Being Present
Mindfulness Based Counseling
What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is the ability to pay attention to the present moment without judgment. It allows individuals to focus on the now, rather than get lost in the future or the past. It teaches us to disengage from our thoughts and take action toward things we care about. Mindfulness-based therapies have been widely recognized as an empirically based treatment for trauma, anxiety, depression, OCD, addiction, pain management, stress management, and many other issues that we face every day.
Mindfulness-based therapy in mental health involves incorporating mindfulness practices and principles into therapeutic interventions to promote psychological well-being and alleviate symptoms of various mental health conditions.
Here’s an overview of what mindfulness mental health therapy entails:
- Integration of Mindfulness Practices: Mindfulness therapy integrates various mindfulness techniques, such as meditation, body scans, mindful breathing, and mindful movement, into the therapeutic process. These practices help individuals cultivate present-moment awareness and develop a non-judgmental attitude toward their thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations.
- Focus on the Present Moment: Mindfulness therapy encourages individuals to focus their attention on the present moment rather than dwelling on past regrets or worrying about the future. By anchoring themselves in the present, individuals can reduce rumination and anxiety, fostering a greater sense of calm and clarity.
- Cultivation of Self-Awareness: Mindfulness therapy promotes self-awareness by encouraging individuals to observe their thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations with curiosity and compassion. Through increased self-awareness, individuals can gain insight into their patterns of thinking and behaving, which can lead to greater emotional regulation and self-understanding.
- Acceptance and Non-Judgment: Mindfulness therapy emphasizes acceptance and non-judgment toward one’s experiences, including difficult emotions and challenging circumstances. By learning to accept things as they are without resistance or judgment, individuals can reduce emotional suffering and develop greater resilience in the face of adversity.
- Integration with Evidence-Based Therapies: Mindfulness-based approaches are often integrated with evidence-based therapies such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). This integration allows therapists to tailor treatment to the unique needs of each individual while drawing on the strengths of different therapeutic modalities.
- Application to Various Mental Health Conditions: Mindfulness therapy has been found to be effective in treating a wide range of mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance use disorders, eating disorders, and chronic pain. Research suggests that mindfulness-based interventions can lead to improvements in mood, stress levels, coping skills, and overall psychological functioning.
Overall, mindfulness-based therapy in mental health offers a holistic approach to healing that integrates mindfulness practices with evidence-based therapeutic techniques, with the aim of promoting psychological resilience, well-being, and personal growth.
Learn More About Mental Health
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
PTSD is characterized by symptoms that often develop after we go through a traumatic incident. These symptoms can include feelings of depression and anxiety, intense fear, difficulty relaxing, constantly looking for potential threats, intrusive memories of the trauma, nightmares, and difficulty concentrating. Our therapists are trained in state-of-the-art trauma therapy, helping clients to improve their symptoms and ability to function in everyday life.
Depression
Do you feel sad or depressed much of the time? Are you exhausted, despite getting enough sleep? Do you feel as though you have lost your motivation to accomplish your goals, succeed at work, parent, etc? Depression is characterized by these feelings, as well as changes in your eating and sleeping habits, difficulty concentrating, and feeling worthless or not good enough. Sometimes, depression can be associated with thoughts of suicide or self-harm. Our therapists provide support to help you feel better and enjoy life again.
Work/Life Balance
Do you struggle with the ability to find the balance between your marriage, parenting, work, friendships, interests, and hobbies? In the last few years, as work has moved from in the office to remote, it has been hard to create a boundary between work and your personal life. We can help to create a plan to help restore a healthy work and personal life. We can work with you to put that plan into action, setting small goals, and leading toward creating a more meaningful and fulfilling life.
LGBTQI+
We are allies of the LGBTIQ+ community and recognize the diverse needs and support individuals need. We have worked with clients in the process of transitioning their gender, who are looking for support with managing the effects of hormones, changes in relationships, and community support. We understand while individuals may come into counseling for any number of reasons not related to sexuality, such as depression, anxiety, trauma, the LGBTIQ+ community has their own set of unique challenges as well. We are here to support our clients and provide a safe space to cope with stigma, discrimination, and mental health issues.
Relationships Problems
If you are struggling in your relationship, therapy can help! We address communication issues, emotional and physical intimacy, and creating a deeper more meaningful relationship with your partner. If stress is affecting your relationship, we can help to create a plan to address and improve both of your stress management skills.
Family Therapy
The goal of family therapy is to help improve your relationship with your spouse, partner, children, or parents. It addresses how the family deals with stress or problems, and improves communication and understanding.
Insomnia
Do you have trouble either falling or staying asleep? Have you tried doctors, medications, herbal supplements, and internet recommendations, without any real change in your ability to sleep and feel rested? Our therapists are trained in CBT-I, which is a state-of-the-art therapy that is very effective for insomnia. This is a relatively quick therapy, with fast results!
Anxiety
When anxiety becomes a problem, people can find themselves constantly worrying or afraid. They can feel physiological symptoms such as difficulty breathing, shakiness, rapid heart rate, exhaustion, and difficulty eating or sleeping normally. If you are struggling with anxiety, our therapists are trained in Mindfulness Based Therapy, which has been shown to be extremely effective in treating anxiety.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Do you struggle with unwanted and unreasonable thoughts that can cause you to feel anxiety? Thoughts can be related to contamination of germs, fears that you left your stove on in your house, fear of saying things because they may come true, or other distressing thoughts. These distressing thoughts then cause compulsions or repeated behaviors to manage them. Behaviors can include
-
- Repeated checking of the stove, locks, or appliances, even if you know it is off or locked,
- Frequently hand washing, even to the point of rashes or skin irritation,
- Compulsive list making
- Superstitious behavior
- Compulsive hair pulling
- Compulsive collecting or difficulty getting rid of things
- Needing to repeat a routine, such as opening or closing a door
Grief/Loss
It is inevitable that at some point in our life, we will experience the grief of losing someone we love. It is normal for grief to affect our relationships, work, motivation, and outlook on life. While grief is a very normal process, it can be helpful to have some additional support from therapists who understand the process, and help guide you in your healing process.
Stress Management
Stress is a big issue this day, whether it is from work, family, or life in general. Stress can cause a whole host of medical and mental health issues, such as upset stomach, headaches, pain, and muscle tension. Long term, stress can seriously affect our health, leading to heart attacks, IBS, Stokes, and cancer. Our therapists can teach you healthy ways to manage and decrease stress. Our focus is on creating balance and wellness in your life. If stress is caused by other mental health conditions, such as anxiety, depression, or PTSD, we can help to treat both issues in therapy.
Sexual Dysfunction
Sexual dysfunction is a scientific term for problems with desire, pain, and orgasm during sex. Clients seek help when they have problems maintaining an erection or having an orgasm before they are ready. Clients might also have problems feeling desire towards their partner or sex in general. Or maybe you feel pain during sex, which doesn’t have any type of medical cause. Our therapists can help to diagnose and treat many different sexual dysfunctions that cannot be addressed by medical professionals.
Couples Counseling
Are you struggling with your relationship? Is it hard to talk about what is going on? Do you start fighting about one thing with your partner, only to find that you are fighting about something else entirely? Would you like to feel closer to your spouse? Our therapists can help improve communication.