Seasonal Affective Disorder (not just the blues)

Feeling moody?  Irritable? Tired? Hungry?  Down in the dumps?  Maybe it's not just THE BLUES.  This is the time of year that Seasonal Affective Disorder (also called SAD) rears it's ugly head.  Diminished sunlight can produce changes in the brain's chemistry leaving you feeling miserable. SAD can interfere with your job, the quality of your relationships, your self esteem, sleeping and eating patterns, and so much more.  SAD  is a type of depression that typically occurs during this season, and can last into Spring.  SAD can steal your energy and cause you to have a negative outlook on life.    The good news is that SAD is a very treatable problem.  For most people short term intermittent therapy along with vitamins and increased (artificial) daylight can make a world of difference. Others may need medication to banish these  blues.   

If you find that you often get into a funk around this time of year, don't suffer on your own or  "tough it out".  Help is readily available.
Take care of yourself

~Bonnie~

Fast relief for anxiety, PTSD, depression, etc

I am now trained to practice a new type of therapy called ART.  I was attracted to this treatment because it provided fast relief. I do not want to practice any type of therapy that keeps someone  in pain, talking about things again, and  again, and again, without feeling any better.

 ART (Acceleration Resolution Therapy) was developed by Laney Rosenzweig, LMFT.  It is a new therapeutic technique used  to treat adults and children with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, sexual abuse trauma, phobias, obsessive compulsive disorder, addictions, grief and job or relationship issues.  ART reprograms the brain and makes positive changes for these conditions. Laney explains that “the experience is much like a regular talk session with the eye movements added to help clients quickly process the information they need to resolve their issues.  Clients leave feeling that a weight has been lifted and a wonderful change has been made.  They usually find healing in as few as one or two sessions in which the rapid eye movements are used - and it is a drug free therapy.” 

In ART, the eye movements are thought to be conducive to sorting out problems quickly through increasing the integration of activities in the left and right sides of the brain. These movements also seem to help the client process information by producing a deep feeling of relaxation. Yet ART is not hypnosis. During REM our brains are quite active and the brain waves are similar to those when we are in an awake state.

The main and crucial way in which ART differs from other eye movement therapies is that it is directive.  The therapist focuses the client’s thoughts through interventions, most of which are unique to ART, such as Voluntary Memory Replacement / Voluntary Image Replacement (VMR/VIR).  These interventions by the therapist actually empower the client.  It is the information provided by the clients as they process their problems that leads the clinician in directing the session.  The first of five “C’s” that contribute to ART’s uniqueness is “Client Centered” because the client is in control of the entire ART session and it is the client’s responses that shape the interventions.  ART is also “Creative”, both on the part of the therapist and the client, “Conversational”, much like a traditional talk session, “Closure Oriented”, because it is geared toward helping the client out of pain or discomfort as quickly as possible, and has a “Calming” effect on the clients as they work out their problems.

What is a Family Therapist?

Marriage and Family Therapist: The Family-Friendly Mental Health Professionals

Marriage and family therapists are mental health professionals with a minimum of a master’s degree and two years supervised clinical experience. Marriage and family therapists (commonly referred to as family therapists) are trained and licensed to independently diagnose and treat mental health problems. Family therapy is one of the core mental health disciplines and is based on the research and theory that emotional and family problems are best treated in a family context. Trained in psychotherapy and family systems, marriage and family therapists focus on understanding their clients’ symptoms and interaction patterns within their existing environment. M&F therapists treat predominantly individuals, but also provide couples, family and group therapy. Whomever the client, Family Therapists treat from a relationship perspective that incorporates family systems.

Most mental health professionals and their clients recognize the necessity of treating mental and emotional problems within the context of the family system. Research has shown that these family-based interventions are as effective—and in many cases more effective—than alternative interventions, often at a lower cost. Studies demonstrate that family therapy is a preferred method of treatment for depression, substance abuse, alcoholism, marital problems, child problems, couple enrichment, and schizophrenia, to name a few.

Family therapy for severe mental illness is one of the most well-studied and effective interventions in the mental health literature. Family involvement—including family psychoeducation, multifamily group therapy, and family therapy—have been consistently linked to better individual and family functioning. Research on couples therapy for depression indicates that couples therapy is the treatment of choice for couples in which there is both depression and couple distress.

Family-based interventions are also effective for persons with medical problems. Treatment outcomes show improvement in the identified patient, as well as in other family members. Family therapy is particularly effective with families who are providing care to elders and to a child with a chronic illness (e.g., asthma, diabetes, cystic fibrosis, cancer).


~ Adapted from the American Association of Marriage & Family Therapists