SERVICES
COUNSELING
Counseling/psychotherapy services are aimed to support individuals struggling to cope with emotional/psychological problems. Most often people seek counseling for the condition of being human; difficulties dealing with life stressors, loss, trauma, and relationships. People often decide to come to therapy due to anxiety, depression, anger, grief, panic, and even just finding oneself in the same patterns of behavior over and over. Counseling can provide a space to process these difficulties, develop strategies for improved coping, and to gain clarity about one’s purpose, values, or direction in life.
NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL EXAMINATION
Neuropsychological examination involves a battery of tests that measure a person’s language, visual spatial skills, processing, working memory, attention, reasoning, problem solving, logical analysis, multitasking, memory, academics, psychological/emotional, and social functioning. Performance on these tests provides information on a person’s functioning and allows for making diagnoses, understanding an individual’s particular pattern of strengths and weaknesses, and to guide treatment.
At Worrywell, we specialize in neurodevelopmental conditions, such as learning disabilities, ADHD, and autism spectrum disorders. We also work with a broader range of cognitive problems, such as concussion, seizures, brain injury, etc.
SOCIAL SKILLS GROUP
Because children do not always interact the same with a parent as they do with others in the world around them, it is often difficult for a parent to teach their child abstract social skills. This social skills group provides direct training with peers of appropriate age and skill level to learn and use skills such as, taking turns, showing interest in peers, making small talk, and identifying the emotions of others, which will increase their ability to communicate effectively and develop healthy peer relationships. Social Skills Groups are most beneficial for children and adolescents with ADHD, learning differences, high functioning autism spectrum disorder, and/or mild social deficits. Within this group, your children will learn new skills and can practice those skills by taking part in enjoyable group activities, round robin conversations, games, crafts, and more.
DIALECTICAL BEHAVIORAL THERAPY (DBT) GROUP
DBT is a type of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Its main goals are to teach people how to live in the moment, develop healthy ways to cope with stress, regulate their emotions, and improve their relationships with others. DBT consists of four modules: Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Distress Tolerance and Emotional Regulation. It is an effective treatment for a broad range of symptoms, including anxiety, mood difficulties, depression, anger management, and relationship issues.
PARENT MANAGEMENT TRAINING
Parenting is one of the hardest jobs in the world! Our children encounter numerous daily stressors that we may not always intuitively know how to help with, especially when parenting a child with a brain difference, such as ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, anxiety, emotion regulation difficulties, or learning differences. This parenting course is a multi-faceted approach to regaining control and harmony within your home where both the parent and child are mutually content. The group will review common behavioral issues and directly teach new approaches to addressing problematic behaviors, specifically designed for children who see the world differently. Parents will gain skills in helping their child to complete daily tasks, follow house rules, and respond appropriately and respectfully to requests while fostering a safe space for healthy communication and developing the child’s autonomy and independence. Since families work as a team this group also addresses the needs of the parent, such as developing realistic expectations, getting appropriate supports, learning how to nurture oneself and managing own emotions regarding parenting struggles. Moreover, increasing positive, pro-social behaviors supports families in building stronger relationships and creating a more peaceful and satisfying home environment.
EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING TRAINING
Executive function is the ability to organize and manage your thoughts, actions, and emotions to initiate, sustain, and complete a task. Our executive functions help us to manage time, pay attention, switch focus, plan, organize, remember details, and do things based on our experiences. When your executive function is not working as it should be, you engage in behavior that is less controlled and often struggle with what feels like basic tasks.
The 15 weeks Executive Functioning Training (EFT) is a program designed for individuals with executive functioning deficits to work collaboratively to develop and improve skills needed to thrive in a multitude of life settings. The individual will meet with the EFT Coach where they will gain an understanding of the topics, participate in activities to improve functioning, and leave with tasks to practice for the next week that allows them to enhance their skills. For children, this work often includes the parent to provide psychoeducation and help to reinforce and support their child's growth. The program is designed for ages 7 to adult.
Skills areas that may be addressed depending on an individual’s needs include the following:
-
Listening Skills
-
Organization
-
Time Management
-
Impulse Control
-
Emotion Regulation
-
Task Initiation
-
Planning and Preparation
-
Goal Directed Persistence
-
Flexibility
-
Collaborative Problem Solving Skills
-
Interpersonal Skills
-
Driving
-
Money Management
-
Motivation
-
Attention/Working Memory
NEUROFEEDBACK
Neurofeedback is a drugless therapy approach that “teaches” the brain how to balance and regulate irregular brain waves associated with common brain-based disorders, resulting in reduced symptoms and long-lasting results.
Neurofeedback is performed in the office similarly to an EEG. This is done by placing two dime-size sensors on specific training sites as well as on each ear lobe. With computer technology, brainwaves are monitored while simultaneously giving feedback of the brain's performance. When a positive brainwave is produced, the patient will receive a reward such as a clip from a movie or segment of a song. If a negative brainwave is produced, no movie or song will play. This positive reinforcement and repetition teaches the brain to produce more desired brainwaves and increase its ability to function the way it was designed to work.
NFT is often used to treat most common brain-based disorders such as:
-
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
-
Autism Spectrum Disorder
-
Anxiety
-
Depression
-
PTSD