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Anxiety is complex, overwhelming, and sometimes debilitating. Often we can find ourselves trapped in a vicious cycle of fear, anticipation, and doubt that begins from one simple thought. Our minds have the ability to do amazing things from creating our own creative worlds to solving difficult problems. However, when we are anxious, our minds can take us to scary places. In this blog, we are going to take a look at what anxiety is.
Neuroscientist and professor David Pittman, Ph. D., describes two types of anxiety experiences: a cortex experience and an amygdala experience. His point is that anxiety can manifest itself as thoughts, which is a cortex experience, or as physiological sensations, which is an amygdala experience. When we hear “anxiety,” we often think of thoughts about bad things happening or worrying about what others think of us. Something important to remember is anxiety can present as a small scale worry, such as an upcoming test, or a large scale worry, such as pain or loss.
Have you found yourself experiencing any of the following:
These thoughts are common in people who are experiencing anxiety and feel stuck in their thoughts.
It is easy to get caught in this cycle of “what if” and “should have” thinking, but there is hope! Counseling can help you put these thoughts in perspective and find ways to challenge and reframe them. At Garrett Counseling in Huntsville, AL, our counselors have extensive experience working with individuals experiencing anxiety. Contact us today at (256) 239-5662 or online to schedule an appointment.
Emily Tester, a mental health counselor at Garrett Counseling in Huntsville, AL, wrote this blog. She was inspired by a training she attended by Dr. David Pittman, Ph.D. Learn more about Emily by clicking here, and learn more about Dr. Pittman by clicking here.
Depression is sometimes referred to in different ways, such as “the blues” or “being in a funk.” Everyone experiences “down” days, but how do you know if what your child is experiencing is depression? In this blog, we will take a look at symptoms of depression in children and teens.
The CDC estimates that 1.9 million children aged 3-17 have diagnosed depression. Depression in children and teens can be caused by different factors, including biological, psychological, and environmental factors.
Common symptoms of depression in children and teens can include depressed or irritable mood and loss of interest or pleasure in previously enjoyed activities, among other clinical signs. We know that these behaviors can be difficult to identify, especially in children who can’t yet communicate how they are feeling and in teens experiencing normal teenage behavior. If you are noticing changes in behavior that last for at least two or more weeks or extreme changes in behavior, we recommend working with a professional counselor to help your child through what they are experiencing.
Treating depression in children and teens can include a variety of methods such as medication, emotional management, behavioral management, lifestyle changes, and more. At Garrett Counseling, our goal is to provide your child with the tools they need to become regulated and process their feelings in a healthy way.
One of the therapy methods we use often with children is play therapy. Play therapy allows children to communicate through a fun, safe, and healthy way that indirectly teaches them how to manage their feelings and build the skills they need to overcome adversities.
Our counselors at Garrett Counseling in Huntsville, AL and our other locations are experienced in working with children and teens who are experiencing depression. If you would like to speak with us about working with you and your child, contact us today at (256) 239-5662 or online by clicking here.
Depression is sometimes referred to in different ways, such as “the blues” or “being in a funk.” Everyone experiences “down” days, but how do you know if what you are experiencing is depression? In this blog, we will take a look at symptoms of depression in adults.
Depression is measured by severity of symptoms, including:
For example, consider the difference between someone who has experienced depressive symptoms for two days and is fully functioning, versus a person who has experienced it for 2 months and is in jeopardy of losing their job due to excessive absences from work. If you are experiencing symptoms of depression, try asking yourself, “How long have you been feeling this way?”.
While there are several, varying types of depression (e.g., clinical depression, seasonal effect depression, etc.), no form of depression will necessarily go away on its own. In fact, most forms of depression require treatment in some form.
Many people spend far too much time and energy on hiding their problematic, depressive symptoms, and far too few seek treatment. There are ways to embrace, better understand, and ultimately tame your depressive symptoms. For some people this can look like reaching out to others, seeing a mental health professional, and/or increasing healthy movement and nutrition.
If you have been experiencing any of the feelings mentioned above for 2 weeks or more, or experiencing thoughts of suicide or self- harm, we encourage you to reach out for help. Garrett Counseling has a team of counselors in Huntsville, AL and our other locations that are experienced in working with adults who are experiencing depression. Contact us today at (256) 239-5662 or by clicking here.
Many people experience clinical anxiety that affects them on a day-to-day basis. In fact, the Anxiety & Depression Association of America estimates that anxiety affects 25.1% of children between 13 and 18 years old. Symptoms of anxiety include worry, fear, tension, feeling restless, racing thoughts, irritability, and feeling distracted. You may have heard the word “trigger” used when talking about anxiety. In this blog, we are going to take a look at what triggers anxiety in children and teens.
When talking about anxiety, the word “trigger” refers to situations, thoughts, or memories that activate your child’s anxiety and often leads to an increase in symptoms. While each child is different, triggers could lead to panic attacks, difficulty accomplishing tasks, or relapses in a former negative behavior.
Verywellmind says there are two types of triggers: internal and external. Internal triggers refer to triggers that occur inside your child. This could be a physical sensation, memory, thought, or emotion. An example of an internal trigger could be the child thinking of making a mistake or something going wrong. In this example, the thought would be intrusive and unwanted, and it would lead to an anxious response. External triggers refer to triggers that happen outside of your child’s body, such as people or specific situations. An example of an external trigger could be when a child who is anxious around large groups of people walks into a busy, crowded classroom. In this example, walking into the crowded classroom would lead to an anxious response.
Now that we understand what a “trigger” is, we can take a look at some of the common triggers of anxiety in children and teens.
Common Anxiety Triggers In Children:
Common Anxiety Triggers In Teens:
Counselor Miriam created this video to share three techniques to help children and teens regulate their anxiety. The three techniques she covers are:
If your child is experiencing anxiety and you are looking to help them identify what their triggers are, it is important to work with a professional counselor who can help them examine situations or feelings that activate their anxiety response. Our counselors at Garrett Counseling in Huntsville, AL and our other locations are experienced in working with children and teens experiencing anxiety. Contact us today at (256) 239-5662 or by clicking here to schedule an appointment!
This article was written by Miriam Comer, a mental health counselor at Garrett Counseling in Huntsville, AL. Learn more about Miriam here.
Many people experience clinical anxiety that affects them on a day-to-day basis. In fact, the Anxiety & Depression Association of America estimates that about 40 million Americans suffer from anxiety. Symptoms of anxiety include worry, fear, tension, feeling restless, racing thoughts, irritability, and feeling distracted. You may have heard the word “trigger” used when talking about anxiety. In this blog, we are going to take a look at what triggers anxiety in adults.
When talking about anxiety, the word “trigger” refers to situations, thoughts, or memories that activate one’s anxiety and often leads to an increase in symptoms. While each person is different, triggers could lead to panic attacks, difficulty accomplishing tasks, or relapses in a former negative behavior.
Verywellmind says there are two types of triggers: internal and external. Internal triggers refer to triggers that occur inside you, such as a physical sensation, memory, thought, or emotion. An example of an internal trigger could be the thought of making a mistake or something going wrong. In this example, the thought would be intrusive and unwanted, and it would lead to an anxious response. External triggers refer to triggers that happen outside of the body, such as people or specific situations. An example of an external trigger could be when someone who is anxious around large groups of people walks into a busy, crowded store. In this example, walking into the crowded store would lead to an anxious response.
Now that we understand what a “trigger” is, we can take a look at some of the common triggers of anxiety in adults:
Counselor Miriam created this video to share three techniques to help adults regulate their anxiety. The three techniques she covers are:
If you are experiencing anxiety and are looking to identify what your triggers are, it is important to work with a professional counselor who can help you examine situations or feelings that activate your anxiety response. Our counselors at Garrett Counseling in Huntsville, AL and our other locations are experienced in working with adults experiencing anxiety. Contact us today at (256) 239=5662 or by clicking here to schedule an appointment!
This article was written by Miriam Comer, a mental health counselor at Garrett Counseling in Huntsville, AL. Learn more about Miriam here.
My Money Bunnies: Fun Money Management For Kids is written by Mike Michalowicz. The story follows a character named Sophie as she learns how to both save money for her “big dream” and have money for her daily expenses.
“The book My Money Bunnies is the most clever way to teach kids how to manage their money. The strategies that Mr. Mike outlines are simple, but the way the author expresses it makes it so memorable. That said, the book actually has a lot in common with another book called Profit First by the same author. It has some of the same strategies in even more detail, but the fundamentals are the same, how to save money. Both of these books do a great job communicating how to save money. Grade A.” – Zoe Garrett
Zoe Garrett is 11 years old. She works part-time in the family business helping with office tasks, cleaning, and helping those older than her understand kid culture. She enjoys reading, playing Minecraft, and cooking. She does not enjoy cleaning out her lunch box, cleaning her room, or getting up early! Zoe is also the proud parent of Yam, her baby hedgehog.
At Garrett Counseling, we know that law enforcement officers endure a great deal of stress due to their jobs. Often, the public only hears a small portion of what these officers and their families endure. We wrote a series of blogs to both help the public understand the stress law enforcement officers face and to help those in law enforcement with the effects of stress. In blog three, our goal is to focus on how law enforcement officers can fight the effects of stress. (Check out blog one on what causes stress in law enforcement here and blog two on the consequences of stress and fatigue in law enforcement here.)
One of the most effective ways for an officer to combat job-related stress is by engaging in self care. While an officer may have little or no control over the administrative stressors (e.g., equipment problems, poor supervisors, etc.), there are many things they can control that have been shown to reduce stress and allow them to be healthier and happier.
A few ideas for taking care of oneself include:
We know that our law enforcement officers face a great deal of stress. If our mental health counselors counselors in Jacksonville, Boaz, or Huntsville can support you as you combat stress, contact us today at (256) 239-5662 or by clicking here.
This blog was written by Kristin Hurst, a mental health counselor at Garrett Counseling in Jacksonville, AL. Learn more about Kristin here.
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At Garrett Counseling, we know that law enforcement officers endure a great deal of stress due to their jobs. Often, the public only hears a small portion of what these officers and their families endure. We wrote a series of blogs to both help the public understand the stress law enforcement officers face and to help those in law enforcement with the effects of stress. In blog two, our goal is to focus on the consequences of stress and fatigue in law enforcement. (Check out blog one about what causes stress in law enforcement here.)
The consequences of stress can be very significant. Some common side effects of stress in law enforcement include:
Sleep, or lack thereof, has a major effect on everyone, but especially law enforcement. The following consequences may occur:
At Garrett Counseling, our mental health counselors in Huntsville, AL and our other locations have experience working with those in law enforcement. If we can help you with the consequences of stress and fatigue in law enforcement, contact us today at (256) 239-5662 or online.
This blog was written by Kristin Hurst, a mental health counselor at Garrett Counseling in Jacksonville, AL. Learn more about Kristin here.
Sources:
At Garrett Counseling, we know that law enforcement officers endure a great deal of stress due to their jobs. Often, the public only hears a small portion of what these officers and their families endure. We wrote a series of blogs to both help the public understand the stress law enforcement officers face and to help those in law enforcement with the effects of stress. In blog one, our goal is to focus on what causes stress in law enforcement.
The National Institute of Justice says that the most common causes of stress in law enforcement officers include:
Other stressors for these officers may include:
Los Angeles Police Department’s Behavioral Science Services division, the oldest and largest agency run, in-house mental health provider, states that the average police officer will be exposed to around 800 traumatic incidents during their career. By comparison, the average citizen might be exposed to three or fewer incidents. In addition to repeated exposure to trauma, officers often encounter victims of violent crimes, serious injury or death, child abuse, and neglect.
Garrett Counseling’s Clinical Director Ginger Caudell, LPC, says “I recommend that people slow down and be mindful of the complicated daily work and home life of law enforcement officers. While we, as a society, have all suffered greatly from the pandemic, our police and military members have the double stress of how their own families are in danger plus how all the many people they serve are in harm’s way, often by an unseen enemy. Slow down and be both thoughtful and intentional in your words and actions toward others. We are all in a confusing time in history so let cool heads prevail.”
Our mental health counselors in Huntsville, AL and our other locations have experience working with those in law enforcement. Contact us today at (256) 239-5662 or online.
This blog was written by Kristin Hurst, a mental health counselor at Garrett Counseling in Jacksonville, AL. Learn more about Kristin here.
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Pregnancy is an exciting time, but we know pregnancy also has its struggles. Often, mothers experience mental health concerns as their baby grows. In fact, a 2018 study by MGH Center for Women’s Mental Health found that up to 20% of women suffer mood and anxiety disorders during pregnancy. At Garrett Counseling we want to give you resources to help you throughout your pregnancy. Below, you will find a few tips on how to take care of your mental health during pregnancy from the moms on our team!
Stress on your mental health during pregnancy translates to stress for the growing baby. We hope that these tips help you take care of your mental health during pregnancy. Our counselors in Huntsville, AL and our other locations have experience supporting moms during their pregnancy. If we can help you, contact us today online or at (256) 239-5662.
This article was written by Ben Lighter, a mental health counselor at Garrett Counseling in Jacksonville, AL. Learn more about Ben here.
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a common mental health condition that can affect people of all ages, including children. Our counselors at Garrett Counseling are experienced in working with children who are experiencing Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. We hope this blog helps you gain a better understanding of the different approaches we may use in treating children with PTSD.
When helping children who are facing Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) the #1 goal is always safety. Safety needs to be achieved both in the client’s environment and in the therapeutic relationship. When children are able to identify people, places, and things that make them feel comfortable and safe, they often experience a reduction of stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. Once the goal of safety has been met, our counselors may use one of the following approaches to treat PTSD in children.
If you are looking for a counselor to support you and your child in your child’s experience with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Garrett Counseling has counselors in Huntsville, AL and our other locations who are experienced in treating children with PTSD. Contact us today online or at (256) 239-5662.