therapy – BUCK BLACK THERAPY

Anger Can be Healthy

Think of anger as a ball of energy that can be helpful and harmful. It depends on how you use it. It takes little creativity to use anger to swear, become violent and really make a clown of one’s self. However, it takes a lot of creativity and control to direct one’s anger energy toward something productive. Some examples of productive uses of anger: Women’s right to voteCivil rightsSelf defenseMother’s Against Drunk Driving (MADD)Writing letters to the editorMotivation to finish that project you have not been working on forever What are some ways you can use your anger effectively?

Therapy Can Change Your Life

We all have something in our life that we want to change. If someone says there is nothing to change, this should be a problem in and of itself. How do people create change in their lives? Altering thoughts, modifying behaviors, setting goals, and creating/maintaining relationships are all great catalysts. Therapy is a way to help facilitate these behaviors. My goal as a therapist is to help hold you accountable on the changes you wish to make. I do this by asking about your goals and how you are coming along. I also help with creating ideas that will add…

Clinical Psychotherapy

I often hear people saying that they do not want to have a clinical experience with therapy. I am told that people of think of a sterile room with a cold therapist who only says “how does that make you feel?” Another thought is that therapy is a procedure. The client sits there and is changed…much as the idea of how a car is dropped off at a mechanic. Again, this is not true. Then what is therapy? First of all, the client is in charge. It is important to focus on what the client feels will be helpful. Yes,…

“I Don’t Believe in Counseling”

I sometimes hear people say, “I don’t believe in counseling.” I can’t completely understand this statement. Essentially, counseling consists of talking about problems and finding a better way to work through them. It is also designed to help you to find ways to improve yourself and is not always problem focused. Self improvement can be quite amazing! What is there to “not believe in?” The person does not believe in talking? Or suggestions or changing ways of thinking and behaving? If a person says they do not believe in medications, I can somewhat understand that, but depending on the situations,…

Rules for Fair Fighting: Couples Therapy

This is used in couples therapy to help my clients have productive conversations. If you can follow these rules, you are much more likely to have productive discussions. 1. Decide upon a time of day and time limit before you begin and stick to it. Make this session last around 20 minutes-don't overdo it. If you don't finish in that allotted time, schedule another time the next day. 2. Decide how many “zaps” you'll permit before you (or the other) walk out. A zap is a hurtful remark, an insult, a threat, a sarcastic dig and so on. Any attempt…

Shall I Begin Psychiatry or Counseling?

While often misidentified as the same, psychiatry and counseling are actually quite different. To begin, let me try and differentiate psychiatry from counseling. Counseling is traditionally focused on the practice of "talk therapy," or “psychotherapy.” That is, the process of working through problem/life issues by talking them through with a professional counselor. Such a professional will help clients to process their emotions, thoughts, and behaviors, and will help clients to build strategies for improving their moods, lives and relationships. Psychiatry (with some exceptions) is generally focused on helping individuals to overcome specific problem issues with medication. Medication in Psychiatry Treatment…

Is Counseling or Therapy Right for Me?

Counseling or Therapy in Lafayette Indiana is about working though life's problems. You might be thinking that you can handle all of these problems yourself. Well, most of us need someone to bounce ideas off of. This is even more helpful when that person is someone who is impartial, outside of the situation, and does not have an emotional investment in you. If you rely on friends, they will likely not tell you how it is because of fear that they will offend you! So, you might be wondering if you have to be mentally ill in order to go…

Medication vs. Counseling

There is seldom a day that goes past where I don't have a client who comes to me with a great concern that their medications are not working. Often, when I ask what they are doing for themselves, they develop a rather puzzled look on their face. Most of the time, they say that they just wait for the medication to take effect. More and more, society is putting focus on medications while ignoring how people can change their mood and overall health with a few behavior changes. It is very easy to blame a chemical imbalance in the brain…

Why Pay for Health Care?

Money is a sensitive subject for most. I can't blame anyone for wanting to save money or cringing when they have to spend money on health care. I will never forget when I worked at Wal-Mart while in school and seeing people get very angry when they thought they were charged one or two dollars more then they should have. I think there is something that makes us think we should not have to spend money on our own health care or it should be very cheap. Where does this belief come from? I don't know. It would be great…

Family Therapy

Depending on the situation, family therapy is often one of the more helpful options. Think about this: We are all impacted by those around us. This means that we are all part of a system. If one person goes to therapy and changes, but the other family members (system) do not change, then how can we expect lasting results? I encourage all of my clients to bring friends and family members to therapy. This will help to improve the environment for all. This also provides an opportunity for another person's opinion and perspective to be brought into the room, which…