yaelingh Uncategorized

Choosing What Kind of Therapy to Seek

We receive a lot of mixed messages about what it means to “talk to someone” when experiencing distress. Does it mean going to a hospital? The ER? Inpatient? Outpatient? Is it mostly for people who are suicidal or experiencing hallucinations? Is it really just for rich people who don’t have survival stress? Where should you even start looking?

Call me biased, but I truly believe that in fact most people could really use some kind of therapy at some point in their lives!

The Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) has a useful graphic (below) to help figure out which path might be the most useful for you to pursue, based on your own preferences and needs.

To be clear, this is primarily about psychology / counseling, which most therapy falls under, rather than psychiatry, despite how therapy is portrayed in most movies and TV shows. (To better understand the general difference between seeing a psychologist versus seeing a psychiatrist, ADAA has a useful explainer here.)

final-therapygu_23840851_3ad732e6e2a37020f3ac49fcaf48f6305f631dcf

Did you find an approach that sounds like it might work for you? I hope so!

Intersectional Life Counseling and Therapy offers nearly all of these options: in-person sessions (individual and groups when available, and even outdoors!) as well as teletherapy sessions by video. (We do not offer text-based interventions.) See the chart below to compare them!

Video Sessions Using Thera-Link
Lancaster County Park

Compare Session options:

In Office Sessions Video Session Hiking (In Season)
Standard Rates

✓

✓

✓
Discounts Apply

✓

✓

✓
Pre-pay required

X

✓

✓
Open Path (limited means) Availability

✓

✓

✓
Client Location Lancaster Service Area Outside of Lancaster Service Area (PA only) Lancaster Service Area
Intake Process Set up in-office intake assessment session via phone or email. Intake determines acceptance for therapy or referral. Set up video intake assessment session via phone or email. Intake determines acceptance for therapy or referral. Set up in-office intake assessment session via phone or email. Intake session MUST BE IN OFFICE.

If accepted for therapy may schedule for hiking or in-office sessions as desired.
Insurance Reimburses Depends on insurance plan Depends on insurance plan Depends on insurance plan
EAPs cover (Quest/M&S)

✓

TBD

TBD
Helps you get out of the house!

✓

X

✓

Please contact us today by email or phone to schedule!

 

yaelingh Uncategorized

Immigrant Families Finding Therapy

Because of the many layers of stresses and even traumas associated with immigration, immigrants and their families may face high levels of mental distress. This includes things such as traumatic events that were severe enough to make them leave their home country in the first place, as well as the great difficulties in adjusting to a new and sometimes hostile environment.

In today’s social and political climate, stresses and traumas are higher than ever, making mental health support even more crucial. But as challenging as getting started with therapy can be, it can be even harder for immigrants and their families.

This piece by Lauren Hodges explains why, and offers MANY great suggestions to help you or a family member get mental health support!

 

 

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yaelingh Uncategorized

Choosing What Kind of Therapy to Seek

We receive a lot of mixed messages about what it means to “talk to someone” when experiencing distress. Does it mean going to a hospital? The ER? Inpatient? Outpatient? Is it mostly for people who are suicidal or experiencing hallucinations? Is it really just for rich people who don’t have survival stress? Where should you even start looking?

Call me biased, but I truly believe that in fact most people could really use some kind of therapy at some point in their lives!

The Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) has a useful graphic (below) to help figure out which path might be the most useful for you to pursue, based on your own preferences and needs.

To be clear, this is primarily about psychology / counseling, which most therapy falls under, rather than psychiatry, despite how therapy is portrayed in most movies and TV shows. (To better understand the general difference between seeing a psychologist versus seeing a psychiatrist, ADAA has a useful explainer here.)

final-therapygu_23840851_3ad732e6e2a37020f3ac49fcaf48f6305f631dcf

Did you find an approach that sounds like it might work for you? I hope so!

Intersectional Life Counseling and Therapy offers nearly all of these options: in-person sessions (individual and groups when available, and even outdoors!) as well as teletherapy sessions by video. (We do not offer text-based interventions.) See the chart below to compare them!

Lancaster County Park
Video Sessions Using Thera-Link

Compare Session options:

In Office Sessions Video Session Hiking Session
Standard Rates

✓

✓

✓
Discounts Apply

✓

✓

✓
Pre-pay required

X

✓

✓
Open Path (limited means) Availability

✓

✓

✓
Client Location Lancaster Service Area Outside of Lancaster Service Area (PA only) Lancaster Service Area
Intake Process Set up in-office intake assessment session via phone or email. Intake determines acceptance for therapy or referral. Set up video intake assessment session via phone or email. Intake determines acceptance for therapy or referral. Set up in-office intake assessment session via phone or email. Intake session MUST BE IN OFFICE.

If accepted for therapy may schedule for hiking or in-office sessions as desired.
Insurance Reimburses Depends on insurance plan Depends on insurance plan Depends on insurance plan
EAPs cover (Quest/M&S)

✓

TBD

TBD
Helps you get out of the house!

✓

X

✓

Please contact us today by email or phone to schedule!

 

yaelingh Uncategorized

Immigrant Families Managing Depression, Anxiety

Because of the many layers of stresses and even traumas associated with immigration, immigrants and their families may face high levels of mental distress. This includes things such as traumatic events that were severe enough to make them leave their home country in the first place, as well as the great difficulties in adjusting to a new and sometimes hostile environment.

In some cases, cultural conflict and cultural differences may make dealing with mental health issues even more difficult.  But some members of immigrant groups are working to alleviate this and support mental health of fellow members, such as  Ryan Tanep, in this piece by Malaka Gharibh:

 

yaelingh featured, Uncategorized

Depression and Mood Screening Clinic 2/28-3/1

 

Wondering if you have depression or a mood disorder?

Give us a call or email to set up an appointment with one of our caring mental health professionals for a brief screening during our depression and mood disorders screening clinic.

Depression can be treated–it’s not “laziness” or a character flaw!

Give yourself a chance to be involved in your own life (and enjoy it more)!  ❤

Screening Flyer Dep

 

yaelingh Uncategorized

It Takes Courage to Overcome a Phobia

Image: Courage the Cowardly Dog

Phobias are irrational or excessive fears. If a phobia interferes with someone’s everyday life, it may be anywhere from annoying to debilitating. Other phobias will only come up once every so often, so they are less intrusive.

If a phobia interferes with an everyday or essential activity–such as dental work, flying, or animals–a person might choose to get treatment in order to overcome it. Phobias can be treated by exposure treatment, an intervention in which the person is exposed to tolerable aspects of the phobia in a safe environment until their anxiety diminishes.

First, the treatment focuses on exposure to the least anxiety provoking aspects of the phobia, as determined by the patient in a “hierarchy of fear.” The accompanying anxiety is addressed until it diminishes to tolerable levels, however long that takes.

Then, and only then, does the exposure move to increasingly more anxiety provoking aspects of the phobia. This may take days, weeks, or even months, depending on the nature of the phobia and the person’s level of anxiety.

An example of a phobia hierarchy based on items generated by clients working in exposure treatment:

Hierarchy Example

Just thinking about exposure treatment may be anxiety provoking enough to count as exposure!

As a certain little pink dog has taught us, it takes courage to face your fears. Being courageous doesn’t mean not being afraid, it means taking action, even if it feels scary to begin.

yaelingh Uncategorized

Progressive Office-Mate Wanted for Downtown Lancaster Location

We’re looking for an office-mate in mental health care or an allied/complementary profession! If you’re dedicated to helping others in a context of improving civil rights and equality for all kinds of people, your kind of business is probably right for sharing our space.

Fantastic location and beautiful Victorian-era building. First floor office. Very centrally located in  downtown Lancaster right next to the Public Library and very near the city bus station.

Individual office with shared restroom, waiting room and common/hall area (see photos below). Office space is 143 sq. ft. (13X11) for $550 per month. Security door with numeric keypad. Public street parking and off-street private parking available. Private phone line and internet also available.

Please email Intersectionallife@gmail.com if you have any questions or are interested!

 

Waiting room
Entrance
Coffee area / restroom
Available office

 

 

yaelingh Uncategorized

Managing Compulsive Picking / Hair-Pulling

Habit-reversal (developing a competing habit) and Acceptance (a method of managing uncomfortable emotions) look to be the best bet for psychological treatment of Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors (BFRBs) such as trichotillomania (pulling hairs) and excoriation (picking at skin).

While rates of these disorders are relatively high (2%-5% of population), they are also relatively unresearched until lately.