Areas of Expertise

Experiencing occasional anxiety is a normal part of life. However, people with anxiety disorders frequently have intense, excessive and persistent worry and fear about everyday situations. Often, anxiety disorders involve repeated episodes of sudden feelings of intense anxiety and fear or terror that reach a peak within minutes (panic attacks).

Anger management is the process of learning to recognize signs that you’re becoming angry, and taking action to calm down and deal with the situation in a productive way. For many individuals, seeing a mental health professional is the most effective approach.

Body dysmorphic disorder is a mental health disorder in which you can’t stop thinking about one or more perceived defects or flaws in your appearance — a flaw that appears minor or can’t be seen by others. But you may feel so embarrassed, ashamed and anxious that you may avoid many social situations. Treatment of body dysmorphic disorder may include cognitive behavioral therapy and medication.

Chronic pain is pain that is ongoing and usually lasts longer than six months. This type of pain can continue even after the injury or illness that caused it has healed or gone away. The right therapist can aid in dealing with chronic pain and managing symptoms arising as a consequence of the chronic pain.

Depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. It affects how you feel, think and behave and can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems. You may have trouble doing normal day-to-day activities. Depression isn’t a weakness and you can’t simply “snap out” of it. Most people with depression feel better with medication, therapy or both.

When a loved one dies, you might be faced with grief over your loss again and again — sometimes even years later. Feelings of grief might return on the anniversary of your loved one’s death or other special days throughout the year. These feelings, sometimes called an anniversary reaction, aren’t necessarily a setback in the grieving process. To continue on the path toward healing, reach out to a therapist for help.

A midlife crisis is a normal period during the lifespan, when transitioning from young people to older adults occur. During this time, adults evaluate their achievements, goals, and dreams against what they had wished for in the past, and what stage they are facing in life. Therapy can help people turn a midlife crisis into an opportunity for growth. The right therapist can offer advice for how to deal with a midlife crisis, help people facing a midlife crisis understand the roots of the crisis, gain control over their emotions, and take meaningful steps toward goals that make life feel meaningful.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) features a pattern of unwanted thoughts and fears (obsessions) that lead you to do repetitive behaviors (compulsions). These obsessions and compulsions interfere with daily activities and cause significant distress. If you have OCD, you may be ashamed and embarrassed about the condition, but evidence shows that treatment can be effective.

A panic attack is a sudden episode of intense fear that triggers severe physical reactions when there is no real danger or apparent cause. Many people have just one or two panic attacks in their lifetimes, and the problem goes away, perhaps when a stressful situation ends. Having recurrent, unexpected panic attacks and spending long periods in constant fear of another attack, you may have a condition called panic disorder. Treatment can be very effective.

Perfectionism is often defined as the need to be or appear to be perfect, or even to believe that it’s possible to achieve perfection. Perfectionism can slow you down, lead to self-criticism, and create inconsistent motivation. Learning to let go of the striving for perfection can allow you to become a little more perfect. Reach out to our highly trained team of therapists for help with the coping skills required to overcome perfectionism.

Insomnia is a common sleep disorder that can make it hard to fall asleep, hard to stay asleep, or cause you to wake up too early and not be able to get back to sleep. Insomnia is usually the result of stress or a traumatic event. Simple changes in your daily habits can often help.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that’s triggered by a terrifying event — either experiencing it or witnessing it. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event. Getting effective treatment after PTSD symptoms develop can be critical to reduce symptoms and improve function.