Anxiety
Worry, stress, fear, restlessness....anxiety goes by many names. Whatever you call it, it can be a disruptive and unwelcome creature that stays with you every where that you go. While difficult to escape, running from it and avoiding it may only make things worse.
My approach towards working with anxiety is focused on regaining control in certain areas in your life. Although paradoxical, this often involves accepting that which you cannot control and focusing on the areas which you can control. I tend to lean towards cognitive-behavioral and relational approaches when addressing anxiety.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is another category that falls under the anxiety umbrella. When thoughts and behaviors become ritualistic and intrusive, exposure therapy is warranted. Exposure therapy can be both supportive and intense as it challenges clients to confront their thoughts and fears as a means of overcoming them.
Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
ADHD is often misunderstood. Not only does one with ADHD often struggle with challenges related to planning and organization, but the effects often spill over into other areas of one's life. For example, individuals with ADHD often encounter relationship and work challenges which contribute to feelings of stress, worry, and feeling "not good enough."
Let's work together to establish a positive structure and routine while also addressing and relieving those unpleasant thoughts and feelings.
Depression
Have you asked "Do I have depression?" to a search engine?
Whether you're asking the question to a computer or find yourself pondering the idea throughout your day and you find that you've felt down more days than not for the past two weeks, you're not alone. Around 1 in 20 of us will experience depression in a given year.
Individuals with depression often identify as feeling "stuck" and not being able to move forward. The goal of therapy is, of course, to help you become unstuck. We work towards this by recognizing the events, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that led to where you are today and identify your strengths and strategies that you can use to help get you back on track and reduce the likelihood of revisiting this place in the future.
Family Therapy
Our lives are a process of trial-and-error in which we hope to grow and improve. And while we try our best, it is not uncommon to feel as though we have come up short.
Relationships can commonly highlight these frustrations and feelings of "I just can't win." Though, when family conflict or parenting challenges arise, it does not mean that parents are bad, the family is broken, or that a child is uncontrollable.
When we run into these challenges, it is often because members of the family are stuck in patterns of thoughts and behaviors that are unproductive.
Whether you'd like to restore peace in your life and home by working on your relationships with your children, with your partner, or with your siblings, our work together would involve creating a supportive space where we can examine the role that each person plays in the family, examine the family structure, rules, and patterns of interaction, and challenge the behaviors that are contributing to the challenges.
Men's Issues
What are Men's Issues?!
As a society, we tend to place expectations on how others should think, feel, and behave based on nothing more than gender, sexuality, social status, etc....
Often, success seems synonymous with how well one can fit the mold and "play the part" of those expectations. Overtime this can lead to feelings of anger, frustration, loneliness, confusion, hopelessness....and, complicating the issue is the cultural expectation that to "be a man" we are taught to suppress these feelings and not express them.
Let's challenge that faulty assumption. If you're feeling any of the above, let's talk. If you think that being in therapy makes you weak or less of a man, let's challenge that, too while considering the strength and courage that it takes to share yourself and open up about life's challenges.
If you've read this far, you're obviously interested. Pick up the phone and let's get started.
Relationship Issues
Whether you're considering advancing your already long-term relationship or are unsure of what is best for you, your partner, and your future, couple's therapy can be a great place to lay out the challenges, identify your relationship goals, and begin to work towards them.
After identifying your challenges and goals, therapy often involves a process of better understanding both your and your partner's relationship history (including the family dynamics that you grew up with!) and how they play a role in your relationship today. As you continue to better understand yourself and your partner we'll then likely work on recognizing your relationship strengths, improving communication, and highlighting any patterns in the relationship that hold you back from being where you'd like to be.
While this process can be tiring, it is a great way for you and your partner to work towards your goals, better understand one another, and grow closer together if that is your wish.
Education
The Chicago School of Professional Psychology
License
License No. 071-009160
Years in practice
9 years
Verified |
Licensed in IL
312-934-7701
