Choosing to start therapy

Is therapy right for you? Are you feeling more depressed or tired than usual?  Are worries keeping you up at night?  Are you fighting with family or friends, spending more time by yourself, or feeling stressed about your job?  Are you worried about a child or a loved one?  If so, you are not alone.  For every one of us, there are times in life when we have a harder time feeling happy or functioning as well as we believe we should.  Sometimes feelings become so overwhelming that we don't know where to turn.  

During these times, you or your loved one may benefit from a place where you can confidentially discuss your feelings, explore what is happening, and find solutions. Therapy is the right choice for many of us at some point in time.  If you have questions about therapy or wish to make an appointment, please feel free to call us at (800) 871-5491 or e-mail DrSGrand@aol.com.  

Adults

Adults today face a multitude of challenges.  Whether it's relationships, financial pressures, loneliness, depression, anxiety, health issues, or significant life changes, it is important to know that you are not alone.   Adults are often expected to function independently and take care of others regardless of their situation.  Often times it may be difficult to find people to talk to, or to allow yourself to reach out for help.

Adulthood is a dynamic and ever-changing time of development.  We continue to grow with every significant life event, and every decade brings along unique opportunities, joys, and challenges.  As we move through the many "seasons" of our lives, therapy is a helpful way to slow down, evaluate your thoughts and feelings, identify solutions, or simply to have someone to talk to.  At South Shore Psychology you will receive supportive, professional, and confidential care.  Your therapist will work with you to gain clarity and help find the answers that are right for you.

Adolescents

Adolescence is a time of both independence and strong reliance on family.  Teenagers are practicing new social skills, testing the limits of their abilities, striving to meet new expectations, and experiencing biological changes in their bodies and minds that often affect the way that they feel or act.  Teenagers today are faced with a mulititude of cultural and peer influences that affect almost everything in their lives, such as self-image, family relationships, and academic success.  At the same time, they are making critical decisions about things such as drugs and alcohol, friends, dating, and sex.  Although parents are a primary source of support, they can also find information at their fingertips and communicate with hundreds of friends at the click of a button.  

Even when teenagers are close with their families, it may be difficult for them to express their feelings openly and seek support from those who matter most to them.  Adolescents may not always understand or agree with their parents' decisions.  More importantly, they feel a cultural pressure for independence which makes it difficult at times to ask for help.  This leaves teens at risk for feeling isolated, angry, or alone.  Although they may not always be interested in coming to therapy at first, they are often able to utilze it well.  Therapists can help teenagers sort out their feelings, evaluate their choices, and improve communication with the people they love.   

Children

  
From reading, writing, and arithmetic to making friends and following rules, it's tough to be a kid!  Children's amazing brains are still actively developing, and even into their teens it may be difficult for them to identify how they are feeling or what causes them feel that way.  Children often show behavioral signs and symptoms when they are working something through, and, when they are younger, it may easier for them to communicate through play then in spoken language.  
 
Developmentally, children face the task of learning about the world outside of their homes.  They need to figure out what's wrong and what's right. They learn how to communicate with others, when to share, and when to stick up for themselves.  They work on developing relationships with siblings, making friends, telling the truth, and staying safe, always building the tools for what's ahead. 

It is normal for children to go through difficult times as they grow.  Sometimes it is unclear why a child appears to be anxious or is showing a change in behaviors.  At other times, the behaviors may be more clearly related to identifiable situations in their environments such as a significant life event, stress at home or at school, divorce, illness, loss of a loved one, trauma, or abuse.    For some children, problems may be caused or exacerbated by neurological, educational, or emotional difficulties such as learning disorders, attention deficits, oppositional or defiant behaviors, psychiatric conditions, or autism spectrum disorders.

Many children benefit from a place to talk and/or use play therapy to identify and work through their feelings.  Parents are an essential part of child therapy and often participate in joint or separate sessions. 

Pre-school

The early years is a time of learning for both children and parents.  As children move from the toddler to preschool age, their complex personalities begin to fully emerge.  Children are unique and special in how they grow and develop, and each child may require a different set of parenting skills and understanding.   

Prior to the age of two, there may be little demands placed upon a child.  At this age, however, parents often begin to establish expectations for the first time.  Some of these may include going  to sleep at night, sitting and eating at the table, trying new foods, potty training, behaving appropriately in public, sharing with siblings and friends, and verbally expressing their needs and feelings.  Although children often work hard at meeting these expectations, it is normal for them to resist and test limits through behaviors such as whining, ignoring, or throwing tantrums.  

Many chidren this age take their first steps into the classroom environment.  Through the classroom as well as their pediatricians, their development is evaluated, and delays or concerns may be identified for the first time. These may include speech delays, learning disabilities, attention deficits, behavioral problems, high activity levels, difficulties with social skills or relatedness, or physical problems.  Each of these areas presents a unique challenge.  In addition, many very young children are surprisingly perceptive about their environments, and may be emotionally impacted by significant events in their world.  Children this age are developing at a rapid rate, and early intervention is extremely important in achieving the best outcome for your child.  Parents may feel understandably overwhelmed and need clarity, resources, and answers to help and advocate for their children.  
 
Treatment for preschool children does not place demands on their ability for insight or to talk through feelings.  Instead, play therapy techniques are used where children may use play or art materials to identify and work through their feelings.   These mediums are also useful in assisting children with increasing their attention span, following direction, improving social skills, or decreasing aggressive or destructive behaviors.  Family involvement is a key component to therapy for preschoolers, and parent(s) often participate in weekly check-ins, parent sessions, and/or family sessions. 

Couples

Are you having difficulty communicating with the person who is most important to you?  Do you find that you have different views on sharing responsibilities, raising children, or establishing life goals?  Do you find yourselves fighting more often, or feeling increasingly isolated and alone in your relationship?  

Couples therapy works primarily on the relationship, helping couples to work through issues such as anger, financial problems, sexual difficulties, substance abuse, illness, significant life events, child-rearing, and infidelity.  Therapy focuses on helping couples discover how to communicate more effectively and how to listen more closely, how to negotiate differences, problem solve and even argue in a healthier way.  Therapy may also focus on how to better nurture each other and your relationship. 

Counseling can be a tool to help you improve or rebuild your relationship, or, at other times, it may help you decide that you may both be happier if the relationship is ended.  Either way, couples therapy can help you understand your relationship better and make well-thought-out decisions about what is most important to you.