Every child is unique and special but sometimes they experience problems with feelings or behaviors that cause disruption to their lives and the lives of those around them. Changes in the family due to divorce, death of a family member, move to a new school or a new city can intensify these feelings. These and other disruptions in daily life are difficult to work through for the child and their parents. The guidance of a trained professional can help.

Therapists who work with children utilize a number of different therapeutic interventions such as play therapy, art therapy or role playing. Techniques of using token economies, behavior contracts and effective communication strategies are just some of the techniques that are taught to parents. Tools are given to the children, as well as the parents, to help elicit the best overall emotional and behavioral health for the child.

Parenting can be overwhelming, but a caring competent therapist may be all that you need to feel relief or reassurance. A parent may delay asking for help due to a concern that they will be blamed for their child’s behavior. Feeling responsible for a child’s distress or problem is a normal part of caring. The fact that you have the commitment to start addressing the difficulty is a significant part of helping your child.

An experienced child therapist will help you find an effective way to help your child.

Adolescence – that period of life that can be as tumultuous for a child as it is for his or her parents. In the struggle towards adulthood, adolescents today face a myriad of issues that can cause not only stress, but troubling issues that can cause pain and fear.

Some teens may struggle with low self-esteem, depression, eating disorders, anxiety disorders, drug and alcohol abuse. Others may question their sexuality, or have suicidal or self-injurious thoughts and impulses. Adolescents also may have issues that revolve around academic pressures, transitioning to college or changes at home. Their stressors may come from within as they deal with their own perfectionism and feelings of inadequacy.

It is the rare teen who wants to go to therapy, but when they won’t talk to you, or that just isn’t doing the trick, it is important that the parent reaches out to a professional that their teen can talk to. A therapist who is experienced in working with adolescents will know how to break down the barriers and provide the help that is needed.

In addition to providing your teen with the compassion, support and guidance they need, the therapist can help improve communication and rebuild relationships that have been strained or damaged. A qualified mental health professional is an excellent resource for the parents as well during these trying times. The therapist can help the parents understand why their child acts out with rebellious, willful behavior and how they can help their child to express their needs and wants in a more productive way. When parents allow the process of re-forging the lines of communication, they dramatically improve their relationship with their teenager and create an environment where positive behavioral change is possible.

Eventually we all make the transition from a child to an adult, and with professional assistance in times of trouble, your adolescent can make this journey successfully.

The pressures and responsibilities facing adults today can make life burdensome and even joyless. Overwhelming job stressors, unhappy marriages or difficult life transitions can lead to an overriding sense of futility, helplessness, or isolation. Reaching out for professional guidance can seem intimidating, but contacting a therapist may provide the help you need to heal, become motivated, and create an overall sense of confidence and well-being.

Issues such as low self-esteem, anxiety or depression can be effectively addressed with the help of a caring, competent therapist.  An experienced clinician can offer men and women support and encouragement, as well as provide practical, solution-focused techniques in the confidential setting of individual therapy.  Successfully transform your life with new tools and strategies, achieve your personal goals, and fully enjoy the pleasure, peace and fulfillment that you have been seeking.

Relationships……..intimate and satisfying……..yet frustrating and perplexing…….keeping the love you have discovered is harder than ever in today’s fast-paced world, fraught with unrealistic images and constant change.

Couples often find themselves at an impasse, wanting to connect to one another, but unresolved conflicts and blocked communication prevent genuine intimacy.

Couples therapy is a powerful intervention—working with a clinician can help you identify core issues and learn proven strategies to successfully rebuild and strengthen your relationship.

Difficult, and often painful topics like sex, infidelity, and money, or family stressors such as co-parenting and managing in-laws can be safely addressed in the privacy of a couple’s therapy session. If you are in crisis, or simply need to improve your ability to relate fairly and cultivate better problem-solving skills, couples therapy is a wise alternative.

Learn to develop and maintain the special commitment you have made, and you will enjoy the reward and satisfaction of a love that will endure.

Family therapy helps family members improve communications and resolve conflicts. These sessions can teach you skills to strengthen family relations and get you through stressful times, even after you have completed your therapy sessions. Family therapy can help you improve troubled relationships with your spouse, children, or other family members. Specific issues such as marital or financial problems, or conflict between parents and children can be addressed. If a family member is dealing with substance abuse, a mental illness or a serious physical illness, the entire family is impacted. Your family can benefit from sessions together with an experienced family therapist to learn how to adjust to these types of situations.

Patterns of family behavior develop over time and can be difficult to change. Communication can seem to go round and round in circles until the intervention of a skilled neutral party, who is able to sort out the issues in a safe and confidential environment. The family members are more inclined to feel free to share, knowing everyone’s feelings will be protected and respected.

Family therapy typically brings several family members together for therapy sessions. However, a family member may also see a family therapist individually.

Sessions usually last about 50 minutes to an hour. The frequency and number of therapy sessions you’ll need will depend on your family’s particular situation and the therapist’s recommendation.

During family therapy, you can:

• Examine your family’s ability to solve problems and express thoughts and emotions
• Explore family roles, rules and behavior patterns to identify issues that contribute to conflict — and ways to work through these issues
• Identify your family’s strengths, such as caring for one another, and weaknesses, such as difficulty confiding in one another.

Family therapy can be useful in any family situation that causes stress, grief, anger or conflict. It can help you and your family members understand one another better and bring you closer together.

In family therapy your therapist will help by providing a variety of techniques to help your family specifically. Communication skills, conflict resolution, anger management and parenting techniques are just a few of the tools you may come away with at the end of your session. The implementation of these skills are what can lead your family to a new way of functioning. The positive transformation will build a stronger, happier family and an overall more happy and fulfilling life for everyone.