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Welcome!
Dear Visitor,
Fall has arrived. As the weather gets cooler, we spend more time inside, evaluating our selves because we have more time to reflect on our lives. Welcome to the Fall edition of Healing Times, the newsletter for our Counseling and Wellness Center. In this newsletter, we will get down to basics and discuss the topic of therapy. What is therapy all about, what are the benefits, and how to get started in therapy. If you have a friend or family member who you think could benefit from learning about therapy, please feel free to forward this newsletter to them.
We hope the information in this edition will help empower you to have the courage to change what is not working for you and embrace what is. This will, in turn help you live your life in a more fulfilling and meaningful way.
If you have any comments or suggestions for what you want to see in our next quarterly newsletter, please send them to AnotherLook@HealingLLC.com. Enjoy!
Remember: "Change always comes bearing gifts." ~Price Pritchett
Take Good Care,
Amy L. Hooper
Director, Another Look at Healing, LLC
A Mind at Ease
Finding guidance for life.
Nothing eases the mind like having someone listen. Whether you are in a peaceful moment or a crisis, talking and sharing ideas can help you feel understood, validated, and supported as you navigate through life. This basic need is one of the reasons why connecting with friends, family, and loved ones is often an important part of feeling happy and fulfilled.
There are times, though, when it’s helpful to talk to someone who isn’t involved in your everyday life and has a more objective perspective. We all sometimes feel misunderstood, guilty, insecure, disconnected, or judged in our relationships. Because of this, everyone could benefit from having someone who can listen without judgment or defensiveness; someone who wants to see us grow, encourages us to embrace our strengths, and helps us take charge of our own lives. The confidence you gain from receiving guidance and confirmation on your life’s bearings can be invaluable for navigating our future.
For too long, seeing a counselor or therapist carried an unwarranted stigma of struggling with mental illness. The reality is that we all go through challenging transitions and stressful situations, and it takes maturity and self-awareness (and a certain level of sanity!) to realize how beneficial a bit of therapy can be. A therapist or counselor can be a confidante and provide the kind of support we could all use, especially during the stressful times in our lives. Many people go to therapy for a few sessions and feel better, while others want ongoing support for a couple of months or sometimes years.
Licensed therapists and counselors see their clients as whole people, not just a collection of “problems.” They can help uncover strengths buried deep within and reveal insights you may never have known or acknowledged. They can aid your understanding of your beliefs and patterns of thinking and help you gain perspective on what is happening in your life, clarify your dreams and goals for the future, and choose new ways of interacting with others.
What you discover in therapy guides you to change your behaviors, reactions, and choices in life. The counselor provides the tools; you choose how to use them in planning and building of your future.
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A Joyful Journey
Therapy takes you on a journey of self-understanding, healing past hurts, improving current relationships, increasing healthy coping mechanisms, and finding self-acceptance. You can learn to attend to your own needs, to self-soothe, to find validation from within, and to increase self-control and self-love.
One common strategy to explore in therapy is looking at the past to make sense of the present. The wounds and hurts of the past can give powerful clues about how you see and interact with the world today. Examining these past hurts and working to resolve them might be painful, but a therapist can support you through the process.
It takes courage to let go of the old patterns, negative self-messages, and destructive behaviors that are no longer working for you. With the support of a trusted therapist, you can gain a new perspective and begin seeing the world differently. You gain the ability to react and respond to situations in new, healthy ways. Examining the past and present guides the work of becoming the person you want to be and getting unstuck from your past.
Counselors may offer specific skills and coping mechanisms to help you in your healing journey. For example, they may teach deep breathing to decrease anxiety, specific communication skills to facilitate open dialogues, problem-solving techniques to help eliminate depression. The simple act of talking with your therapist will teach you something, too: how to calmly sit with strong feelings and emotions and communicate them to someone who cares about you. Practicing talking with your therapist can help you figure out how to communicate effectively in your other relationships. You can learn to express your true needs, discover what it’s like to have someone really listen and help you meet those needs, and be free from other people’s expectations and projected desires.
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The Right Relationship
The greatest benefits from therapy are a result of the ability to speak candidly with your counselor and trust him or her to create a safe space for you to explore your ideas, thoughts, and emotions. It is absolutely critical for the connection to feel like a “good fit” between you and your therapist, because that relationship provides the arena where change, growth, and healing can happen.
If you decide to try therapy, choosing a therapist will be an important decision. It’s okay to explore options and look around for the right professional to assist you during your journey.
First, choose several counselors and give them a phone call. You can find therapists online or ask friends or loved ones for referrals. Give a short summary of the challenges you’re facing and what you’d like to accomplish with therapy.
Take some time to learn about the therapist’s style. Ask each to tell you about their approach to counseling. Some give more feedback and are directive, while others are quieter and give you more time for self-reflection. There are therapists who give homework to do between sessions, while others do not. No technique is right or wrong, but one may be a better fit for you than another.
From your brief conversation, figure out whether it feels good to talk to this person; if it does, you can make an appointment.
While you are interviewing and deciding, it’s okay to book an appointment with a couple of different therapists. You can even let them know that you’re talking to several therapists to find the best one for you. A good counselor will want you to feel comfortable with whomever you choose and will support your process in finding a good match.
The future looks a little brighter when you walk out of a therapist’s office. Once you’ve found the right one for you, what seemed like chaos in your mind and your life can begin to make sense. You can learn to take control and live more fully, more authentically, right now.
And that puts a mind at ease.
If you are looking to connect with one of the therapists at our center, we have three wonderful counselors at our practice who specialize in different areas. If you want help individually or as a couple, if you are feeling overwhelmed, anxious or depressed and want support managing all of those feelings, and getting help figuring out what to do, call us today for a free consultation. You can call Amy directly at 240-274-5680 or by email at AnotherLook@HealingLLC.com and we can get you set up with a therapist who will be the best fit for you.
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Upcoming Events
Free Anxiety & Depression Screenings
As you may know, depression and anxiety affects many people around the world and often goes untreated. In a given year, depressive disorders affect approximately 18.8 million American adults or about 9.5% of the U.S. population age 18 and older. However, due to stigma and other factors, fewer than half of those suffering actually seek treatment.
To help fight the stigma around depression and help identify the problem, Another Look at Healing, LLC is conducting free National Depression Screening Days in October. As part of the program, participants will have the opportunity to complete brief and anonymous screenings for depression, bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and postpartum depression. Participants will be able to learn about the symptoms of depression, and how to help a friend or family member who may be at risk. Participants will also have the option of talking to a health care professional about any concerns they may have and they will receive multiple referrals to local treatment services.
Screenings will be offered from 9am to 8pm, Monday through Saturday, by appointment during the month of October. For more information about the event or to set up an appointment, contact Amy L. Hooper at 240-274-5680.
Upcoming Groups!
Personal Growth Group
*Only 5 spaces left!
Are you feeling stuck and want to work out your issues?
Do you value self-reflection and want to find greater understanding of yourself?
Are you looking for support in changing your life for the better?
If you answered yes, consider participating in our upcoming Personal Growth Support Group. A support group is a safe, protected environment where you can get help and support from others while you learn to make changes in your life. Discussing current and past issues and receiving feedback from the other group members can help you gain valuable perspective, problem solve your current issues and create lasting change. This group is for you if you are feeling stuck or want more from life and/or your relationships and want to work on developing into the person you want to be.
Learning To Speak Up - A Psychotherapy Group
*Only 5 spaces left!
Is it difficult for you to express your feelings?
When something bothers you, do you keep it to yourself?
Are you often worrying about what other people think about you?
Do you want to learn new, healthier ways of interacting with others while understanding your own feelings?
If you answered yes, consider participating in our upcoming psychotherapy group to help you overcome these issues. A psychotherapy group is a safe, protected environment where you can learn about both who you are and how you are with others. By discussing issues and receiving feedback from the other group members, while being guided by a trained psychotherapist, you can learn to understand how you feel and how others react to you and why. This group is for people who are facing a range of concerns including: difficulty communicating, lack of interpersonal skills, trouble getting what you want out of life, loneliness, poor self-esteem and social anxiety.
For more information or to sign up, please call or email Amy Hooper directly at 240-274-5680 or AnotherLook@HealingLLC.com.
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Quiz: Is Counseling Right For You?
by John M. Grohol, Psy.D.
http://psychcentral.com/therapy
Use this brief, time-saving questionnaire to help determine if you could benefit from working with a therapist or for help with a particular life problem or issue. The 7 items below refer to how you have felt and behaved DURING THE PAST MONTH. For each item, indicate the extent to which it is true, by checking the appropriate box next to the item.
A. I am concerned about a behavior (overeating for example), feeling (anxiety for example), current or past situation.
1. Not at all
2. Just a little
3. Somewhat
4. Moderately
5. Quite a lot
6. Very much
B. I am interested in learning more about myself, my reactions, my feelings and how my past effects my life.
1. Not at all
2. Just a little
3. Somewhat
4. Moderately
5. Quite a lot
6. Very much
C. I have tried stopping or reducing this behavior or feeling on my own.
1. Not at all
2. Just a little
3. Somewhat
4. Moderately
5. Quite a lot
6. Very much
D. I am finding it more difficult to cope with things than usual.
1. Not at all
2. Just a little
3. Somewhat
4. Moderately
5. Quite a lot
6. Very much
E. I am having trouble concentrating at work or school.
1. Not at all
2. Just a little
3. Somewhat
4. Moderately
5. Quite a lot
6. Very much
F. I find it helpful to think things through or talk about things that bother me.
1. Not at all
2. Just a little
3. Somewhat
4. Moderately
5. Quite a lot
6. Very much
G. I've been in therapy before and it's helped me.
1. Never
2. Yes, but it didn't help
3. Yes, somewhat
4. Yes, moderately
5. Yes, quite a lot
6. Yes, very much
Scoring:
If you answered mostly 1's and 2's, you may not need counseling but can always benefit from an outside perspective if you are interested.
If you answered mostly 3's and 4's, counseling could be really helpful for you to gain perspective, increase understanding and change patterns.
If you answered mostly 5's, 6's and 7's, we would strongly recommend counseling because it you could really benefit from getting some support and help with whatever you are struggling with.
If you are looking to begin counseling but are not sure where to start, call us today for a free consultation. You can call Amy directly at 240-274-5680 or by email at AnotherLook@HealingLLC.com and we can get you set up with a therapist that will be the best fit for you.
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