Feeling like something is not quite right? Experiencing unusual thoughts? Seeing or hearing things that others do not? Worried about your mental health? Or someone else's?
I have considerable experience working with adolescents and adults who are experiencing mental health concerns, including unusual thoughts or perceptions. This includes individuals with "prodromal psychosis", a period of gradual change in psychosocial functioning, often over several months. Individuals start to experience a change in themselves, such as lack of interest in activities, and socializing. It may become more difficult to concentrate at school or work. Feelings of irritability, anxiety, and depression may be present. Changes in the usual way of thinking may become evident. Loss of energy, and trouble with sleep are also common. These changes may be accompanied by such things as beliefs that are out of the ordinary, or suspiciousness.
I provide Cognitive Behavior Therapy to assist you in learning to manage your own mental health so that problems feels more manageable and within your control. Everyone is capable of learning to manage their own mental health.
You may be wondering what CBT looks like in practice. Most often it involves my gently asking about your beliefs, the evidence for and against them, and advantages and disadvantages of believing in them, while developing alternative beliefs that make sense to you. In addition, we will explore how you developed your belief(s), including such things as important or significant recent events, and interpretations of events, and possibly early life experiences that may have contributed to a bias toward having such a belief. We might also work on strategies for re-entry back into parts of your life that you may have given up or stopped. It is often helpful to continue your involvement, or partially resume things like employment, school, and other social activities that you may have reduced, as this itself has proven to be helpful to people, and can reduce preoccupation and feelings of distress also.
Please feel free to contact me if you have questions about CBT treatment, or to schedule an appointment.
What lies behind us, and what lies before us, are tiny matters compared to what lies within us - Ralph Waldo Emerson