Telehealth Therapy Services

This has been a season of adapting.  One way our office has adapted is through providing online services, also called Telehealth Therapy, to our new and existing clients.  You may be wondering: What is Telehealth Therapy is like?  Who can it help?  What supplies are needed?  We have the answers to these questions and additional details all in out blog - Teletherapy Services.

During Teletherapy, our therapists may be using different, but equally effective forms of therapy and interventions.  We can provide all our in-office services of child counseling, teen counseling, and adult counseling.  Examples of some of the forms of treatment we can provide over Telehealth include:

• Family relationship Counseling
• Couples Counseling - including Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and Gottman Method
• Child-Parent Relational Therapy
• Theraplay
• Strengths Based Therapy
• Directive Play Therapy
• Child Centered Therapy
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
• Psychoeducation
• EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) Therapy for Trauma

Click below for more information about our therapy services for individuals and families during COVID-19.

Pandemic Tips for Home

1. Create a daily schedule - this can be as simple or detailed as you like!  Creating a reliable structure will help relieve anxiety by establishing predictability.
2. Practice good sleep and eating habits.
3. Incorporate family time into the weekly routine - Taco Tuesdays! or Family Movie Night!  A weekly event gives everyone something to look forward to and is great for connection time.
4. During breaks from online school or work make time to connect - this could be playing catch, going on a walk, or sharing conversation over a snack!
5. Don't forget to get MOVING - check out our poster of movement activity ideas in our blog Tips to Help Your Child with Virtual Learning 
6. Create space to talk about feelings within the family - try having everyone share "one high and one low" of the day at the dinner table.  Model this behavior as the care taker first and then ask your children what their high and low was.
7. Get Playful! - Check out our graphic below for creative ideas for fun in the home!

Pandemic Tips for Couples

1. Put down technology when you are engaging with your partner.  This communicates that you are really listening and interested in what your partner has to say.
2. Consider your partners perspective during conflicts.  Let your partner know you see how they might be feeling or thinking.
3. Make dedicated time together.  Throughout the pandemic we may be spending more time in the same space as our partner, but is the time you spend together meaningful or fulfilling?  Easy ways to start having meaningful time together - "we time" - is to be intentional with conversations over meals, start a new hobby like gardening together, take on a new home project as a team, or take nightly walks.
4. Turn towards bids for connection - if your partner makes a comment or asked you to go do something with them - Respond and act with compassion and love.
5. Physical touch.  During this pandemic we are more contact and social connection starved than ever before.  Within your partners comfort level give them tender touches that show them you are there for them and love them.
6. Give compliments to your partner.  Do you like the way your partner's hair looks today?  Do you appreciate your partner cleaning the table after a meal?  LET THEM KNOW!
7. Seek the help of a couples counselor if you are your partner feel entrenched in a conflict, need a new perspective and change in your relationship, or simply want to strengthen your bond! Click here to schedule a free phone consultation with one of our counselors to see how we could help!

Pandemic Tips for Self Care

1. Take at least 5 minutes each day for a special moment for YOU!  This could be writing in a journal, sitting outside, eating a sweet treat, going on a walk, or even watching a fun video online!
2. Practice Mediation - Check out our blog - The Beginner's Guide to Meditation for tips and apps we love to use!
3. Choose to surround yourself with people who are following the same safety guidelines you are and distance yourself from those who add anxiety to your life.
4. Set professional boundaries - such as not answering emails over the weekend.
5. Check in on your "physical wellness" - that involves movement of the body, mental health, nutrition, sleep, and physical touch.
6. Reduce your time in front of a screen.  Many phones have functions to place time limits on apps. Our therapists have found limiting social media time very cleansing!
7. Read our blog - Ten Self Care Tips for Teens 
8. Keep your space organized and clutter free.  Environmental self care is a game changer!
9. Let yourself feel your feelings - its tempting to bottle them up, but give yourself the gift of feeling your feelings!
10. Create a positive phrase to help bring you up in tough moments or create a vision board of quotes and pictures you enjoy for inspiration.
11. Seek the help of a counselor - click here to schedule a free phone consultation with one of our therapists to see how we can help!

We originally created this postcard for our teen clients during finals week, but we are all having extra stress and anxiety these last few months!  Trying out new ideas and techniques for reducing anxiety and stress and having coping skills you know work well for you will be keep for the next few months.  Plus it will help you for the rest of your life!

Helpful Reading

Supporting Families Through Mandatory Staycation

Knowing how to explain the many changes to daily life to your kids and how to keep them entertained while stay at home can be challenging - and exhausting!  This blog provides great pandemic tips and ideas such as sample schedules for daily routines and ideas for how your family can get moving, get crafty, and get outside!

Pandemic Tips to Helping Your Child with Virtual Learning

School is back!!!  This blog provides a brain based approach to helping you understand what your child is experiencing and provides tools to help them succeed at both virtual and in-person learning.  Our favorite fidget toys, weighted blankets, alternative seating options, and so many other goodies to help your child thrive in their new learning environment are all linked!

Art provides a place for children to process their feelings.  Creating together also creates a space to start a conversation.  In our sessions we have used art to help children process their feelings around wearing masks. We have been applying foam stickers and decorating our masks and also using this print off color page!  If your child often struggles to talk about their thoughts and feelings the print-off can also be folded to create a talking puppet that your child can talk through.