Stress Check

Are you feeling

• Stressed? Anxious? Upset?
• Aching muscles or joints?
• In physical or emotional pain?

Mental or emotional stress is medically recognized as one of the most significant factors in a person's overall well-being.

Stress can impact how clearly a person thinks. It influences work performance and interpersonal relationships. Stress affects how a person deals with painful situations.

Counseling and Psychological Services

The psychotherapists who provide services at RYAH believe that integrating the care of mind, body and spirit fosters living the best life possible. As part of the integrative approach, independent therapists offer adult, child, and adolescent psychotherapy, family therapy, couples therapy, and group counseling services, as well as regular workshops and seminars concerning psychological issues. Psychologists, social workers, and other licensed professionals provide evaluations and treatment of individuals wanting support with mental health and health limiting conditions, as well as screening and referral of individuals whose needs may exceed the resources of the center.

Psychological counseling varies depending on the particular concerns clients have and the personalities of both the client and therapist. When choosing a therapist, it's important to find someone who can be helpful to you, who understands you, who you can trust, and with whom you feel comfortable.

In counseling and psychological services, the therapists at RYAH aim to provide a safe, supportive environment in which clients can explore their concerns. We help clients explore feelings, thoughts, and behaviors, as well as the interrelationships among them. Through counseling, clients come to understand themselves better, identify and meet their goals, take better care of themselves, and create the changes that they seek. It sometimes can be difficult to know what to do to feel better and lead a more satisfying life. Combining multiple approaches and tools can augment efforts towards reducing and eliminating the things that impede us from being our best.

Counseling services can help with a number of concerns including:

• anxiety and fear
• depression, sadness, discontent
• concentration difficulties
• anger or irritability
• defining life goals
• frustration, confusion, or difficulty living life to one's full potential
• concerns regarding life transitions
• the expression or regulation of emotions
• loneliness and shyness
• work satisfaction
• trauma
• abuse
• loss/bereavement
• coping with illness or physical difficulties
• eating, weight, and body image concerns
• self-esteem and self-confidence
• interpersonal or familial concerns
• improving relationships
• gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered issues
• sleep problems
• disturbing thoughts or unusual experiences
• sexual concerns
• addictions
• pain management
• diversity-related issues
• difficulty feeling respected or "good enough"
• having a sense of purpose
• finding balance

When clients permit us to do so, psychotherapists at RYAH work closely with other professionals to develop a comprehensive, coordinated approach. We believe in integrating different approaches to treatment and integrating the care of mind, body and spirit. We coordinate care with other health and healing professionals to design and implement sound approaches toward health. It is well known that the body and brain produce chemicals that influence our emotional, mental, and physical experiences. Professionals at RYAH are dedicated to understanding the mind-body connection. For example, our bodies are constantly reacting to stress and can store unresolved emotions and traumatic experiences. Psychological issues sometimes arise during bodywork (such as massage), energy treatments, and yoga practice. Psychotherapy may be helpful in processing these experiences or furthering work to understand, resolve or alter patterns that negatively influence the body-mind. Similarly, psychotherapists may work with physicians and other health care professionals when clients' concerns have brought them in for pain management, gastric distress, and chronic physical conditions or illnesses that are related to or influenced by psychological factors.

Therapy sessions and evaluations are generally 45-50 minutes long. Fees for services are discussed with individual mental health professionals (as they depend on individual factors such as client needs, insurance policies, and integration with other treatment modalities).