Services

What causes depression?

Depression can happen for many different reasons and have many types of emotional triggers. Usually, it develops over long periods of time and can lead to a “downward spiral.”  Beginning counseling can help you learn how to cope with your feelings and talk them through.

What is anxiety? 

For some, anxiety is somewhat manageable, and can come and go and be very situational. When it is severe or chronic, this is when anxiety might begin to interfere with your everyday life.

In the case, the feeling of fear may be present all the time, and for no apparent or obvious reason. It is intense and can feel debilitating, even leading to things like panic attacks, panic disorder or agoraphobia.

This type of anxiety may cause you to stop doing things you enjoy. In extreme cases, it may prevent you from entering an elevator, crossing the street, or even leaving your home. If left untreated, the anxiety will only keep getting worse. Luckily, with talk therapy and sometimes the combination of medication management, you do not have to live in constant fight or flight mode and struggle this much. There is hope, and there is help for these things and what you are experiencing is very normal and more common than you might think.

When someone feels hopeless or isolated in their suffering or finds it difficult to trust easily, they can become further victimized by their own critical inner voice. In turn, they may fail to have compassion for themselves and may make choices that repeat destructive patterns of their past. For instance, an abused child may wind up in an abusive relationship as an adult.

It is essential for victims of trauma to find ways to differentiate from the negative programming they’ve received in moments of stress. In order to do so, they must be able to feel compassion for themselves and the intense emotional anguish they’ve endured. In therapy, we can focus on changing that negative inner voice over time, and over time, can learn how to love ourselves, despite having been hurt deeply in our past.

Feelings of high or low self worth often start in childhood. Family issues and dysfunctional patterns can follow a person into adult life. Low self-esteem can also become a problem, and unhappy relationships can also alter a person’s self-worth.

No one person is less worthy than the next person, and no one is deemed more important. Knowing this detail is crucial. To feel more confident and have healthy self esteem, it helps to put aside fears of being worth less than others. In therapy together, we can focus on your strengths, personal values, and improving confidence in yourself.

Talk therapy, is based on the core idea that talking about the things that are bothering you can help with emotional distress. In a talk therapy session, a therapist may help a person do the following: gain a better understanding of their emotions, identify roadblocks and obstacles to optimal mental health, overcome anxiety and insecurities, feel less depressed and alone, learn to cope with stress, process their own feelings, make sense of their world, and more.

Length of therapy can vary depending on your specific needs and circumstances. Some people come to therapy with a specific issue or concern, and brief solution-focused therapy may be the right fit. Often, that can last six to eight sessions. Some people come to therapy to explore issues that run very deep. They might engage in therapy for several months or even years. The length of time in therapy is up to mostly you, and a little bit of me. You can end therapy when you feel ready, or you can return sometimes when things might get difficult again as you go through the seasons of life and change.

Can a person be diagnosed with both ADHD and ASD?

More than half of all individuals who have been diagnosed with ASD also have signs of ADHD.

Both ADHD and ASD are neurodevelopmental disorders (brain development has been affected in some way). That means both conditions affect the central nervous system, which is responsible for movement, language, memory, and social and focusing skills.  A number of scientific studies have shown that the two conditions often coexist, but researchers have not yet figured out why they do.

With ADHD or ASD, brain development has been affected in some way.  Most importantly, that includes the brain’s executive functioning, which is responsible for decision making, impulse control, time management, focus, and organization skills. For many, social skills are also affected. While ASD is considered a lifelong disorder, long-term studies have shown that in one-third to two-thirds of children with ADHD, symptoms last into adulthood.

There is limited availability for visits to take place outside of the office environment, in central Omaha or Bennington area. Inquire about this if interested and to find out more information. Walk and talk therapy can include a nature walk, a visit to the lake or park, or  other types of outdoor settings.