Treatment Options

Psychiatrist/Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner qualified to diagnose, treat, and prescribe medication.

Qualified to perform psychotherapy, psychological testing, among other professional services. The psychologist is not qualified to prescribe medication.

Qualified in performing therapy assists in providing support, healthier coping skills, and stress management. Therapists can provide individual, couples, or family therapy.

For those who desire Christian counseling, many churches have counseling programs and staff available. However, if you attend a church that does not provide services, we can refer you to a Pastor that has degrees in Pastoral Counseling, Social Work and Doctoral of Ministry.

A Nutritionist is an expert in the science of nutrition. They work with a person's lifestyle to help with weight loss or weight management, lower blood sugar in Diabetes and assist a person in planning and maintaining a healthy, well-balanced diet.

A Health Coach is an expert who often places their focus on positive psychology. The health coach assists the person in identifying their values and transform their goals into action. They motivate and encourage a person to live a healthy lifestyle. A health coach can provide support and encouragement for the person who has difficulty maintaining healthy behaviors.

Yoga has been around for many years, and there is some archaeological evidence that yoga has probably existed for over 5000 years. Yoga can be very beneficial in a variety of areas. It focuses on a person's breathing. Therefore, it can be used to help a person relax, stress reduction, lower blood pressure, reduce anxiety, help with insomnia, panic attacks, and much more. A qualified yoga instructor can assist with technique and goals. Yoga can be particularly helpful in Anxiety disorders.

Message therapy is another form of alternative medicine. There are different types of messages (i.e., Swedish, deep tissue, trigger point, etc.) talk with the massage therapist which technique is best for you. Message therapy can be very beneficial in the following:

Massage therapy can be a very effective treatment for many ailments. One of the few risks with this type of therapy is a person with any sort of blood clotting history. It is recommended to consult with their primary health care provider before receiving a message.

A fitness trainer can be very beneficial in many aspects; exercise, healthy eating, and a healthy lifestyle. For the person who desires weight loss, it is well worth it to schedule a consultation with a fitness trainer and work with them for a period of time to learn specific techniques in order to maximize results. Another very beneficial aspect of a fitness trainer is to allow them to demonstrate the proper use of weight equipment to prevent injury.

Acupuncture is a type of Chinese Medicine and has been around for some 2500 years. It can be a very beneficial form of treatment for many ailments. Not too many people like the idea of needles; however, this form of treatment can be highly effective. The actual needles used by the acupuncturist are very small and thin; therefore, very little discomfort is felt. Acupuncture can be effectively used in the following:

There is still much controversy with taking vitamins and/or supplements. I recommend using only products that are supported by research. Also, keep in mind, vitamins and/or supplements can have adverse effects, just like medications. Not all vitamins can be taken with certain medications. For example, many vitamins or supplements for energy contain caffeine, which can elevate your blood pressure. St Johns Wort can interact with many antidepressants. Always check with your health care provider and/or your pharmacist before taking OTC (over the counter) vitamins or supplements. Don't forget to include them when you are asked to provide a medication list because they do count!

*** Although there are a variety of options with alternative medicine available and many times can be safe and effective. However, it is always recommended to consult your family health care provider before making any changes with your health. A good place to start is a thorough physical exam.

Psychotherapy is a form of treatment that can be very beneficial (by itself or combined with medication or other forms of treatment). The Therapists' role is to help the patient with their thoughts, feelings, emotions, mood, and behavior, to improve coping skills in order to respond in healthier ways to life's challenges.

CBT- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy- Pioneered by Aaron Beck and Albert Ellis in the 1960s, assumes that maladaptive behaviors and disturbing mood or emotions are the results of inappropriate or irrational thinking patterns. The therapist helps the patient identify their thoughts and behaviors, causing the distress and changes those thoughts in order to readjust their behavior.

DBT- Dialectic Behavioral Therapy is often used with the person who has extreme shifts in emotional state and behavior instability, such as Borderline Personality Disorder. The Goal of therapy is to emphasize the need to change old thinking and behavior patterns from harmful and destructive to healthier ways.

EMDR- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing pioneered by Francine Shapiro in 1987. EMDR does not rely on "talk therapy" or believe a person must "rehash" all their past trauma to recover. Instead, EMDR therapists work with the person to develop a different way the brain processes information or trauma. After an EMDR session, a person can expect a lesser degree of feelings and emotions when the same images, sounds, and memories are brought to mind. In other words, a person will be much less "triggered" from past trauma or event; The person will remember the event. However, it will be much less upsetting to them. Although EMDR can be extremely helpful in issues such as PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), it can also be highly effective with other disorders as well. CBT, DBT, and EMDR can be used to treat the following disorders:

**Note EMDR can be very effective when a person is "stuck" in past trauma or abuse.

Client-Centered- The therapist provides support and empathy for the client, and the therapist normally does not give advice.

Creative Therapy- Therapists often use Art, Dance, and Drama to promote self-awareness and express trauma to facilitate change. This type of therapy can be very helpful for clients having difficulty verbalizing their emotions.

Crisis Intervention- The therapist's focus is to intervene as quickly as possible as the traumatic event to minimize destructive coping skills and create more productive coping skills.

Somatic/Body Therapy- The focus is the 'bodily' memory of trauma to assist the client in identifying where they are carrying physical tension or illness.

*CBT. DBT and EMDR are the most common types of therapy; however, a therapist may utilize any of the above therapeutic models in order to produce the most favorable outcome.

*Having many different types of therapy modalities available can be quite confusing for many; however, one important factor to consider when choosing a therapist is making sure the therapist has experience in the issue/issues you need help with. Therapists have different backgrounds, education, and experience, just like many other professionals.

Another important factor that is often crucial in a patient's treatment outcome is the "Therapeutic Relationship" between the patient and the therapist. According to Dr. Carl Rogers, "The Father of Therapy," a therapeutic relationship has the following characteristics: Genuineness, acceptance, empathetic, trustworthy, dependable, and a shared agreement of goals to accomplish in therapy.