Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: The focus of CBT is noticing how our thinking impacts our moods and behavior. Are you the type to think that if something isn’t done perfectly then it is no good at all. If you have a bad morning, do you think the whole day will be terrible? Do you minimize the good things you do? If this kind of thinking impacts your mood and causes you to avoid things, get angry quickly or give yourself a hard time, this might be a great course of action for you.

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy informed care: DBT is a therapy created by Marsha Linehan that addresses extremes in mood and behavior. It involves structured individual sessions, monitoring of behavior at home and extensive learning of coping skills including mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotion regulation and distress tolerance. Full DBT involves multiple staff members and coping skills taught in a weekly group session. DBT informed care can be done with one therapist with a combination of the same structured individual counseling but with coping skills being taught in the individual session.

For more information about a full DBT program you can contact: Community Mental Health of Central Michigan at 800 317 0708 or DBT Institute at 517 367 0670.

As of June 6 I will no longer be able to offer telehealth services. Those who know me know that I struggle with chronic migraine. For awhile I had it under control for the most part with preventative medication. Since covid and the sharp increase to telehealth services for hours at a time I have had a huge increase in migraines.

If you prefer telehealth services I will be happy to provide you with referrals to other great therapists (two of which are in my same office building!). Social distancing is mandated, I have face masks and hand sanitizer available to those who need it and the waiting room and session room is cleaned after each client. I ask for only the client to come to session to minimize exposure. If you are bringing a child for therapy I ask for one caregiver and the child to come only. Again I need to minimize risk of exposure of covid to those coming in for help. Therapy is not effective if you do not feel safe. Safety is my priority.

In Buddhism there is something called the eight fold path which are daily life skills that bring peace and happiness to one’s life. It includes Right Action which is doing the right thing in a situation, Right Speech is saying what you mean, not holding back but speaking kindly and speaking the truth. The eight fold path includes a lot of being able to trust yourself and what you think and feel. After a trauma people experience a lot of self doubt and even hatred with their own bodies. Learning to recognize how your body works and reacts to things is essential for making progress in therapy. That is the point of using mindfulness in therapy. When you understand what is going on inside of you, even if it’s uncomfortable, you can begin to work with it instead of hide from it.