Category: Therapy

TRUST and Asking for HELP

9/13/2015

By Bree Winkler, EdS, LPC, CAMS

People confide in me every day. They share their deepest secrets, fears, worries, and embarrassments. They are seeking empathy, reassurance, and guidance. It’s my passion and my job to listen confidentially, give support, and offer help. Overall, I’ve been a great therapist (and friend). Because of this, I know that asking for help and trusting others is effective for healing.

So, why is it so difficult for me to ask for help and trust others??? One definition of TRUST is “confident expectation of something; hope.” Hope and expectations can breed fear if not met with support and commitment. I spoke to other Type-A, independent professionals and they agreed with my concerns. There are a lot of reasons why people fear asking for help:

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Premarital or Marriage Counseling

6/30/2015

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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!

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Mental Health Help: How To Cope When LIFE Throws You A Curveball

6/28/2015

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By Bree Winkler, EdS, LPC, CAMS

How can you cope with Life’s curveball?

If you are anything like me, you hope and believe that everything will go well today and in the future for you and your loved ones and you won’t need help from others. It is a wonderful desire. I want to be healthy and safe and financially secure. But, I’m not selfish; I want those things for others also. It is an idealistic world I want to live it. Sometimes it is also a realistic world.

So, sometimes reality slaps me (or you) in the face.

God, karma, fate, bad luck … whatever you want to call it… can intervene at anytime and change up your happy day. You are planning to have a day/week/month/year/LIFE where you hit the ball out of the
park. Homerun! Cheers! Applause! You are happy and beaming! But instead, a curveball is thrown. Your emotional and mental health is shaken. Now you hear whispers and questions. You feel scared and sad and angry and overwhelmed – all at once! This was NOT the plan. Your curveball might be a life-threatening or life-limiting medical diagnosis; it might be losing your job and struggling financially; it might a romantic relationship ending and the devastation seems irreversible; it might be the death of a loved one. Everyone’s curveball is different. Everyone’s pain is personal and intense. Everyone needs help coping with the tragedy (aka curveball).

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Dear Therapist: Why Should I Go To Therapy? **

6/3/2015

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Someone recently asked me about why I chose to start therapy when I have a ton of friends willing to listen to my every complaint, and tell me exactly what I want to hear.- by Anonymous TalkSpace User

Dear Anonymous:

Having a strong social support system is paramount to a fulfilling life. However, as you mentioned above, often friends do not tell you what you really need to hear. Instead, they tell you what you want to hear. Friends are encouraging, supportive, funny, kind, and complimentary. These positive qualities are why you remain friends. Unfortunately, friends have difficulty: 1) Being completely honest regarding any flaws or deficits you possess 2) Communicating effectively in potential conflict situations 3) Stating anything that may be perceived as hurtful 4) Challenging you to improve your life and reach your goals 5) Listening without judgement 6) Listening without interrupting 7) Keeping information confidential 8) Scheduling regular time to really listen and connect, especially one-on-one 9) and the list goes on.

If you image your social connections (friends, family, colleagues, church, neighbors) as a puzzle, all of the pieces are valuable to put the puzzle (YOU!) together in order to see the beautiful picture. Your personal therapist is the missing piece to the puzzle. The therapist puzzle piece is essential for healthy, positive, individual growth. Your therapist will 1) Be honest 2) Communicate effectively 3) Be constructive with comments 4) Challenge you 5) Listen 6) Listen more (smile!) 7) Keep your information confidential 8) Meet with you regularly and without interruption 9) and offer many more skills.

Without a good therapist, you are like an incomplete puzzle. Utilizing therapy to grow as an individual, to resolve current and past issues, and to improve interpersonal interactions is an asset whose value cannot be quantified. Ready to complete your puzzle? Contact Bree today.

Sincerely,
Bree Winkler, EdS, LPC, CAMS
Counselor in Atlanta, GA.
** Credit: TalkSpace.com Blog

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LYING: Is It Linked To A Mental Health Disorder?

5/6/2015

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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:

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Parent Tips - Social Media Awareness and Internet Safety

4/17/2015

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Kids are so tech-savvy these days. As concerns parents, guardians, educators, counselors, and family members, we need to be vigilant in keeping kids safe. Cyberbullying out-numbers physical bullying 10-fold. Predators are not enticing your teenager with candy from a van; they are "catfishing" in chat rooms. As a counselor, I have heard horror stories from children and parents about messages through text or apps, videos, and pictures that have been used to embarrass, bully, trick, manipulate, and harm others.

Adolescence is the 2nd fastest growth period of a person's life (after infancy). Due to all of these rapid changes, teenagers are especially prone to rely on and misuse social media.

Why?????

No matter what genetics a teen may possess, they are impressionable and adding social media to the already prevalent peer pressure only ramps that pressure up further.

Self-disclosure is strongly associated with increased activation in brain regions that form the mesolimbic dopamine system, including the nucleus accumbens and ventral tegmental area.

The immediacy and reward associated with social media (especially through mobile avenues) can be thought of as a 'quick hit' and would be expected to result in a minority of users experiencing 'addiction-like' symptoms.

Egocentric – Its about me, me, me

Highly Curious about the "Real World"

Prefer Active Learning to Passive

Moving from Concrete to Abstract thinking

The following information is not meant to be scary. The information is provided for 1) awareness, 2) guidance, 3) tips.

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Teaching Life Skills: R-E-S-P-E-C-T

3/23/2015

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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:

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Trauma: Effects Can Last Into Adulthood

3/12/2015

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I recently attended a conference on child sexual abuse (at CHOA). The information was well presented, but the topic and content was disheartening. Current statistics show that 1 in 10 children will experience child sexual abuse before their 18th birthday. (www.D2L.org) However, one amazing fact was shared: due to media awareness, prevention, and legal actions, child sexual abuse has decreased significantly for this generation (from 1 in 3 children in previous generations).

Child Sexual Abuse is defined as any sexual act between an adult and a minor or between two minors when one exerts power over the other; forcing, coercing, or persuading a child to engage in any type of sexual act, including non-contact acts such as exhibitionism, exposure to pornography, voyeurism, and communicating in a sexual manner by phone or Internet.

The physical act of being abused is painful and scary. No one wants to be exposed to this kind of crisis. However, the emotional component of sexual abuse causes the lasting and ongoing trauma.

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When Crisis Strikes: How to Respond

2/20/2015

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Crisis strikes when you least expect it! It is never convenient. It causes a range of intense emotions, including anger, fear, shock, motivation, and worry.

Being prepared to respond to a crisis is key to handling the situation effectively. Without proper preparation, you can create more problems, which will exasperate an already stressful situation.

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What IF ... Today is the Best it Will Be for Me?

2/9/2015

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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.

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Forward>>

What's New in Therapy?

TRUST and Asking for HELP

Premarital or Marriage Counseling

Mental Health Help: How To Cope When LIFE Throws You A Curveball

Dear Therapist: Why Should I Go To Therapy? **

LYING: Is It Linked To A Mental Health Disorder?

Parent Tips - Social Media Awareness and Internet Safety

Teaching Life Skills: R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Trauma: Effects Can Last Into Adulthood

When Crisis Strikes: How to Respond

What IF ... Today is the Best it Will Be for Me?

Bree Winkler, LPC, Ed.S

Archives

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Private Counseling
Your Customized Mental Health Therapy
1031 Cambridge Square, Suite E
Alpharetta, GA 30009
(470) 231-9199
[email protected]

What's New in Therapy?

Bree Winkler, LPC, Ed.S

Archives

Categories

Private CounselingYour Customized Mental Health Therapy1031 Cambridge Square, Suite EAlpharetta, GA 30009(470) 231-9199[email protected]

Private Counseling
Your Customized Mental Health Therapy
1031 Cambridge Square, Suite E
Alpharetta, GA 30009
(470) 231-9199
[email protected]