As the seasons change, it’s essential to be aware of how this shift may affect your mental health. Recognizing the signs and symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) can empower you to take proactive steps to care for yourself. Whether it’s through staying active, or seeking professional support, you don’t have to navigate this seasonal challenge alone.
What can you expect from your therapist when discussing politics? Therapists enter the counseling room with a goal of complete acceptance of who you are as the client. Your therapist will likely validate your feelings as they do on any topic you bring to counseling. However, expect your therapist to refrain from getting into a discussion or debate about candidates or policy. Instead, your therapist will get curious about what emotions come up for you when you discuss or read about politics and how these emotions impact your daily life.
ACT challenges the common belief that happiness is the norm and that something is wrong with us if we are not happy.
The goal of ACT is not to eliminate difficult feelings, as this has been shown to be harmful and nearly impossible. Instead, it focuses on accepting challenging emotions and thoughts and learning how to live a more meaningful life.
Studies have shown that individuals who received greater support after psychedelic therapy had greater positive behavioral changes.
Providing a safe space for Ketamine integration aligns with Ignite’s whole-hearted approach to counseling. As clinicians, we are dedicated to meeting our clients where they are, and providing them with a unique and compassionate experience. With the legalization of Ketamine therapy in Colorado, Ignite is working to fill a much-needed void of psychotherapeutic support, and providing a space for group work further de-stigmatizes what it is to be human through connection.
Photo credit: David Clode on Unsplash
Neuroception is a fundamental aspect of our nervous system that influences how we perceive and respond to the world around us. In somatic therapy, understanding neuroception is essential for creating safe therapeutic environments, regulating the nervous system, and facilitating healing from trauma and emotional challenges. By integrating practices that promote embodied awareness and regulation, somatic therapy offers a holistic approach to mental and emotional well-being.
Some practical somatic applications to try….
With an ERP-trained clinician (Exposure and Response Prevention), P-OCD clients work towards engaging with their fears and tolerating distress without performing ritualized, compulsive behaviors.
For some, a traumatic experience could be the catalyst for professional help, while for others, the pain and intrusive disruption associated with a traumatic event can create a need to escape, avoid and numb. In these instances, drugs and alcohol provide a very convenient means to “cope” with the emotional pain the sufferer is experiencing.
However, the irony in this cycle is that rather than working to heal, repair and move forward, the individual that turns to drugs and alcohol to cope is merely prolonging the agony of what the trauma created by avoiding, compartmentalizing and checking out.
There is Hope
Therapy that is focused on getting to – and healing – the underlying drivers of the problematic behaviors results in a high level of success.
In today’s article, we are delving in to some of the most frequently asked questions about love and sex addiction from our talented therapist on the team, Mike Lyons, Licensed Professional Counselor and Certified Sex Addiction Therapist Candidate. Let’s destigmatize this important topic!
The thing about stress is....it hits at the absolute worst time without any warning. I didn't wake up that morning prepared to untangle a giant mess. One of the biggest barriers to utilizing mindfulness skills is practicing them enough so that we can draw on them quickly without thinking about how, what do I need to remember, what order does it go in, and on and on and on. It's a mindfulness PRACTICE.
Recognizing the signs of secondary trauma are vital towards processing the feelings of being close to or adjacent to a trauma. When we recognize our own signs of secondary trauma, we can make steps to alleviate the grief and emotional payload so that we can in turn, free up useful time and energy towards effective support to those we care about, that were directly impacted.
On October 10th, the World Federation for Mental Health celebrates mental health awareness with this year’s theme of “Mental Health in an Unequal World”. As we take a moment to reflect on what mental health means to each one of us, this is also an opportunity to reflect on the impact that inequalities have on all people’s mental health.
Typically, when we think of disparities in health care and/or mental health care, our thoughts go to race and ethnicity. Other factors play a part in the poor mental health outcomes and conditions different groups experience. Sexual orientation, gender, cultural stigma, and lack of awareness are other considerations impacting the state of one’s mental health. Per the Institute of Medicine, “a disparity is a difference in health care quality not due to differences in health care needs or preferences of the patient. As such, disparities can be rooted in inequalities in access to good providers, differences in insurance coverage, as well as stemming from discrimination by professionals in the clinical encounter.”
Those that deal with different mental illnesses disproportionately experience high rates of criminalization, housing and employment discrimination, and poverty. The havoc that the worldwide pandemic has caused has only exacerbated these and other disparities, calling for a demand in accessible, culturally affirming mental health support services.
Here is an article that analyses the barriers prior to COVID-19 and considers the impact is has already had on the inequitable mental health care system: https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/disability/reports/2020/09/10/490221/mental-health-care-severely-inequitable-came-coronavirus-crisis/
The largest payer for substance use and mental health services in the United States is Medicaid. Although their role is so significant, 2.5 million Medicaid enrollees reported their mental health treatment needs being unmet in 2017 per a Kaiser Family Foundation report. Factors such as differing eligibility requirements across states, language barriers, lack of transportation services, a shortage of mental health providers accepting Medicaid, and inadequate cover for mental health services contributed and continue to contribute to barriers that prevent people from receiving needed care.
Those who lack insurance also face obstacles with the high cost of services in conjunction with being more likely to be diagnosed with a mental illness. These are the individuals who also lack a consistent or stable source of primary and preventive care services. Don’t forget to bear in mind that the cost of copays and deductibles create a significant barrier to even those who are insured.
Still to this day, racial, ethnic, and gender minorities are underrepresented in the mental health workforces. Cultural competency is defined by the Office of Minority Health (OMH) as, “services that are respectful and responsive to the health beliefs, practices and needs of diverse patients.” It goes on to state that, “by tailoring services to an individual’s cultural and language preferences, health professionals can help bring about positive health outcomes for diverse populations.” With the lack of culturally competent providers and services, issue that contribute to current disparities in mental health and substance use treatment and services will continue.
According to a 2016 Psychiatric Services study, “cultural and linguistic competency in the delivery of mental health services for racial and ethnic minority populations has a profound effect on access to and quality of care.” A diverse workforce that represents the population is “key to the delivery of such services.”
Read more about the barriers to care for racial and ethnic minority groups here: https://www.ncsl.org/Portals/1/HTML_LargeReports/DisparitiesBehHealth_Final.htm
People are complex beings who have multiple influences that make them who they are and define their experience. Because of the overlapping aspects of one’s identity, it is important to have environments that foster the understanding of one’s thoughts, perspectives, and understanding. Although there is resiliency and strength among the community, there is also a unique set of challenges that those who identify as LGBTQI face. Counselors and other health care providers are learning every day that recognizing how one’s experience of sexual orientation and gender identity relates to mental health.
Read more here: https://www.nami.org/Your-Journey/Identity-and-Cultural-Dimensions/LGBTQI
As mental health and health care providers we need to first start with ourselves and examine any prejudices or biases we may hold for any group of people. When we think of approaching care from a rights-perspective, we are required to examine the language, terminology, and models of mental health we utilize. Beyond thoughtful examination is action. Professional counselors can advocate for change in government legislative and regulation inequalities on a local, regional, and notional level addressing topics such as living wages vs. minimum wages, gender equality with maternity leave, and advocacy within all systems; housing, education, and social services.
On a smaller scale, we are all members of a community and giving our time to volunteer and do outreach goes a long way. The next time you meet with your friends or sit down to have dinner with your family, be the one to spark the conversation. Ask about what mental health means to others, how do they take care of themselves, and what are some misconceptions they may have about mental health and mental health accessibility. This is also a great time to engage in conversations about what community-based solutions look like and what the needs are lacking. It goes without saying that mental health issues are complex and challenging at all levels. However, when we come together--particularly bringing the youth in the conversation--we can bring about awareness and increase our own understanding to bring about change.
The American culture (with puritanical roots) tends to create a lot of shame and blame around addiction.
What did I do wrong as a parent or spouse? Am I somehow enabling?
Are there any medications that I can take to stop this?
I’m embarrassed and don’t want anyone to know how bad it is. Are there options for treatment that are discreet?
My loved one has a high-profile job...how will their treatment impact our family life?
I had Covid-19 in December of 2020. My partner came down with symptoms, received positive test results, and my physical symptoms emerged a few days later. Sore throat, fever and chills on the first three days, followed by sneezing and a runny nose, all accompanied by a persistent fatigue that could not be alleviated. By the seventh day of my symptoms, all upper respiratory symptoms had subsided, except that I was left without my senses of taste and smell. Once the novelty wore off, I faced the reality of losing 40% of one’s sensory input.
This was the beginning of a new chapter in my experience with Covid-19.
Whew, what a year it’s been, and continues to be. Maybe you’ve noticed some new behaviors in the stress of the times. Or perhaps some unwanted habits are exacerbated or getting out of control. In times of uncertainty, struggle and fear, the body/mind can get out of balance and look for comfort and relief in any way it can: overeating, drinking, drugs, binge watching tv, running on coffee, or avoiding responsibilities.
If you feel like your thoughts, habits and behaviors are getting out of control, here are five steps you can take today that can bring you back into balance, create calm, increase energy and improve your mood and outlook.
The migration to the online Telehealth platform has made it necessary for practitioners to implement countless policy and procedural changes to the daily functions of operation. From securing HIPAA-compliant document-managing systems and video conferencing, contact-less billing and payment options, to updating WIFI connections and hard-wired Internet, we are seeing the technological capabilities in this field. Online, you don’t have to wear a mask, you don’t have to divulge your body temperature, and we can continue our appointment schedules without limitation.
Can you allow yourself to grieve?
We often don’t realize that what we’re experiencing is grief; the package of thoughts, feelings, and sensations that are the natural response to loss. Our society mistakenly approves of grief only after the death of a loved one, and even then, society tells you to make your grief quiet, short, and tidy; nicely tied up in a bow after your four-day bereavement leave.
Yet, without recognizing and validating the losses other than death and the accompanying grief, we run the risk of languishing in a swamp of unsettling emotions that seem to have no cause or reason. That’s a recipe for deep depression and resignation; the very opposite of a rich, fulfilling, hope-filled life.
That moment with my enormous four-legged friend made me think of what I call “foxhole friends.” They’re the friends who rush to jump into the foxhole with you when the loss bombs are falling and the grief bullets are flying. Maybe you already have one of two of these godsends in your life. Maybe you ARE one of them. They’re the diamonds in the muck of life; the people who hold you up when you’re crying so hard you can’t stand, sustain you when you’re too despondent to take care of yourself.
Something inside me, though, knew that forcing myself to search for beauty again would be a life-sustaining quest, so I bought myself a camera. I figured it would give me a reason to actively look for beauty in the world and, if I could find it, capture that memory.
What I discovered was that the beauty I sought was looking down at me from above. That’s not a spiritual metaphor; I mean it literally.
“When fragments of past trauma play out inside us, these fragments leave behind clues in the form of emotionally charged words and sentences that often lead us back to unresolved traumas” (Wolynn, 2016). Patterns that, although developmentally adaptive for survival, often create problems in the present.
Trauma and OCD Specialists | We are proud to serve the Denver Metro and surrounding areas | telehealth offered to clients in the state of Colorado | Individual and Group Therapies
8670 Wolff Court Suite 290, Westminster CO 80031
Hello@IgniteCounselingColorado.com | 303-578-6336
