There are numerous theoretical orientations counselors can use to guide therapy. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is an evidenced-based orientation that has been shown to be a very effective treatment for a variety of mental health issues.

The Relationship between Thoughts, Feelings, and Behaviors

The main premise that guides CBT is that there is a strong link between our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Our thoughts (cognitions) influence how we feel, our behaviors influence our thoughts, our feelings shape how we behave, and so on. For example, if a person says to himself “I am a total failure and a loser” (the cognition), then his feeling is likely depressed, defeated, and hopeless. These feelings make the person isolate and sleep excessively (the behavior). It’s not possible for people to change how they feel directly, so we must change the way we feel by changing thoughts and changing behaviors.

The Cognitive Side

The cognitive side of CBT starts with recognizing what it is you are telling yourself that’s driving negative feelings. These thoughts are called automatic thoughts, and they are skewed to be negative. In CBT, we challenge automatic thoughts for their validity. We ask questions like “Is this thought objectively true?” “What is my evidence to support this idea?” “What is my evidence to the contrary?” “Are there situations where this doesn’t play out?” “What are alternative explanations for what’s going on?” Through this process, we bring objectivity to our thinking. Once we’ve challenged the automatic thought, we can restructure it to be more representative of what’s actually happening and deflate the negative emotion associated with the automatic thought.

For example, if we challenge the automatic thought “I am a total failure and a loser,” we would likely find many examples from this person’s life where he has succeeded. We could then restructure the thought to be something more helpful like “I make mistakes at times, but I am also successful in areas, and overall, I have achieved quite a bit.” With this restructured thought, the feelings of depression, defeat, and hopelessness decrease in intensity.

The Behavioral Side

The things you do can also be an effective way to change negative feelings. In our example, the person that is isolating and sleeping excessively is going to continue to experience negative emotions because his behaviors are feeding the depression, defeat, and hopelessness. In CBT, we look for opportunities to change behaviors that are contributing to negative feelings. Instead of isolating, our person could go get coffee with a friend or go to the gym and get some exercise. He could do some volunteer work or go to a concert. Getting out of the house and interacting with others will decrease the negative emotion.

If you think CBT would be an effective treatment for you, or you’d like to learn more about it, please give our office a call, and we can discuss further.

-Lindsey-

Many people experience clinical depression. In fact, recent studies have shown about 20% of the population in the United States will experience Major Depressive Disorder at some point in their lives. But what is clinical depression? How is that different than just feeling down or sad? The information below outlines the signs and symptoms of clinical depression.

The Picture…

A persistent feeling of sadness

• In clinical depression, a person’s mood becomes consistently sad and hopeless. This feeling is persistent, and the person has very little reprieve, if any.

Loss of Interest

• People usually find themselves uninterested in activities they used to enjoy. The activities seem unappealing and pointless.

Sleep Changes

• People with clinical depression find themselves sleeping too much (hypersomnia) or too little (insomnia). Sometimes they vacillate between these two states.

Appetite/Weight Changes

• Clinical depression can cause people to lose their appetites and eat too little, and it can also cause people to become hungrier and overeat. Unintentional weight fluctuation is common.

Psychomotor Impacts

• People with clinical depression may seem slowed down. Their speech and movements can appear noticeably slow. The opposite can also be true with clinical depression. People may feel like they can’t sit still. A feeling of restlessness predominates and makes them fidgety.

Low Energy

• Feeling unmotivated, fatigued, and minimal energy is common in clinical depression. Some people even feel like it’s difficult to get out of bed.

Feeling Worthless or Guilt

• People with clinical depression usually feel like they don’t matter. An undeserved feeling of guilt may also be experienced.

Poor Concentration

• An inability to think clearly and focus is also common in clinical depression. People struggle to sustain attention or make decisions.

Thoughts about Death or Suicide

• Clinical depression can trigger thoughts about death, dying, and even taking one’s life. This a serious symptom that needs attention quickly.

In clinical depression, people experience a majority of the symptoms described above for at least 2 weeks. If you believe you may be depressed and have further questions, or if you’d like to seek treatment for depression, please give our office a call.

-Lindsey-

Mindfulness has been gaining attention as this topic is researched further, and the benefits continue to accumulate. Most people have heard the term mindfulness, but what exactly is it?

The Basics…

One of the leading researchers on this topic, Jon Kabat-Zinn offers a definition: “The awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment by moment.” I’ve distilled that definition down to something a little more basic. I define mindfulness as intentionally paying attention to the present and placing your focus on this moment. Mindfulness is the conscious choice not to get wrapped up in events from the past and not to worry about what the future has in store. It is living life in this moment.

Why is Mindfulness Important?

When we get stuck thinking about the past or worrying about the future, unpleasant emotions arise and plague us. We then experience manufactured emotions that cause distress and aren’t helpful. We can’t change the events of the past, and we can’t predict the future, so why feel as if these things are happening in the here and now? Most of the time, life is fairly peaceful. If we focus on the present, we save ourselves from undue stressful emotions. Several studies have shown the effectiveness of mindfulness which includes reducing the odds of having another episode of depression, reducing anxiety, reducing chronic pain, decreasing binge eating, and increasing tolerance of distressing situations.

How to be Mindful

There are different ways to focus on the present. People can be mindful of thoughts, emotions, scenery, breath, physical sensations, etc. For, example, when being mindful of scenery, individuals learned to consciously observe what they see. They notice the subtle variations in colors as well as the shapes, textures, and fine details of the things in front of them. Their focus is entirely devoted to studying the information coming into their eyes and fully participating in the experience. There is nothing else intruding in their minds, and if something does come up, they notice the change in attention, and shift their focus back to the scene in front of them.

If you are interested in mindfulness training and want to work on it in counseling, I’d love to talk with you. Please give our office a call, and we can discuss further.

-Lindsey-

Anxiety is unpleasant. It nags at us, gets in the way, and can disrupt life to varying degrees. Understanding anxiety can be helpful in facing it. Once you know what you’re dealing with, it doesn’t seem so overwhelming. Anxiety can take different forms, but at it’s core, it’s a result of your brain sending out a false alarm that causes worry, nervousness, obsessions, or panic.

The Evolution of Anxiety

Early humans developed anxiety as a survival mechanism to keep them alive. The harsh conditions required them to sense dangerous situations quickly. Anxiety was a very helpful tool in this regard, and over the years, it became hardwired into our brains. Some of our anxiety is accurate. There are situations that we should absolutely be anxious about-a reckless driver next to you, a tornado headed for your house, a snarling dog running toward you. We should feel anxiety in these situations, and our flight or fight response will be triggered to keep us alive. We can thank our ancestors for that.

The Lie of Anxiety

The situations mentioned above warrant anxiety. However, a lot of the time, we experience anxiety when it’s not necessary. Our brain tells us something is dangerous when that’s not the case. We have the same anxiety reaction that we have in a truly dangerous situation, and so we struggle to see we’re actually not in any danger. In their book, CBT for Anxiety, authors Kimberly J. Morrow and Elizabeth DuPont Spencer liken anxiety to a smoke alarm. They explain it goes off when there’s a fire in the home (a truly dangerous situation), but it also goes off when you burn the pizza (not so dangerous).

The Relationship between Anxiety and Avoidance

What do we do when we feel anxious? We tend to avoid the thing that’s making us feel that way. Although avoidance feels good in the moment, we are actually training our brains to fear that situation even more. Every time we avoid, we reinforce the idea that the situation we were in was in fact dangerous. Our anxiety grows, and we get caught in the cycle of avoid, strengthen the belief that the situation was dangerous, increase anxiety, avoid, and so on. The good news? Anxiety is quite treatable! The first step is understanding the distinction between accurate anxiety and the false alarm.

If you are struggling with anxiety and want to work through it in counseling, I’d love to chat with you. Please give our office a call, and we can discuss further.

-Lindsey-

Many of my clients seek counseling after a breakup. Let’s face it…breakups can be devastating and leave you feeling like a different person. Your emotions may be all over the place, and you just want to feel better. Here are some important things to keep in mind for getting through a breakup and alleviating your pain.

It wasn’t that great.

I know…that sounds harsh, but it’s true. Most people, after a breakup, fixate on the wonderful things about the relationship. They tend to put on their rose colored glasses and remember the relationship better than it was. It’s important to remind yourself of the challenges, incompatibilities, and downside as well. Just remembering the good stuff doesn’t give you an accurate picture of the relationship. What’s more realistic, and will help you move forward, is acknowledging the problems and keeping those in mind when you reflect on your time together.

It’s time to distract yourself.

After a breakup, you may not feel like doing much. You may be tempted to isolate yourself and let your thoughts take over. Being alone with your thoughts generally leads to increased depression and anxiety-it’s not helpful. What is helpful is getting out of the house and doing things. It may feel like more of an effort, but go to dinner with friends, or take that spin class you’ve been thinking about, or volunteer for a charitable organization. There are endless options for activities. Pick some you would enjoy and get to it!

You will find love again.

Many of my clients say to me after a breakup, “I will never find another relationship like that.” It may feel like that now, but is that a true statement? Are you really never, for the rest of your life, going to have a fulfilling, romantic relationship with another person? What are the chances that would happen? It’s not likely. As time moves on, you will find yourself interested in dating again, and eventually, you will find another special person with whom you can develop an amazing relationship. Again, I know that’s hard to see after a breakup, but try to keep it in mind and create an optimistic outlook for future relationships.

If you are struggling with a breakup and want to work through it in counseling, I’d love to chat with you. Please give our office a call, and we can discuss further.

-Lindsey-