Preparing for Mental Health Teletherapy
Finding mental health teletherapy Teletherapy has been an accepted treatment modality for the last several years, but it has gained popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mental health counseling via teletherapy is particularly valuable because it provides access to treatment and convenience factors that are not available with traditional in-person therapy. In addition to online mental health counseling, several other types of therapy can be made available on a telehealth platform: Addiction counseling: Online addiction counseling is a great medium for those in recovery who are still looking for outpatient support. A teletherapist specializing in online addiction counseling can provide treatment [...]
What Types of Therapy Are Helpful For Depression?
Depression is a potentially debilitating mental health disorder. It’s also one of the most common. The CDC states almost 5% of adults report suffering from depression each year. However, cases may be underreported. Other sources place the actual number of individuals living with the disorder much higher. There is good news: depression is highly treatable. Each year we continue to learn more about mental health disorders and effective methods for treating them. Therapy is one such depression treatment. Therapists use a range of therapeutic techniques to help their patients overcome depression. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, [...]
Using Radical Acceptance to Cope with Difficult Times
As many people have come to experience since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, it can be hard to cope during difficult times. As we face challenges, whether it’s a pandemic, a struggling relationship, or other personal hardships, it’s important for our mental health and physical wellbeing that we find healthy ways to cope with our emotions. Radical acceptance is a distress tolerance skill that can be used during challenging times to better cope with and process our emotions. What Is Radical Acceptance Therapy? Radical acceptance is a distress tolerance skill that helps individuals facing difficult experiences and painful emotions [...]
Common Mental Health Issues Affecting LGBTQ Individuals
Reviewed by Dara Gasior, PsyD Director of Assessment and Training for High Focus Centers Research indicates that individuals who identify as LGBTQ have a greater risk for mental health struggles. This is likely due to a variety of factors, such as discrimination, rejection, and the stress of the coming out process. It’s important to be aware of common mental health issues that LGBTQ people may experience so you can identify any struggles in yourself or a loved one. Trauma Disorders Members of the LGBTQ community are more likely to live through traumatic events like bullying, discrimination, harrassment, and even hate [...]
How to Teach Your Kids Healthy Coping Skills
Childhood is thought of as a carefree time, but kids have just as many challenges as adults. They may even become overwhelmed by their emotions at times. As a parent, you can teach your child how to handle these situations by using healthy coping skills. What Are Coping Skills? Coping skills are strategies we use to manage difficult emotions. Your child probably already uses certain coping skills; they just might not be aware of it. Work with your son or daughter to identify the strategies they use right now and whether or not these strategies are healthy. Healthy vs. Unhealthy [...]
Common Mental Health Disorders that Co-Occur with Eating Disorders
Some people experience the symptoms of an eating disorder and other mental health disorders at the same time. For example, you might have the lack of energy and sadness common with depression while also severely restricting your food intake. So which mental health disorder should you be diagnosed with - depression or an eating disorder? In many cases, you’ll actually be diagnosed with both. These two conditions are called co-occurring disorders since they happen at the same time. How Common Are Co-Occurring Disorders? Co-occurring mental health and eating disorders are more common than you might think. According to a 2015 [...]
The Relationship Between Depression and Anxiety
Depression and anxiety are two of the most common mental health conditions. In the year 2017, there were 264 million people living with depression and 284 million living with anxiety disorders globally. There are distinct symptoms for each of these conditions, but there is also a link between them. Here we provide an overview of the symptoms of depression and anxiety, and how they influence each other. Symptoms of Depression Depression is a serious mental health disorder marked by these symptoms: Losing interest in activities that you used to enjoy Feeling sad most of the time Feeling worthless or guilty [...]
Trauma & Anxiety Coping Skills: Tip of the Day
Christine Pancurak, LSW and Lead Trauma Clinician on the Adult Psychiatric Team at High Focus Centers in Freehold, NJ, demonstrates a common technique used to reduce feelings of anxiety and negative bodily sensations called ABS or Alternative Bilateral Stimulation. Follow Christine as she moves her hands rhythmically in an alternating left-right pattern that allows the logical and emotional sides of the brain to communicate. This simple, 5 minute exercise is most effective when used at the onset of anxious feelings to prevent escalation and can be repeated as many times as needed.
Trauma Recovery: 6 Ways Your Body Can Be an Ally
Written by Gwen Blumberg Islam, LSW, Clinician for High Focus Centers in Paramus Often after experiencing trauma, the body can start to feel disconnected or even like the enemy, and reconnecting to it can be a scary thing to consider. There was likely a time when being in your body was a painful place to be, and it might have seemed safer, and even necessary, to disconnect from it. There’s a good chance your body might still experience pain or discomfort as a result of past trauma, and it’s only natural to have an initial urge to avoid that. However, [...]
How to Overcome Health Anxiety: 3 Helpful Tips
Health anxiety is an obsessive and often irrational worry about suffering from serious medical conditions. It is more formally known as illness anxiety, and used to be known as hypochondriasis. Someone who suffers from health anxiety will obsess over their health: from their normal body functions to contracting illnesses and diseases. They may frequently visit their physician or spend large amounts of time reading about their symptoms and possible conditions. In severe cases, health anxiety can become disruptive to a person’s life. It can interfere with their daily activities, hurt their work performance, and even cause strain in relationships. Fortunately, [...]
Focus on: Reducing Stress via Guided Visualization
Danielle Minkin, Licensed Professional Counselor and Board Certified Registered Art Therapist for High Focus Centers in New Jersey, shares a guided visualization reading - a powerful tool used to help reduce stress, relieve tension and strengthen the immune system by allowing the imagination to relax. Settle into a quiet, comfortable spot, close your eyes and breath deeply while Danielle's soothing voice transports you to a calm, peaceful place of your imagination. Engage your senses and explore soothing sounds, sights and smells that you can return to anytime you feel anxiety, stress or uncertainty.
Insights On: Safety Planning
Dr. Kai-ping Wang, Chief Medical Officer of High Focus Centers, identifies and defines Safety Planning as an important facet of mental health care often used to mitigate suicidal thoughts, substance abuse, symptoms of eating disorders, explosive anger or any intense emotions that could lead an individual to partake in unhealthy or dangerous behavior as a result of compromised judgment or reasoning ability. Best developed under the guidance of a qualified medical professional such as a therapist or counselor, Safety Planning includes 6 distinct steps from identifying triggers to seeking a safe environment to contacting professionals that an individual can practice [...]
