diagnosed more frequently in women and tends to display differently in women than in men.
Women tend to suffer higher rates of depression after giving birth and in late fall. Depression and anxiety often exacerbate each other and people with depression commonly have difficulty concentrating on tasks and conversations. Some people abuse alcohol and drugs or overeat as a way of coping, causing them to develop other medical problems. Depressed people are also at increased risk for self-harm.
Due to the risk of self harm generally associated with depression, it is important that you seek professional help if you are experiencing any of these symptoms or multiples of them over a period of time in excess of two weeks. Every case is unique and requires individual attention, but there are a number of effective complementary ways of treating depression, including; talk therapy, medication, and adopting a healthier lifestyle. Please feel free to talk to us about it.
PANIC ATTACKS AND PANIC DISORDER
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, be sure to let us know. We will be happy to work with you.
Panic attacks are brief episodes of extreme fear. They may be mistaken for heart attacks or strokes but are actually psychological rather than physical. They can occur suddenly and usually peak within ten minutes. Most panic attacks end within 20 to 30 minutes.
Some symptoms include:
Chills
Nausea
Sweating
Chest pain
Palpitations
Shaking
Feelings of suffocation
Sometimes panic attacks are isolated incidents, but if a person has had at least two panic attacks and lives in fear of having another, they may have panic disorder. A panic attack can happen without an obvious cause, but people with panic disorder may develop phobias related to something they associate with panic attacks, including open spaces, and large crowds.
Panic disorder is classified as an anxiety disorder, and like other forms of anxiety, it is commonly treated with a combination of therapy, medications, and healthy lifestyle changes. Anxiety patients are also encouraged to do breathing exercises, get regular exercise, and to avoid stimulants.
PHOBIAS
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, be sure to let us know. We will be happy to work with you.
Encountering certain obstacles or situations may leave one frightened, such as being afraid of the dark, high heights, certain animals or taking a injection. Most of us are able to remain calm, rationalize the situation, and find a way around it, but this doesn’t work for everyone. In the US, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, 9.1% of the adult population live with some kind of phobia.
What is a phobia?
Phobias, according to the American Psychological Association, are intense fears that result in distress and can be intrusive. Individuals with this anxiety disorder have an irrational fear of things that don’t pose any real threat.
Treatment options:
Treatment options for specific phobia may include psychotherapy, medication and stress management techniques. While one of these methods may work for some, professionals may provide their patients with a combination of these treatments and remedies. Unfortunately, the cause of anxiety disorder is unknown. It may be due to genetics, the environment, or even developmental. But until then, people dealing with phobias should seek help.
STRESS MANAGEMENT
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, be sure to let us know. We will be happy to work with you.
Almost everyone encounters some form of stress at some point during their lifetime. It may be triggered by never-ending bills, demanding schedules, taxing workload, or family responsibilities. Any one of these factors or multiple of them, can make stress seem inescapable and uncontrollable. Stress management skills are designed to help a person take control of their lifestyle, thoughts, and emotions, and teach them healthy ways to cope with their problems.
Working with a professional will allow you to identify your stressors and the role you play if any, in contributing to or maintaining the stressful situation. You will be able to eliminate the realistic stressors and develop consistent de-stressing habits. Working with a collaborative professional using appropriate psychotherapy interventions and behavioral and lifestyle changes, clients are usually able to reduce and manage their level of stress.
GRIEF AND LOSS
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, be sure to let us know. We will be happy to work with you.
Throughout the course of our years, we all experience a loss at some point in our lives. Feelings of grief and loss are not always associated with death but may surface after a loss of some kind –the loss of job, or cherished relationship, a pregnancy, a pet, or even an opportunity.
Feelings of grief can be overbearing. It can leave a person feeling sad, hopeless, isolated, irritable, and numb. It may affect us mentally, emotionally, and physically. We understand that healing from grief is a process, and everyone copes with this emotion differently. We gentle work with clients to improve their coping skills, reduce any feelings of blame or guilt and explore and process their emotions.
If you are experiencing a feeling of grief over an extended period of time, we encourage you to consider seeking professional support.
WORK AND CAREER ISSUES
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, be sure to let us know. We will be happy to work with you.
The workplace for many of us is an interfacing of different personalities, communication styles, world views, and cultural and ethnic orientations. Navigating our way safely around these differences can be challenging, especially when dealing with certain personalities.
Issues such as poor job fit, mental anguish, sexual and emotional harassment, discrimination and low motivation or job dissatisfaction can take a psychological toll on a worker and even compromise their physical health.
How Can a Therapist Help?
Therapy for work and career issues can help a person develop a better understanding of their wants and needs as well as approach alternative ways to handle tension while on the clock. Therapy is a neutral setting where clients can discuss their fears, worries, or stressors, and regain control of their happiness. A mental health professional can also teach coping skills that will help a person manage work-related stress.
CONFLICT RESOLUTION
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, be sure to let us know. We will be happy to work with you.
Like stress, conflicts are an inevitable part of life. We all have moments of disagreement in our everyday lives, but there are several positive strategies to utilize when it comes to dealing with conflict.
What qualifies as a conflict?
Conflicts generally arise from contending or competing behaviours. They often occur because people perceive some form of threat to their needs, interest, or concerns. According to the Office of Human Resource Development at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, these are some approaches taken to conflicts.
Avoidance: This is the person who wishes to ignore the problem and will allow it to dissipate or squander. However, in many cases, quite the opposite occurs. The problem then festers under the surface until it’s no longer avoidable and will need to be addressed.
Standing your Ground: People who use this technique may appear controlling and aggressive in their means of communication. They fear not having their needs met if they don’t set the rules and direct the conversation.
Surrendering: Often perceived as the diplomat, the person using this tactic concedes to the needs of others. They place the needs and opinions of others on their own because preserving the relationship(s) is the ultimate goal.
Compromise/Sacrifice: This method is a sort of concession and, while it seems to be a good route to take, it’s not the best approach. People in this category make a sequence of tradeoffs which means they are focusing on what they want as opposed to understanding the other’s viewpoint.
Collaborate: People who practice collaboration care about win-win solutions. This simply means that they scout common aspirations and needs and strive for a consensus. This style requires a lot of cooperation, assertiveness, and communication among the parties.
Working with a therapist will allow you to process your perceived threat to your interest and balance it against the varying competing forces in a manner that allows for cooperation and mutual satisfaction.