Treatment for Depression and Anxiety Denise Pollack, MEd, LPC, NCC Easton, PA (Lehigh Valley) Cognitive Behavioral Therapy When prospective clients contact me, they frequenty mention anxiety or depression as the reason they are seeking counseling. I have found that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (C.B.T.) provides a useful format for addressing these problems. Research has shown that individuals treated with C.B.T. remain free of depression and other related mental health symptoms longer than those treated with drugs alone. This means that treatment can help you feel better now, and help you manage future periods of stress and disappointment. Often, unhappy people attribute their feelings to external events, conflicts, or issues from their past. They resign themselves to the faulty belief that their feelings are beyond their control. In doing so, they become victims of their own misery. They fail to consider that they can control their thoughts and change the way they feel. In reality, it is their thoughts and attitudes that create their feelings as opposed to external events. C.B.T. can be used to treat a wide range of everyday problems, including low selfesteem, anxiety, panic, inferiority, procrastination, guilt, stress, frustration, and irritability. In addition, C.B.T. is very useful when applied to relationship problems. oftentimes, individuals develop attitudes that lead to cycles of blame, resentment, hostility, fear, and loneliness. I can teach you how to express your feelings more effectively. I can show you how to be a better listener and understand how the other person is thinking or feeling during a conflict. According to C.B.T., every negative feeling stems from a specific type of negative thought. Sadness and depression result from thoughts of loss. Frustration is related to unfulfilled expectations. Anxiety and panic are due to thoughts of danger. Guilt stems from a belief that you are a bad person. Inferiority is associated with the feeling that you are inadequate compared to others. Anger is generally related to feelings of unfairness. As you become familiar with the concepts and techniques of C.B.T., you will learn to recognize and label negative emotions. You will then identify the specific type of thought distortion that accompanies your negative feelings. Finally, you will challenge the distortions and consider more realistic explanations. It is important to note, however, that there are times when negative feelings are not the result of distortions. They may be healthy and appropriate. It is equally valuable to learn when to accept these negative feelings and how to cope with genuinely unpleasant situations. Strategies to Combat Anxiety Anxiety takes many forms and becomes most troublesome during times of stress. Anxiety can involve chronic worrying, fears and phobias, performance anxiety, public speaking anxiety, shyness, panic attacks, excessive concerns about your health or physical appearance. Through a combination of therapeutic techniques, anxiety can be significantly reduced and managed. I use cognitive techniques, exposure therapy, and insight oriented strategies. Cognitive techniques help you change the way you think so you can change the way you feel. Exposure techiques gently guide you toward confronting your fears rather than avoiding them. Once you face your fears you can defeat them. Insight oriented therapy will help you see why you are holding on to behaviors that cause anxiety and what purpose they serve. Over time, therapy can help you take charge of your emotions, careers, and personal relationships. It requires work and commitment, but it can be done. You can feel better about yourself and others as you move forward in your life. Counseling to Help Couples I do not offer traditional Marriage counseling for the purpose of rebuilding damaged relationships. I do offer short term solution focused cojoint therapy for healthy couples dealing with specific issues that are best addressed as a unit. Couples typically come to my practice to address problems external to their relationship. For example, couples may wish to focus on parenting challenges, or concerns about caring for their elderly parents. Couples who were divorced and are considering a second marriage often benefit from examining and avoiding problematic patterns of behavior from their past. Others may come in to discuss career change and how possible relocation may affect their relationship. Sometimes one member of a couple is contemplating pursuing additional education and would like to examine how that might affect their lifestyle and routine. Some focus on family planning and how to determine the best time to have or adopt a child. Individuals who have chosen to live together may seek counseling to help establish rules and guidelines for cohabitation. Couples engaging in alternative lifestyles may come in to discuss the unique challeges they face. For such couples, therapy is brief (usually 2-5 sessions) and no longer necessary once a solution or direction has been established.