Services: Providing Individual Therapy and Couples Therapy

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Couples Therapy, Relationship Therapy or Marriage Counseling:

When communication becomes difficult or hostile, stress and anxiety increases in a relationship, friendship and trust are lost between two partners, Couples Therapy or Marriage Counseling can change your relationship. It can help when the couple has become emotionally distant, on the verge of separation, or with specific problems such as infidelity, sexual difficulties, parenting or financial problems. In my approach to Couples Therapy or Marital Therapy, I use Gottman Method and integrate Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) as deemed appropriate.

 Interventions are well researched to help couples strengthen their relationships in three primary areas: 

· Trust

· Friendship

· Intimacy

The foundation of Gottman Method is the Sound Relationship House Theory. It helps couples improve friendship, deepen emotional connection by achieving greater understanding, repair past hurts and it creates change which help couples enhance their shared goals, meaning and intimacy. 

EMDR Therapy:

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy is a specialized approach to change one’s negative belief system to a more positive one. EMDR is therapy conducted in 8 distinct phases. It is a 3 pronged protocol that targets past memories, current disturbance and future actions. After successful treatment with EMDR therapy, affective distress is relieved, negative blocks are removed, and physiological arousal is reduced.

EMDR is helpful to overcome some form of past traumatic event. Its efficacy is well known

· PTSD

· Panic Attacks 

· Phobias. 

It might also be helpful in 

· Performance anxiety

· Pain disorders

· Body Dysmorphic Disorder

· Depression

· Attachment Disorder

· Generalized Anxiety Disorder

· Marital discord

Flash Technique:

The Flash Technique (FT) is a recently developed therapeutic  intervention originally developed as an addition to the preparation phase of EMDR is used for reducing the disturbance associated with traumatic or other distressing memories sometimes in as little as 10-15 min. Unlike many conventional trauma therapy  interventions, FT is a minimally intrusive option that does not require  the client to consciously engage with the traumatic memory. This allows  the client to process traumatic memories without feeling distress.

It is useful in a wide variety of presenting complaints including  

- anxiety, 

- obsessive-compulsive disorder, 

- mild and severe dissociation,  

- depression and more.

Depression and Anxiety:

When one experiences depression and anxiety there is an impact on the quality of life. 

Some of the symptoms of depression include, sadness or irritable mood, persistent guilt, increased crying, lack of interest in once pleasurable activities, lack of motivation, isolating from friends and family, difficulty concentrating, changes in sleep and appetite, persistent guilt, or in some severe cases suicidal thoughts.

When someone experiences anxiety or increased stress it can affect sleep, there are racing thoughts, worrying all the time or feeling panicked, heavy breathing, tremors, gastro intestinal symptoms, having urge to avoid certain things that cause anxiety.

Therapy can give hope for the future, help identify and change thinking patterns that maintain depression and anxiety, normalize life stressors that trigger depression and anxiety, increase self esteem and self worth by empowering and the person feels confident in their own decision making capabilities. Having someone to talk to who is empathetic and non judgmental, creates a safe place to express oneself. Maintaining healthy sleep hygiene and eating habits are essential as well.

Stress Management or Anxiety:

Stress is felt when there is too much of something and there is a feeling of unmanageability. Sometimes too much stress can lead to anxiety and sometimes experience of different stressors exacerbates those symptoms. Some of the commonly experienced life stressors include:

· Financial stress,

· Major transitions like moving, or kids going to college

· Break up or relationship conflict

· Work life balance

· School

· Major health changes

· Death of a loved one

Therapy can assist people learn stress reduction techniques that can help with prioritizing responsibilities or promoting self care or learning boundary setting and assertiveness. Felling understood and validated can reduce ongoing stress.

Burnout and Work Stress:

Burnout is a result of prolonged work stress leading to a state of emotional, physical and mental exhaustion. There is a loss of interest and motivation as a result of this continued stress. Burnout often reduces work productivity and there is loss of energy and a feeling of helplessness and hopelessness along with resentment. Burnout can start to affect other areas of one’s life. 

Simple stress is a feeling of overwhelm but there is still motivation and hope. 

Therapy can help in boundary setting, finding value in work, finding a work life balance, boundary setting, self care and re-evaluating career choice. 

Online Therapy or Video Therapy:

Online or Video therapy is mental health counseling via internet. It can be an advantage at times when one absolutely cannot make it to therapist’s office and would like to benefit from therapy. It is usually conducted over secure Internet connection but cyber safety is not guaranteed.