After working in the adoption field for several years, women and couples struggling with infertility have a special place in my heart. There are so many wonderful couples out there who would make amazing parents and yet they struggle to bring a child into their loving home.
Last week on the Today show they did a 2 day segment on infertility (you can view the segment here). The segment shared that the findings of a 2000 Harvard Medical School study, which showed that participation in an infertility support group can actually increase a woman’s chances of conceiving in a given menstrual cycle over 50 percent, jumping from 20 to 54 percent. Dr. Linda Applegarth, Director of Psychological Services at the Center for Reproductive Medicine, explained that not only are support groups important for women to find common ground with others and a safe space to share their feelings, but they can also be a wealth of knowledge regarding appropriate information about where to go for good infertility treatment.
With these promising results I have decided to start a support group here in the California Central Valley for women struggling with infertility. The group will meet on Tuesday evenings starting in April. For information on this group please email me at csoareslcsw@gmail.com. Also visit my website group's website here.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
How to overcome the wintertime blues
For those of us in California, Mother Nature gave us a little sneak peek at springtime last week. The sun was shining, flowers in bloom and I started seeing everyone out on bikes and skates. Then today the rain came with nothing in the forecast but rain for the next several days. I started to hear everyone complain of the gray skies and how they were hoping it was the end of their 'wintertime blues.'
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) starts usually as the days get shorter and the sunlight disappears due to all those winter storms. It is estimated that millions of Americans suffer from SAD due to this loss of sunlight and often dread the winter months. The American Psychiatric Association reminds us that SAD symptoms are often similar to depression. Symptoms can include: fatigue, weight gain, sadness, irritability, social withdrawal, craving foods high in carbohydrates and lack of interest in normal activities. Individuals suffering from SAD may not experience every symptom, and severity of symptoms can vary.
In the past 20 years researchers have uncovered some effective treatments to help SAD. One of the most effective treatments is finding exactly what caused SAD to begin with - sunlight! Of course it is difficult to find natural sunlight so alternatives must be discovered. Sun boxes or special florescent lighting help stimulate the brain and can reduce symptoms.
When the wet, gloomy weather comes we tend to hole up in our homes and feel our options for activities are limited, causing feelings of boredom and sadness. The winter months are a great time to take up a new indoor hobby, remodel something inside or take a trip to a different climate. Having something to look forward to on a rainy day can keep you positive and full of energy.
Psychotherapy is also useful to help with SAD. With psychotherapy new coping skills could be learned to help with depressive symptoms. In severe cases antidepressants may be needed, but this would be something to speak with your physician about after other alternatives are tried.
If you are suffering from SAD or any other mental health illness and live in the California Central Valley please contact me for mental health assistance.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) starts usually as the days get shorter and the sunlight disappears due to all those winter storms. It is estimated that millions of Americans suffer from SAD due to this loss of sunlight and often dread the winter months. The American Psychiatric Association reminds us that SAD symptoms are often similar to depression. Symptoms can include: fatigue, weight gain, sadness, irritability, social withdrawal, craving foods high in carbohydrates and lack of interest in normal activities. Individuals suffering from SAD may not experience every symptom, and severity of symptoms can vary.
In the past 20 years researchers have uncovered some effective treatments to help SAD. One of the most effective treatments is finding exactly what caused SAD to begin with - sunlight! Of course it is difficult to find natural sunlight so alternatives must be discovered. Sun boxes or special florescent lighting help stimulate the brain and can reduce symptoms.
When the wet, gloomy weather comes we tend to hole up in our homes and feel our options for activities are limited, causing feelings of boredom and sadness. The winter months are a great time to take up a new indoor hobby, remodel something inside or take a trip to a different climate. Having something to look forward to on a rainy day can keep you positive and full of energy.
Psychotherapy is also useful to help with SAD. With psychotherapy new coping skills could be learned to help with depressive symptoms. In severe cases antidepressants may be needed, but this would be something to speak with your physician about after other alternatives are tried.
If you are suffering from SAD or any other mental health illness and live in the California Central Valley please contact me for mental health assistance.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Alliance Behavioral Health
I am excited to announce that the website for my group's practice has launched. Please visit our site to learn more about what we have to offer and for more information about therapy services.
To visit the site please click here.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Chronic Illness - by guest author Krista Peterson
I'm always happy to be contacted by a reader who wants to be a guest author on my blog. The topic of chronic illness is especially close to my heart since I have had several close family members affected by cancer, including my father who lost his battle in 2003. I know almost everyone has been directly or indirectly affected by a chronic illness. Supporting loved ones affected by such illnesses can prove difficult.
My guest author is Krista Peterson who recently graduated the University of Central Florida and is an aspiring writer. She is also a Health and Safety Advocate for the mental health community and is passionate about writing for the cause. Thank you Krista for being such an advocate in this field, we need more people like you! Please enjoy her contribution below:
Counseling can improve home situations for many families and individuals, especially for those who are struggling with the effects of a chronic illness like cancer. When a cancer patient is diagnosed, especially if that patient is a parent, the stresses and worries of everyday life do not pause. Instead, patients must juggle being a spouse, friend, parent, employee, pet owner or whatever other relationship and occupational roles they may play.
If you have been diagnosed with cancer, it may benefit you to join a support group or see an individual counselor. When choosing a counselor, be sure to weigh the negatives and positives of that choice. For example, if you seek the help of a trusted friend or minister, or even your therapist, you have the opportunity to speak openly and comfortably with someone you already know and trust. On the other hand, let’s say that you are struggling with the news of a colon cancer or mesothelioma diagnosis. You may want to speak with a cancer professional who can understand the particular needs and concerns that you have as a new cancer patient. It’s important to find a counselor that can help you with your most pressing, individual needs.
As a cancer patient, if you have children, consider the options that psychoeducational counseling offers. Programs like COPE use Creativity, Optimism, Planning, and Expert Information to work with children and teenagers who are struggling with the fact that they or their parent or loved one has a potentially fatal illness. Cope sessions focus on short-term, cancer related problems, making it easier for children to anticipate end results.
If you’re considering individual cancer counseling, you also may want to research counseling options for the rest of your family. Family counseling can help each member of your family not only to understand and express what they are experiencing as individuals, but to understand and express what’s happening as a familial unit. Family is the closest and most powerful support group that there is, and children and partners can feel just as lonely, depressed, stressed, and fearful as the cancer patients themselves. Building up a strong, untied family around a cancer patient assures a positive home environment and allows that patient to focus on healing and recovery.
Thank you again Krista for your contribution. If you are struggling with a chronic illness in the California Central Valley, please contact me for more information at csoareslcsw@gmail.com
My guest author is Krista Peterson who recently graduated the University of Central Florida and is an aspiring writer. She is also a Health and Safety Advocate for the mental health community and is passionate about writing for the cause. Thank you Krista for being such an advocate in this field, we need more people like you! Please enjoy her contribution below:
Counseling can improve home situations for many families and individuals, especially for those who are struggling with the effects of a chronic illness like cancer. When a cancer patient is diagnosed, especially if that patient is a parent, the stresses and worries of everyday life do not pause. Instead, patients must juggle being a spouse, friend, parent, employee, pet owner or whatever other relationship and occupational roles they may play.
If you have been diagnosed with cancer, it may benefit you to join a support group or see an individual counselor. When choosing a counselor, be sure to weigh the negatives and positives of that choice. For example, if you seek the help of a trusted friend or minister, or even your therapist, you have the opportunity to speak openly and comfortably with someone you already know and trust. On the other hand, let’s say that you are struggling with the news of a colon cancer or mesothelioma diagnosis. You may want to speak with a cancer professional who can understand the particular needs and concerns that you have as a new cancer patient. It’s important to find a counselor that can help you with your most pressing, individual needs.
As a cancer patient, if you have children, consider the options that psychoeducational counseling offers. Programs like COPE use Creativity, Optimism, Planning, and Expert Information to work with children and teenagers who are struggling with the fact that they or their parent or loved one has a potentially fatal illness. Cope sessions focus on short-term, cancer related problems, making it easier for children to anticipate end results.
If you’re considering individual cancer counseling, you also may want to research counseling options for the rest of your family. Family counseling can help each member of your family not only to understand and express what they are experiencing as individuals, but to understand and express what’s happening as a familial unit. Family is the closest and most powerful support group that there is, and children and partners can feel just as lonely, depressed, stressed, and fearful as the cancer patients themselves. Building up a strong, untied family around a cancer patient assures a positive home environment and allows that patient to focus on healing and recovery.
Thank you again Krista for your contribution. If you are struggling with a chronic illness in the California Central Valley, please contact me for more information at csoareslcsw@gmail.com
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Healthy Communication Article
I am very excited to announce that I was recently interviewed by a journalist with Associated Content and she published an article with my responses on a How To Communicate With Others article.
Please click here to read the article!
Thank you Jaleh for the opportunity!
Please click here to read the article!
Thank you Jaleh for the opportunity!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Grief Counseling for Cancer Patients and their Families
With the holidays in full swing it may seem like an odd time for me to address grief counseling. However the holidays are not always a happy time for all families, especially those fighting the war against cancer. With current statistics stating that 18.6 million adults have been diagnosed with cancer (faststats.com) it is a disease that affects almost everyone in one way or another.
I want to thank Barbara O'Brien at the MAA Center who was kind enough to send me this article so I could share it with you all:
Anyone who has been faced with a cancer diagnosis knows that grief and despair can set in shortly after the patient learns he or she is dealing with a potentially terminal illness, like mesothelioma. Sometimes, grief is anticipatory as the patient and his loved ones await what they believe to be the inevitable outcome of their diagnosis, especially with cancers like mesothelioma, which carries a traditionally grim prognosis. Once death occurs, grief takes on a different form and can often be overwhelming for those who are left behind to lament the loss of a loved one.
When grief becomes too much to bear – either during an illness or after the victim has passed – it often becomes necessary to seek professional grief counseling. This can help the patient come to grips with his disease and the emotions that accompany it and may assist family members in getting on with their lives after a death from cancer occurs.
What is Grief Counseling?
Everyone grieves. Grief counseling, however, helps individuals make their way through the tasks of grieving and the normal emotions that occur along with it, including denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance (Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, On Death and Dying, 1969).
These days, there are many counselors/psychologists that specialize in bereavement counseling, making this a field that has seen many advances in the last decade or so. Nevertheless, each counselor or therapist generally has his own techniques for dealing with grief, which might include things like meditation, role playing, art or music therapy, or simply talking about the problems at hand.
Grief therapy or counseling can occur in a number of settings. For the patient, it may happen in-hospital. As a matter of fact, many cancer centers and other hospitals have counselors on staff that can help with grief-related issues. This is a great supplemental effort in addition to the more traditional health centered mesothelioma treatment. If the patient is having difficulties dealing with “anticipatory grief” – the anticipation of what is to come, he can participate in individual sessions or perhaps group counseling with those also dealing with the issues caused by a cancer diagnosis.
In many instances, family members or friends of the cancer patient can also take advantage of hospital-based counseling – sometimes free of charge – also available individually, in small groups that include other loved ones, or with support groups of others in similar predicaments. Private counselors outside of a hospital setting are readily available and sessions may or may not be covered by insurance. (Check with your provider for details.)
Who Needs Grief Counseling?
Most experts agree that many individuals – both terminal patients and loved ones of the patient - can benefit from grief counseling during the pre-loss period when the potential of a fatal outcome becomes difficult to bear. Pre-loss counseling can result in a more peaceful death.
Family members can also benefit from therapy administered post-loss, when – in some cases – the emotional wounds of losing a loved one become too severe and may manifest themselves in issues like prolonged depression, panic disorder, anxiety attacks, or alcohol or drug use.
Regardless of when counseling is sought, it’s important to remember that the grief counselor is trained to listen with an open mind and heart and to lead the grieving individual from the depths of depression or anxiety back to as normal a life as possible.
To visit the site for the MAA Center please click here.
I want to thank Barbara O'Brien at the MAA Center who was kind enough to send me this article so I could share it with you all:
Anyone who has been faced with a cancer diagnosis knows that grief and despair can set in shortly after the patient learns he or she is dealing with a potentially terminal illness, like mesothelioma. Sometimes, grief is anticipatory as the patient and his loved ones await what they believe to be the inevitable outcome of their diagnosis, especially with cancers like mesothelioma, which carries a traditionally grim prognosis. Once death occurs, grief takes on a different form and can often be overwhelming for those who are left behind to lament the loss of a loved one.
When grief becomes too much to bear – either during an illness or after the victim has passed – it often becomes necessary to seek professional grief counseling. This can help the patient come to grips with his disease and the emotions that accompany it and may assist family members in getting on with their lives after a death from cancer occurs.
What is Grief Counseling?
Everyone grieves. Grief counseling, however, helps individuals make their way through the tasks of grieving and the normal emotions that occur along with it, including denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance (Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, On Death and Dying, 1969).
These days, there are many counselors/psychologists that specialize in bereavement counseling, making this a field that has seen many advances in the last decade or so. Nevertheless, each counselor or therapist generally has his own techniques for dealing with grief, which might include things like meditation, role playing, art or music therapy, or simply talking about the problems at hand.
Grief therapy or counseling can occur in a number of settings. For the patient, it may happen in-hospital. As a matter of fact, many cancer centers and other hospitals have counselors on staff that can help with grief-related issues. This is a great supplemental effort in addition to the more traditional health centered mesothelioma treatment. If the patient is having difficulties dealing with “anticipatory grief” – the anticipation of what is to come, he can participate in individual sessions or perhaps group counseling with those also dealing with the issues caused by a cancer diagnosis.
In many instances, family members or friends of the cancer patient can also take advantage of hospital-based counseling – sometimes free of charge – also available individually, in small groups that include other loved ones, or with support groups of others in similar predicaments. Private counselors outside of a hospital setting are readily available and sessions may or may not be covered by insurance. (Check with your provider for details.)
Who Needs Grief Counseling?
Most experts agree that many individuals – both terminal patients and loved ones of the patient - can benefit from grief counseling during the pre-loss period when the potential of a fatal outcome becomes difficult to bear. Pre-loss counseling can result in a more peaceful death.
Family members can also benefit from therapy administered post-loss, when – in some cases – the emotional wounds of losing a loved one become too severe and may manifest themselves in issues like prolonged depression, panic disorder, anxiety attacks, or alcohol or drug use.
Regardless of when counseling is sought, it’s important to remember that the grief counselor is trained to listen with an open mind and heart and to lead the grieving individual from the depths of depression or anxiety back to as normal a life as possible.
To visit the site for the MAA Center please click here.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
The Benefits of Group Therapy
I have talked quite a bit on my blog about the benefits of individual therapy, but I wanted to touch on all the benefits of group therapy. The approach in group therapy is different but still leads to self discovery. Amongst a group of peers often times deeper self discovery occurs along with life long bonds made with fellow group members.
You may wonder though how you know if group therapy is for you or if you should lean towards individual therapy. Here are some tips for you:
1. Individual therapy is best if you have recently had a trauma or death, an alcohol/drug dependence diagnosis, or if you have had a severe depressive episode. Especially if you have never sought treatment for any of these concerns it is often best to first receive individual therapy and then transition into group therapy.
2. Group therapy may be a better option for you if you are feeling isolated, alone with your feelings or unable to talk to anyone. I often hear from my clients that their friends/family are "tried of hearing about their problems" and they have no one to talk to. Just knowing you aren't alone and others are in similar situations can be very beneficial and lead to group exploration.
3. Working with a group can be a great option for you also if you feel stunted in your current individual therapeutic relationship. Often times individual therapy can only take you so far and then group work can take it further. When people come into a group setting and interact freely with other group members, they often will recreate the difficulties that brought them into therapy to begin with.
4. Group therapy offers you more than one opinion. You will get immediate feedback from not only the therapist but the other group members. You also get the experience of seeing others work through their own problems while you work on yours, often drawing from their experience.
5. If you feel especially hesitant about group work then start off with individual therapy to lay a foundation and start self exploration. Many therapist offer both individual and group therapy, feel free to inquire about your options when you contact a therapist.
On a final note, some individuals worry about the confidentiality of group work. Upon the commencement of the group everyone signs a confidentiality agreement. What is discussed in the group stays within group members only. When each group member shares freely, everyone has their own need and respect for confidentiality.
If you live in the Central Valley and are interested in group or individual therapy please feel free to contact me.
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