At Transforming Connections, we offer a range of therapy services designed to meet you where you are in your journey. Whether you’re struggling with anxiety, depression, or the impact of trauma, our approach is personalized to help you find clarity, resilience, and healing. Using evidence-based techniques like EMDR, psychodynamic therapy, and equine-assisted therapy, we create a supportive environment for growth and transformation. Together, we’ll explore the challenges you face, uncover your strengths, and develop strategies to help you move forward with confidence.
Depression
Depression can impact our lives in many ways. Perhaps you are feeling stuck, or hopeless, maybe even overwhelmed. Our appetites can be impacted by overeating or having no appetite at all when experiencing depression. Some people report having little or no energy and virtually no sex drive. People who are suffering from depression may notice difficulty concentrating or making decisions. It is common for people to feel sad, guilty, worthless, and hopeless.
Depression is a common mood disorder with symptoms that can manifest in many ways and have varying levels of severity. There are several types of depression such as major depression, persistent depression, bipolar disorder, and post-partum depression, all depressive conditions affect the mind, body, and soul connection.
Everyone’s origin of depression varies, however, people suffering from it tend to hold negative beliefs about the world and themselves (Beck, 1979). These negative beliefs can develop from experiencing stressful and maybe even traumatic events that remain unprocessed and require integration into more adaptive beliefs.
EMDR can relieve depressive symptoms, help reframe negative beliefs and resolve unprocessed trauma and adverse experiences. It can also help improve energy and mood and create a more positive understanding of self and others.
EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is an 8-phased structured approach that encourages clients to focus briefly on traumatic memories while simultaneously experiencing bilateral stimulation, often through eye movements or tapping. This process aims to reduce the vividness, and the emotional impact often associated with those memories and help shift the negative belief one might have developed into a more positive, adaptive belief. EMDR is extensively researched and proven effective for treating trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. There have also been positive outcomes in treating anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), chronic pain, addictions, and other distressing life experiences. The brain naturally knows how to heal itself. EMDR allows the brain’s natural healing process to resolve unprocessed traumatic memories. EMDR therapy has been recognized by various national and international organizations as an effective treatment (Maxfield, 2019).Maxfield, L. (2019). A clinician’s guide to the efficacy of EMDR therapy. Journal of EMDR Practice and Research [Editorial], 13(4), 239-246. Learn more about EMDR
Counseling for Trauma
Most people will experience some form of trauma over the course of their lifetime whether it is a car accident, abuse, neglect, or the sudden loss of a loved one, perhaps a violent criminal act, exposure to the violence of war, or a natural disaster.
Recovery from trauma takes time and patience and is different for everyone. Some recover over time with love and support from family and friends, while others experience lasting effects of trauma, especially in the cases of complex trauma. The lasting impact of trauma can cause a person to live with deep emotional pain and fear, confusion or posttraumatic stress far after the event has passed.
When this occurs, the support and guidance from a trauma-informed therapist is fundamental in healing from trauma.
Four types of trauma symptoms listed in the DSM-5
Avoidance Symptoms
- Avoiding certain locations, smells, situations and sounds that serve as reminders of the event
- Anxiety, depression, numbness, or guilt
Re-experiencing Symptoms
- Intrusive thoughts, nightmares or flashbacks
Hyperarousal symptoms
- Anger, irritability, and hypervigilance
- Aggressive and maladaptive behavior such as self-harm
- Sleep disturbances
Negative Mood and Cognition Symptoms
- Difficulty recalling details of distressing events
- Loss of interest in once pleasurable activities
- Changes in behavior or habits since the traumatic event
Research has proven psychotherapy and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) to be effective forms of treatment for treating trauma.
If you or someone you know matches the trauma symptoms listed above, I am confident I can help and encourage you to contact me for a free consultation.
Counseling for Anxiety
Is anxiety taking over your daily life? Does it feel overwhelming to try to manage?
If this sounds like you, I’m here to help. I offer the most effective forms of treatment, to get relief from anxiety that you deserve.
Often, these are the symptoms of anxiety:
- Difficulty focusing or thinking clearly about anything other than the thing you’re worried about
- Difficulty sleeping
- Obsessions about certain ideas, a sign of obsessive-compulsive disorder
- Feelings of danger, panic or dread
- Nervousness, restlessness or being tense
- Anxiety surrounding a particular event in your life or experience that has occurred in the past, a sign of post-traumatic stress disorder
Therapy can help to uncover the underlying causes of your worries and your fears. It can help you to find ways to relax, find new perspectives, and develop better coping strategies along with problem-solving skills.
If you suffer from an anxiety disorder, I invite you to contact me today for a free consultation.