Virtual Therapy
With Covid-19 adding significant disruption to our daily lives and normal routines, ensuring mental health care is accessible from the safety of one’s home is crucial. Virtual Therapy has become the mainstream model for providing mental health care over the past few months. However, over the past 10 years, as the internet and technology became more prevalent and people’s schedules grew busier, virtual therapy rapidly grew in popularity. You may have wondered: How does this work? What can I expect? Is this vastly different than in person therapy?
Virtual therapy, sometimes called tele-mental health works in a similar way to typical in-office therapy, the difference is that access to your therapist is over a computer or phone. If you have a webcam on your computer, tablet, or smartphone, all you need is an internet connection to facilitate a face-to-face conversation. Studies continue to show telemental health is an effective method of conducting therapy and sometimes can be even more effective because clients are more relaxed and feel less intimidated than they would in traditional office settings. Nonetheless, it is important to note that virtual therapy may not be a good fit or appropriate for everyone. To determine if virtual therapy is a right fit for you, please feel free to book a 15 minute free consultation session with me or click on the link below.
**I utilize a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability (HIPPA) compliant virtual therapy platform called iCOUCH to provide video sessions and exchange communication. This means this platform meets HIPPA guide lines and encrypts communication and data stored on the platform so your privacy is protected.
Fee
INDIVIDUAL THERAPY (50-minute appointment) Intake & Initial Assessment $175 Follow-up Session $175
Anxiety
Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress and can be beneficial in some situations. It can alert us to dangers and help us prepare and pay attention. What differentiates normal levels of anxiety from clinical anxiety is the excessiveness of nervousness, fear, apprehension, and worry. Are you currently experiencing some or all of the symptoms below and they are affecting your personal, professional, and/or academic life?
Restlessness, and a feeling of being “on-edge”
Feeling tired
Uncontrollable feelings of worry
Increased irritability
Concentration difficulties
Sleep difficulties
Depression
Sadness is a normal reaction to a loss, disappointment, or other difficult situations. It often goes away on its own and doesn’t impact life in a major way. Depression on the other hand is a mental health condition that affects your mood and the way you understand yourself and relate to things around you. Two hallmark symptoms of depression are depressed mood and loss of interest or pleasure in your normal activities and it causes significant negative impact on your daily functioning. Not everyone who is depressed experiences every symptom. Below are symptoms commonly experienced commonly.
Persistent sadness, anxiety, or "empty" feelings
Loss of interest in things once pleasurable
Feeling irritable or tired easily
Changes in sleep and/or appetite
Feeling tired
Difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions
Thoughts of harming yourself
Panic Attack
A panic attack is different from anxiety. Panic attack often comes on suddenly and involve intense and often overwhelming and frightening physical symptoms. Many people describe it as a feeling of “going crazy” or losing control. Sometimes those experiencing a panic attack go to the hospital thinking they are having heart attack. Below are some common symptoms associated with panic attack.
Chest pain or tightness in chest
Racing heartbeat
Shortness of breath
Dizziness or lightheadedness
Numbness or tingling in the extremities
Shaking
Stomach pain/nausea
Sweating
Feeling of being choked or smothered
Insomnia
Do you struggle to get to sleep no matter how tired you are? At some point, many adults experience short-term (acute) insomnia, which lasts for days or weeks. It's usually the result of stress or a traumatic event. On the other hand, some adults have long-term (chronic) insomnia that can last months or even years. Below are some of commonly experienced symptoms:
Difficulty falling asleep at night
Waking up during the night
Waking up too early
Difficulty paying attention, focusing on tasks or remembering
Not feeling well-rested after a night's sleep
Mood symptoms: irritability, anxiety, depression
Life Stress
We all experience stress throughout our daily life but on going stress otherwise known has chronic stress can affect us physically, mentally, and emotionally. It has been estimated that 75 – 90 percent of all visits to primary care physicians are for stress related problems. These include stress related to work, finances, relationships, school, and list can go on. Our mind and body finds ways to cope with the stress. Over time, a stressful life may start seeming like a normal life; however, an important point to recognize is that stress continues to have harmful effects on the mind and body despite our efforts to adapt. Below are some common symptoms associated with stress.
Body aches (stomach aches, headaches)
Sleep issues
Low energy
Overeating
Irritability or anger
Feeling overwhelmed easily