INDIVIDUAL COUNSELING & THERAPY at Aletris in Scottsdale, AZ
At ALETRIS, our practitioners see both individuals and couples, and we work with adults and adolescents. Common reasons to seek a therapist’s services include: anxiety, depression, addiction, loss, job stress, anger, eating disorders, sexuality, illness, moving, major accidents, and divorce.
Anxiety
Anxiety is characterized by both physiologic and psychological symptoms. These symptoms often combine and create distress that is felt as panic, fear, or worry. Physical symptoms can include chest pain, shortness of breath, sweating, shakiness, bowel changes, high blood pressure, nausea, and headaches. Psychological symptoms can include feelings of dread, restlessness, playing scenes over and over again in one’s head, irritability, impatience, worrying, and expecting the worst outcome.Anxiety can manifest itself in specific situations such as test anxiety or social anxiety.
Depression
Depression can be described as a loss of interest or pleasure from normally enjoyable activities. An individual suffering from depression may experience very low self esteem, dark thoughts, withdrawal, low sex drive, increased or decreased hunger, an increased or decreased need for sleep, weight gain, loss of appetite, feelings of worthlessness, poor concentration or memory, and lethargy. At its most severe, thoughts of suicide can prevail.Personality and development influence the pervasiveness of depression. Distorted thinking, low self esteem, and ineffective coping skills are all risk factors for depression. A good therapist seeks to diagnose the behavioral and cognitive imbalances that create depressed behavior and initiate positive coping skills.
Addiction
Addiction is any behavior that is obsessive, compulsive, or results from a psychological or physiological dependency.Common addictions include: sex, money, drugs, alcohol, internet pornography, nicotine, gambling, video games, overeating, cutting oneself, shopping, overeating, and work.
Treatments usually involve planning for specific ways to avoid the addictive trigger, and therapeutic interventions intended to help a client learn healthier ways to find satisfaction and peace. Discovering psychological motivations for engaging in addictive behaviors is also part of the therapeutic process.
Loss
Grief is the main emotion tied to loss and manifests itself as sadness, disbelief, regret, despair, sadness, depression, loneliness, and separation. Losses can occur from death of a loved one or pet, loss of employment, loss of safety or possessions such as a house.Bereavement, when accompanied by low social support, carries a risk for the patient. While many individuals who grieve are able to work through their loss independently, accessing additional support from bereavement professionals may promote the process of healing. Grief counseling, professional support groups, and peer-led support groups are primary resources available to the bereaved.
Job Stress
Our workplace is oftentimes where we spend more of our time than our homes. It is how we contribute to society, and for many, it is a source of self esteem, service, and personal development.Investigating job stress may be tied to relationship issues, and improving those relationships can be central to managing job stress. Work with a therapist may be centered on developing healthy relationships with coworkers, bosses, or employees. Also, effective boundaries, communication skills, and leadership skills are oftentimes the focus of therapy.
Many times investigating the issues central to self realization, passions, and career goals improves individuals’ professional lives.
Anger
The medical doctor Rachel Remen writes, “Often anger is a sign of engagement with life." Anger is not emotion that should be squelched or shunned. Rather, we often learn negative patterns of anger release from our childhood or other life experiences. Anger management centers on exploring the source of the emotion and learning positive cognitive and behavioral strategies for feeling this emotion without violence, guilt, pain or regret.Sexuality
Sexuality is a fluid experience, and one’s sexual needs can change many times during a lifetime. Because of cultural influences and stigmas, however, it is oftentimes difficult to discuss and express. A professional environment often gives an individual a safe space for exploration into sexual issues.Sexual topics commonly addressed in therapy include infidelity; sexual assault or harassment; sexual addiction; low libido; and gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered issues.
Divorce
Divorce can often be viewed as a major loss. Feelings of anxiety, depression, guilt, and despair can surround an individual as they are going through a divorce.
Many complicated situations arise from the process of divorce, and working with a therapist can help this transition be as graceful as possible.Therapy often addresses topics like coparenting children; effective communication between exes; managing anger healthily; dealing with the financial strain of divorce; being able to move on completely; and considering reconciliation.
Eating Disorders
Eating disorders encompass a wide variety of issues: bulimia, anorexia, over eating, and selective eating. They can be viewed as stemming from multiple causes including the media, perfectionism behavior, altered body image, family systems issues, or as a result of trauma.Acute eating disorder issues may be best handled in an in patient facility, however, less severe situations and/or post care are well managed with out patient care.
