Playing is a time where children feel the most comfortable and free and often how they will communicate and learn social skills. At this age, children may not understand therapy or why they are meeting with a therapist. Children often need help processing and understanding their emotions. Through playing with specific toys and games, children become more comfortable and the therapist can use these interactions to explore emotions, behaviors and coping strategies. Children at ease will often engage more in the therapy process and trust will gradually be built between the therapist and child. As this occurs, children will often become more verbal which allows the therapist to understand the child’s concerns on a deeper level. Play therapy may sound like playtime, but an experienced psychologist will specifically use different play items to address the presenting issue or problem. Play therapy can be a very effective therapeutic tool with not only children but teens as well.

When working with tweens and teens, our therapists schedule an initial assessment with caregivers and the adolescent client. Maintaining confidentiality with adolescents is important so they can have a safe space to explore their feelings, understand their unique concerns, gain insight into their beliefs and personal identity, become aware of their thoughts, and become adept at utilizing coping strategies that are effective to help them navigate challenges. At times, family members may join a counseling session so that the adolescent client can share their needs and together we can create a plan to best support the adolescent.

Therapy can be helpful in supporting someone during a multitude of transitions that occur in life. One significant transition is the shift from childhood and adolescence to adulthood. This transition is accompanied by a multitude of new and important tasks such as: Advocating for ones health needs, securing financial stability, charting and educational and/or career path, advocating for ones needs, developing reciprocal adult relationships, etc. Through the support of therapy, individuals can circumnavigate these milestones with increased insight and understanding.

There are so many challenges facing parents today. Whether you have young children, tweens/teens, or young adults at home, our therapists can help you navigate the parenting path. Understanding ways to reinforce positive behaviors and reduce the negative ones, how to communicate effectively, set clear and consistent boundaries and rules are some common areas with which parents can benefit from working with a therapist.

The family system is just like any other “system.” It can experience ups and downs depending on the stressors and actions of others. Each individual not only impacts other individuals in the family but also the system as a whole. Family therapy focuses on working to build a healthy and stable system by improving communication, developing coping strategies to use during stressful times, finding healthy ways to support each other, and effectively resolving conflicts. The goal of family therapy is to deepen connections and relationships between each other so that the family can be a stronger more cohesive unit.

No one ever tells you that becoming a Mom is this hard. And if they did it is hard to believe it!

But it is natural for women to experience changes in their feelings and mood during pregnancy and after birth. Commonly known as the “baby blues”, 80% of new Moms often describe feeling more tired, irritable, worried, and having moments of sad moods and periodic, unexplainable crying. The “baby blues” usually last for a couple of weeks and most often these symptoms lessen as hormones begin to balance out.

But did you know that 15%-20% of women have mood symptoms, including persistent sadness, helplessness, guilt, fatigue, intense anxiety, worry, and fear that persists long enough to require treatment by a health provider? In addition to perinatal mood disorders, many women experience trauma and loss during pregnancy and birth due to complicated births, infertility, and pregnancy loss.

You are not alone, it is treatable and with help, you will get well! There are effective and well-researched treatment options to help you recover.

At WHCP we have therapists who have been through this journey and who have specialized training in Maternal Mental Health. We are here to support you.

As a result of the baby boom and longer life expectancy, we are experiencing a significant increase in the aging population. With this increase, come new challenges for families in terms of health issues, support, and living situations. The psychological impact of aging on an individual, as well as the caregivers involved, can be significant. Geriatric psychology focuses on the mental, emotional, and physical problems faced by those later in their lives. Some of these challenges can include mobility, increase in dependency on others, lack of independence, decrease in social activities, memory challenges and confusion, and depression. Caregivers also face challenges and may benefit from therapy to help build support and understanding of how to adapt and cope with a loved one who is entering this stage of their life. At WHCP, we offer both geriatric therapy and family support therapy for caregivers and/or children of aging parents.

Shame Resilience, Vulnerability, Courage and Wholehearted Living

The Daring Way™, Rising Strong™, Gifts of Imperfection™ and BOLD™ programs are based on the work of Dr. Brené Brown, PhD, LMSW. Dr. Brené Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work where she has spent the past two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy and is the author of five #1 New York Times bestsellers: The Gifts of Imperfection, Daring Greatly, Rising Strong, and Braving the Wilderness, Dare to Lead. Dr. Brown also has many notable TED talks and most recently has started the Unlocking Us podcast.

Nickie Haine, LCSW-S, CDWF leads clients through the Daring Way™, Rising Strong™, BOLD™ (for Teens) and Gifts of Imperfection™ curriculum in individual sessions and in groups and intensives (one, two or 3 day weekend intensives).

Trauma means “wound, injury, or shock.” People will differ in what they find traumatic based on the event, the experience of that event and the effects of that event. In the past many people believed that only physical harm or danger caused trauma. However, we now know that emotionally stressful events can also cause trauma, particularly in the absence of caring supports.

Complex Trauma is defined as the exposure to multiple, often interrelated forms of traumatic experiences AND the difficulties that arise as a result of adapting to or surviving these experiences. These experiences often occur in early life and can disrupt aspects of the child’s development and the formation of a sense of self and healthy attachments. These experiences are often recurrent and/or afflicting generations of families.

Unresolved trauma, both single incident and complex trauma, can affect your mental and physical health and can have a range of symptoms including:

Shock, denial, or disbelief

Confusion, difficulty concentrating

Anger, irritability, mood swings, sadness

Anxiety, fear and being startled easily

Guilt, shame, self-blame

Withdrawing from others

Feeling disconnected or numb

Insomnia or nightmares

Difficulty concentrating and fatigue

A racing heartbeat, edginess and agitation

Aches and pains and muscle tension

Whatever the cause of your trauma, and whether it happened years ago or yesterday, working with a therapist can help you make healing changes to overcome the negative effects of trauma.

There is a fine line between stress and anxiety. Stress is an emotional change that is in response to an external trigger. This can be something that is short-term, like a work demand or stress in a relationship or long-term, such as being unable to work, discrimination, or chronic illness. Right now many people are experiencing longer term stress in parenting and in life due to the pandemic and the constant triggers associated. When under stress, common mental and physical symptoms include irritability, anger, fatigue, muscle pain, digestive troubles, and difficulty sleeping.

Anxiety on the other hand is a more persistent, excessive worry that doesn’t go away even in the absence of a stressor. Anxiety leads to very similar symptoms such as insomnia, difficulty concentrating, fatigue, muscle tension, and irritability.

Common Anxiety Disorders include Generalized Anxiety disorder, Panic disorder, Phobias, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Social Anxiety and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

What we know about anxiety disorders is that the more you understand about your anxiety, where it originated, how it shows up in your life and how you react to it, the more you are able to manage anxiety when it comes so that it does not affect you in a negative way.

If you are suffering from an anxiety disorder, please reach out to us. Our therapists are trained in a variety of methods to address anxiety and are here to help.

Depression is often defined simply as feeling sad, or feelings of overwhelming sadness. However, depression can be so much more complex. It can consist of general irritability, agitation and difficulties with concentration. Other signs of depression can include difficulties sleeping, fluctuations in appetite, feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness, low energy, isolation and abandonment of traditional hobbies and activities.

In more serious cases, depression can include thoughts of suicide or self harm (If you are experiencing these extreme symptoms, please get help immediately or call 911).

Dr. Acosta treats patients with eating disorders such as Anorexia, Bulimia, Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), general eating concerns and body issues. She makes it a priority to work with a team of community specialists, such as dietitians and physicians, to ensure optimal care.

Work, parenting, marriage, and relationships are hard. There are ups and downs throughout all of these areas in our lives; It is simply unavoidable. Often clients come in saying “I think this must be what they mean by mid-life crisis”. But I believe it is more a reckoning with ourselves and a necessary one. Often we spend years doing what we thought we were supposed to. We find ourselves living out someone else’s expectations for us or following old patterns of behavior that may have worked for us in the past but no longer seem to fit for the life that we currently want. Therapy is a wonderful place to explore these issues with a safe and trusted person to begin to unravel the knot and build a life that more closely aligns with your values and what you hope for in the years to come.