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Journey To My Truth Counseling is educated
and experienced to assist you in a wide range of issues.
Here are some of the areas that we can help you with:
Anxiety - Depression - Transitions or life changes - Grief and loss - Low self-esteem
Anger Issues - Emotional Regulation - Financial Stress - Addiction - Trauma Recovery
Interpersonal Conflict - Work Stress - Codependency - Medical Stress
Victim of Domestic Violence - Relationships (not couples)
Of course, you can always contact us to discuss your individual needs and get help to determine your own area of concern. We are here to offer a safe environment to help you as best we can.
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Below you will find some detailed descriptions of issues that we specialize in:
Anxiety
Is anxiety becoming unbearable?
Learn how to navigate your emotions and release the anxiety.
If you need support getting out of your own way or navigating a difficult life transition, I can help you find peace and positivity, and start living life to the fullest. I provide highly personalized psychotherapy for those struggling with Anxiety, conditions such as Generalized Anxiety, Social Phobia & Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
Whether you’re dealing with loss, divorce, a family member struggling with addiction, or a sudden life or career change, I have a knack for resolving uncomfortable emotions in a way that feels light and empowering.
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HERE’S SOME MORE INFORMATION ON THE MOOD DISORDERS I TYPICALLY TREAT:
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General Anxiety – a common condition that can be triggered by traumatic events, social and workplace situations, or simply manifest itself as a feeling of general unease and stress. Experiencing a certain degree of anxiety is natural. But experiencing too much anxiety becomes unhealthy. Living with a constant or near-constant state of anxiety you feel unable to control, is destabilizing and rarely corrects itself. Under stress, your body releases a hormone called cortisol to reduce the stressful feeling. Over time cortisol can weaken your immune system. This is why treating anxiety generally improves your overall health as well as mental well being.
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Social Phobia - is an intense fear of social situations that goes beyond normal shyness and has a severe negative impact on a person’s life. A person suffering from social phobia tends to be highly self-critical and afraid of being judged by others. They sometimes go to great lengths to avoid everyday human interactions such as going into a store, spending time with friends, dating, or working with other people. Social phobias often hinder an otherwise successful career or hold a person back from certain goals that require interaction with others. When thrust into a stressful situation, a person with social phobia may experience sweaty palms, heart-pounding or heart-palpitations, dizziness, shortness of breath and nausea. When left untreated, social anxiety tends to worsen over time and could lead to complete isolation, depression, and sometimes agoraphobia.
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Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) - is characterized by obsessive thoughts which are considered intrusive or unwanted, followed by compulsive actions in response to the thoughts. OCD thoughts and behaviors differ from person to person. A common example though is for a person to have obsessive thoughts about germs followed by compulsive hand-washing. Those who suffer from OCD can feel like they are stuck in an endless cycle. This is an emotionally exhausting, not to mention time-consuming, mental disorder, which can interfere with a person’s normal day-to-day life. Fortunately, there are proven, evidence-based treatments available.
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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - is an anxiety disorder brought on by experiencing or witnessing a traumatizing or terrifying event. Symptoms can include intrusive flashbacks, nightmares, avoidance behavior, changes in mood or personality, and severe anxiety. Symptoms of PTSD may change in intensity over time. A person whose PTSD symptoms have lessened may suddenly be caught off guard when a normal situation unexpectedly triggers a flashback or panic attack. Psychotherapy can help a person to process and integrate past traumatizing events so that they are no longer controlled by them.
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Grief
Many mental health clinicians have experienced a plethora of significant losses, we understand grief is unique and there is no “right way or length of time” to cope with the loss. The goal is to provide an environment of hope, support and education to anyone wishing to understand the complicated experience of life after loss.
Grief is a complex, complicated, journey that is as unique to each person as a fingerprint. There is no magic time frame or set of words “that can make the pain go away” but there is hope for life after loss through the journey of grief utilizing various methods and techniques.
If you need support, guidance to get out of your own way or navigating issues and transitions in life, I can help you find harmony and balance along your path in life. I provide personable unique psychotherapy for those struggling with depression disorders such as Major Depression Disorder, Persistent Depressive Disorder, Season Affective Disorder, & Post-partum Depression.
Depression
Is depression disrupting your life, getting the better of you?
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Depression is a very common condition that can be triggered by trauma or appear for no apparent reason, often involving a combination or biological, environmental or socio-emotional factors. It can create feelings like loneliness, fear, guilt, and worthlessness. Unfortunately, many who struggle with the condition on their own struggle for a period of time before reaching out for professional help. If you have depression or even suspect depression, please get in touch with myself, or another mental healthcare professional. Depression can be addressed and effectively treated. Taking the first step is difficult, but you do not have to take this journey alone.
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SOME DEPRESSION TYPES OFTEN TREATED:
Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), also called clinical depression, may cause a person to experience persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, low-energy, and loss of joy or interest in activities they once enjoyed. Researchers are beginning to understand that sleep regulation and mood disorders are closely linked. A person with MDD may find themselves going through periods of excessive sleep followed by bouts of insomnia. You may also experience significant weight fluctuation and physical pain. While MDD is one of the more common psychiatric illnesses, it is can be debilitating and sometimes life-threatening and should be treated without exception.
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Persistent Depressive Disorder or dysthymia is a long-term form of depression which can persist for years. Symptoms may lessen at times only to intensify later. For the most part, the feelings of sadness and hopelessness associated with dysthymia are ever-present. While dysthymia may present fewer or less severe symptoms than MDD, their persistence over time can result in poor overall health, breakdown of relationships, poor performance at work, and, being perceived by others as having a cranky gloomy personality. Psychotherapy can help you to identify and address negative beliefs and patterns that may be contributing to your disorder. I can teach you skills and techniques to better cope with symptoms and live the life you were born to live.
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Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD, is a type of depression associated with a lack of sunlight and it generally sets in with the changing of the seasons. While studies estimate that about 10% of the population in the US suffer from SAD, the percentage may be as high as 20%-30% in Portland due to the city’s notoriously low annual number of sunny days. Hopelessness, sadness, fatigue, excessive sleep, food cravings – particularly for carbohydrates, weight fluctuations, and problems with relationships are common symptoms of SAD. While light therapy and supplementing with vitamin-D3 may provide some relief, I can help you to employ effective stress management techniques and methods that allow you to identify and change the negative thoughts which lead to negative emotions, and to notice unhelpful behaviors which can exacerbate symptoms. I can teach you the tools needed to ease symptoms so that you can have a lighter happier winter.
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Postpartum Depression, affects some new mothers in the weeks or months following childbirth. This depressive disorder is different from “the baby blues” that many new mothers experience as a result of sleepless nights and changing hormones.
Since postpartum depression can make it difficult to bond with your baby which often leads to feelings of guilt or failure, it’s important to realize that this disorder should not be considered a weakness or flaw on the mother’s part. Rather, it is a common, although not often talked about, child-birth complication that affects as many as 1 in 7 new mothers. Symptoms are more intense than those associated with “the baby blues” and include mood swings, crying, irritability, strong feelings of overwhelm and inadequacy, difficulty bonding with and sometimes even a dislike of your new baby, loss of appetite, and trouble sleeping.
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Whatever your issues are, we are here to help. We have the experience, tools and techniques to assist you on your journey. Please reach out to us!