Treatments | Be Well Project

Individual and Group Therapy for Trauma, Anxiety, Depression, Grief and Loss

Trauma

Having traumatic experiences is very common. Most people will have at least one traumatic experience during their lifetime; many will have more. Everyone is affected by traumatic experiences; but the effects differ. There are differences in how severe, how long-lasting and how much the impact affects everyday life. When the distress is very intense or goes on too long, treatment that directly addresses the trauma can be very helpful.

Over time, chronic exposure to high-stress situations can lead to post-traumatic stress. Unaddressed, these painful experiences can lead to sleep disturbances, painful flashbacks, nightmares, emotional numbness, and addiction.

Due to the non-stop, high-stress nature of the job, military personnel and first responders who are dealing with trauma and stress don't have the opportunity to stop and process what they've been through.

Treatment of trauma is not a one size fits all approach. We use evidenced-based therapeutic techniques that we will tailor to your individual needs and situations.

Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - a therapy that directly addresses the impact of traumatic events. The therapy can also help with depression and anxiety that goes along with PTSD.
- Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) - focuses mainly on unrealistic and/or unhelpful thoughts a person has about their traumatic experience and/or how the trauma has impacted their beliefs about themselves, others, and the world. The idea is to identify and change the unrealistic or unhelpful thoughts in a planned way. When the person thinks in a more realistic and helpful way, remembering or being reminded of the trauma is not so upsetting and the person can return to a normal life.
- Prolonged Exposure (PE): PE focuses on reducing the intense negative emotions that are caused by memories or being reminded of the trauma. The main negative emotions that go with remembering are fear and shame. The idea is that facing up to the trauma memories or reminders in a planned way eventually wears down the negative emotions connected to the memories. This makes remembering or being reminded of the trauma not so upsetting. When the memories or reminders are not so upsetting, the person does not have to avoid them and can have a more normal life.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR) - different than most talk therapies, does not require a person to explain their trauma in detail. Instead, a person will do eye movements or tapping while focusing on an image related to the trauma. EMDR therapy helps a person become “unstuck” so their brain can go through its’ natural healing process. It is designed to help a person quickly resolve traumatic memories. Unlike other therapies, there is no focus on changing emotions, thoughts, or behaviors related to the trauma.

Anxiety

Suffering from anxiety generally involves worry, fear, and rumination about the future. Such anticipatory anxiety makes enjoying each moment a difficult endeavor. Whether you’re suffering from panic attacks, obsessive thoughts, unrelenting worries, or an incapacitating phobia, it’s important to know that you don’t have to live with anxiety and fear.

Therapy can help you uncover the underlying causes of your worries and fears; learn how to relax; look at situations in new, less frightening ways; and develop better coping and problem-solving skills. Therapy gives you the tools to overcome anxiety and teaches you how to use them.

Cognitive therapy is the most common psychological treatment for anxiety disorders. This approach involves working with therapists to identify the feelings, thoughts, and beliefs that impact an individual’s ability to modify behaviors. For example, a person with a phobia of dogs would work to uncover the irrational beliefs that surround this phobia, such as the inherent danger in approaching all dogs. Cognitive therapy is typically combined with behavior therapy to address beliefs and cognitions in conjunction with working toward ways of changing behaviors.
Mindfulness approaches involve a type of awareness in which a person pays attention to their feelings and thoughts in the moment and without judgment. Mindfulness techniques help to increase relaxation while removing negative or stressful judgments.

Depression

Depression is not the same as sadness. Everyone has a bad day now and again or may feel extreme sadness from time to time. But sadness and other unpleasant emotions usually pass through the mind and disappear, while depression lingers for weeks or more. And beyond just impacting the way you feel, depression also carries a wide variety of symptoms that can affect day-to-day life at home, work or school.

Cognitive therapy is based on the idea that you can control your emotions with your thoughts. During cognitive therapy sessions, you’ll learn to identify negative thinking patterns, which are clinically called cognitive distortions. You’ll focus on learning how to turn cognitive distortions into positive thoughts and behaviors, which can help to improve your mood.
Behavioral therapy and behavioral activation (BA) involves engaging in certain activities that will likely enhance well-being. BA focuses on identifying and working towards specific goals to enhance your long-term coping strategies. It also focuses on overcoming avoidance behaviors, like not wanting to go out in public. Small steps and positive reinforcement are used to build confidence, positivity, and a sense of accomplishment.
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a sub-discipline of cognitive behavioral therapy. In DBT you’re encouraged to acknowledge and accept your negative behaviors and thoughts learn new ways to cope with stress and anxiety and focus on how to improve interpersonal relationships.
Interpersonal therapy (IPT) helps you focus on the interpersonal conflict you might be experiencing that’s resulting in your depression. By examining and focusing on the interpersonal relationships you have and the current and former social roles you’ve experienced, you can learn how to identify the roles you tend to play in the important relationships in your life. Thus, you can learn to resolve conflicts, which can ultimately help with symptoms and feelings of depression. A major goal of interpersonal therapy includes learning how to build a strong, reliable social support system, which can be incredibly beneficial when you’re dealing with depression.

Ketamine-assisted Psychotherapy

When you’ve tried different types of therapy, but still feel like you are unable to heal, Ketamine-assisted therapy is a science-backed, alternative, safe way to create lasting change and healing in transformative ways.

As the only legal psychedelic medicine available to mental health providers for the treatment of emotional suffering, it has proven to help people with treatment-resistant mental health conditions including depression, anxiety, PTSD and other forms of trauma.

With Ketamine-assisted therapy, we combine the use of ketamine with talk therapy. As a medication, Ketamine can help you find a unique feeling of separation from your typical thought processes. By adding Ketamine to talk therapy, you can take a step back and see things more clearly from a completely different perspective.

We partner with a local Ketamine provider, Summit Ketamine Innovations, who will prescribe and administer your Ketamine treatment (if you meet medical requirements) while a therapist will engage in talk therapy with you for preparation and integration. The combination of Ketamine and therapy will ensure the implementation of newly discovered insights that will improve your overall mental health.

Relationships

We are shaped by our social world and relationships, having good relationships is essential for our wellbeing and self-esteem. Our experience of emotional distress is connected to relational issues. Relational therapy explores how past experiences shape us and our patterns of relating to others. It aims to equip individuals with new and more helpful ways of interacting in the present. This, in turn, improves our relationships and connections with others.

If you are are experiencing distress from their relationships—whether family, romantic, professional, or social—you may benefit from relational therapy. This includes those who are experiencing relationship problems from anxiety, depression, stress, addictions, low self-esteem, poor body image, chronic pain and trauma.

Public Service Spouses/Significant Others Support

Being the spouse or partner of a first responders or military person is hard. There are significant challenges you faced that are not always addressed or known by others.

Partners and spouses are affected by their loved one’s critical incidents (resulting in secondary or vicarious trauma), and may also be experiencing symptoms of depression or anxiety. In addition, spouses and partners may have their own trauma histories, which are re-activated when their loved ones experience a traumatic event.

If you are experiencing depression, anxiety, isolation, suicidal thoughts, sleep problems, relationship stress, work difficulties, the loss of a spouse or partner, domestic abuse or violence, addiction issues, are having trouble coping with daily activities, schedule a session with a therapist.