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By Bree Winkler, EdS, LPC, CAMSTherapy sessions are conducted in the privacy and convenience of your home. Don't spend another minute trying to appear calm and collected when you are really struggling internally. Bree is a licensed professional counselor who provides mental health counseling in Atlanta, GA.
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 Premarital and Marriage Counseling Introducing a new service!! Bree is now certified to administer and interpret the Prepare/Enrich relationship assessment. After completing the 8 session course, Couple will receive a certificate of completion. Certificate can be used to reduce fee for marriage license in GA. Benefits to the Couple: ** Good Premarital preparation can reduce the divorce rate by 30%. ** Confidential and customized to be personally relevant to each couple. ** Stimulate conversation and curiosity in the relationship. ** Identify relationship strengths and potential issues. ** Couples learn useful relationship skills they can apply to current and future issues in their relationship. Couples therapy will include: 1) Assessment (online), 2) Customized counseling sessions which will include reviewing and utilizing the assessment, and 3) Couples exercises to build and maintain relationship skills.  The Assessment measures Couples compatibility on 10 scales including Communication, Conflict Resolution, Financial Management, Family, Relationship Roles, Sexuality and Affection, Partner Habits, Leisure Activities, Spiritual Beliefs, and Idealistic Distortion.  Bree Winkler is a licensed professional counselor in Atlanta, GA. Contact Bree today to start creating your best relationship!
 Short answer: Maybe. Lying is a “normal” behavior. It is characterized by white lies, tall tales, fibs, or purposeful deception. Everyone has lied to at least one person. However, there are different degrees of lying. · Compulsive Liar A compulsive liar is defined as someone who lies out of habit. Lying is their normal and reflexive way of responding to questions. Compulsive liars bend the truth about everything, large and small. For a compulsive liar, telling the truth is very awkward and uncomfortable while lying feels right. Compulsive lying is usually thought to develop in early childhood, due to being placed in an environment where lying was necessary. For the most part, compulsive liars are not overly manipulative and cunning (unlike sociopaths), rather they simply lie out of habit - an automatic response which is hard to break and one that takes its toll on a relationship. The terms Pathological Liar, Habitual Liar and Chronic Liar are often used to refer to a Compulsive Liar. Are you or a family member a compulsive liar? Click here to take a quiz. · A Sociopath A sociopath is typically defined as someone who lies incessantly to get their way and does so with little concern for others. A sociopath is often goal-oriented (i.e., lying is focused - it is done to get one’s way). Sociopaths have little regard or respect for the rights and feelings of others. Sociopaths are often charming and charismatic, but they use their talented social skills in manipulative and self-centered ways. Honesty and dishonesty are learned in the home. How parents respond and discipline their child for lying also teaches the child the parent’s expectations for lying. Lying that is probably not a serious problem:
 Do you ever notice how easy it is to slip into disrespect – via tone of voice, actions, and/or words? We all want respect, but what do we do to earn respect? The Golden Rule is “treat others the way you want to be treated.” However, the selfish mentality is “I’ll treat them with respect when they treat me with respect.” You Want the Respect before you Give them Respect.
Choosing the later causes several problems:  I was at a church service recently, listening to a powerful message by Annie Downs. She asked “what if today is the best God has for you?” The auditorium full of thousands of people went silent.
What IF today is the best it will be for me? What if all the things I hope and dream for are not in the plan, in the cards, or fate for me? I’m waiting, just as I’m sure you are too, for something. If I wait to see if A will happen before I made a choice between B and C, then I am stagnate. I’m in limbo. I’m stuck. Where do symptoms of anxiety and depression come from? From being stagnate… being in limbo… being stuck! Life isn’t about waiting, it is about LIVING! We hope for lots of things, we dream, we wish, and we desire: love, happiness, laughter, money, fame, or fill in the blank with your dream(s). Hope is necessary for motivation and goal setting. However, lack of decision making and forward movement is a sign of depression. Worry and agitation are symptoms of anxiety. Both problems arise when you stop living for today and, instead, wait for the unfulfilled promises of tomorrow. No one knows how their story will end. We don’t even know how today will end. No good comes from fear. A person shows fear when he or she is scared to move their life in one direction because it might prevent them from having other options. What if the original option is the path of success in reaching all your desires? BUT, you hope and pray that waiting on this other path will guide you to your dreams. If a door opens for a change, big or small, then check it out! Make a choice – to try this option or return to the previous option. Don’t stand still.  What is a Life Coach?
A life coach is officially defined as “a person who counsels and encourages clients on matters having to do with careers or personal challenges.” How is Life Coach different from a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)? Therapists/Counselors assess and diagnosis client symptoms. LPC professionals specialize in counseling clients who are dealing with a variety of mental health diagnoses: mood disorders, personality disorders, anxiety disorders, adjustments disorders, and more. Clients must show symptoms for specific duration and intensity in order to receive a mental health diagnosis. Clients must have a qualifying mental health diagnosis (according to the DSM-V) in order for insurance to pay for treatment. A Life Coach can listen, process, and offer suggestions to your problems without diagnosing the client. Individuals see life coaches when they need assistance in a season of life transition, but their symptoms do not meet the criteria for diagnosis. A life coach may be a LPC or receive alternative training and certification. Who needs a life coach? Everyone could benefit from having a neutral, personal confidant to assist with life changes and challenges. However, 2 specific personality behaviors could readily benefit from Life Coaching.  <---- Can you relate?
Social Phobia is defined as “strong fear of being judged by others and of being embarrassed.” Fears and anxiety can get in the way of everyday events and interactions. Symptoms include:  They say, “Walk a mile in someone else’s shoes to know their struggles.”
This seems like a very difficult task for most people. Every day, we observe signs of people lacking empathy and lashing out at others, before they attempt to understand the entire situation. Consider these scenarios: * A car driving below the speed limit and blocking traffic. --> Maybe they are lost or bringing home their new baby for the first time. * A long line at the bank or grocery store. --> They need their money/items as much as you do. * A scowl on someone’s face when you say ‘hello.’ --> Perhaps they just received bad news or they are feeling ill or they didn't see you or they are insecure. * A loud, angry response to a simple question. --> Defensiveness is a sign of insecurity. * Miscommunication via email or text. --> Perhaps direct phone call or in-person communication is needed to fully understand context and body language.  Did you wake up this morning (or in the middle of the night!) and think, "I need some help?" All you have to do is ask! Contact Bree today to discuss your emotional, personal, and mental health needs. I am happy to offer confidential therapeutic support. View all the counseling services available to you -- in the comfort and convenience of your home. 
 Happy Valentine’s Day!
It’s a day full of romance, excitement, surprises, and love. Couples happily show their love and appreciate for each other through cards, gifts, and romantic meals. Ahh… love :) Wait! Does everyonefeel this way about Valentine’s Day? Sadly, it is also a day full of high expectations for romance, excitement, surprises, and love. Perhaps you fall into one of these alternative categories: |
Bree Winkler, LPC, Ed.SMy goal is to help you use coping skills, change thoughts, and manage behaviors in order to decrease anxiety and depression symptoms. Archives
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