Services *Not currently taking clients
Child behavior &
Support for parents
Trauma &
Post-traumatic Stress
Discernment &
Couples counseling
Every parent deals with child behavior problems at some point. This can be especially true during times when stress in the family is high (moving, losses, divorce, trauma, job loss, etc). Behavior problems can range from not wanting to take a bath, to disobedience, to fighting at school. It can be frustrating, exhausting, or down right maddening to feel like you have tried everything to address behavior problems.
In some cases, there are things that can be addressed directly with the child. For example, if a child has experienced a traumatic event, this needs to be addressed. It is also the case that some behavior problems are related to medical issues or developmental delays that warrant attention.
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But let's be honest, a therapist spending an hour a week with a child is nothing compared to the amount of time you have with your child. You are your child's best teacher. If a child needs individual support, then you will be offered suggestions about how to build on the child's therapy at home. In other cases, the child might only come one time and the therapy will take place through you at home. This way, you are empowered with additional tools that you can use in the future if you think they would be helpful in other situations.
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Chris uses evidence-based strategies to work directly with children when needed to address trauma, anxiety, anger, and behavior issues. His work with parents utilizes a well-researched set of tools that parents around the world have found effective. Nearly all of Chris's research is related to parenting and supporting parents in raising their 3-12 year-old children.
Traumatic events are experiences in which we felt extreme fear, horror, shame, disgust, and/or helplessness. These events can include natural disasters, sexual assaults, combat or law enforcement experiences, abuse in childhood, horrible accidents, and many others.
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Our brains are not meant to experience these types of events. After enough trauma, everyone would be impacted and develop post-traumatic stress symptoms. For many, this means reliving the event(s), avoiding reminders of the event(s), changes in thoughts and feelings, and feeling hyperaroused. Hyperaroused means feeling on edge, jumpy, or on the lookout for danger. Reliving the event can be in the form of dreams, flashbacks, or being triggered in daily life.
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These are all normal reactions to abnormal experiences. They are designed to keep us alive, but after the events are over these things can interfere with everyday life. Fortunately, really effective treatment exists.
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Chris uses an evidence-based treatment for post-traumatic stress that has been used all over the world with all types of trauma, called Narrative Exposure Therapy. He also trains other mental health professionals in this method for work in communities with high-levels of trauma.
Couples come for therapy at various stages of their relationships. If you are deciding whether or not you should come in, just do it. It's okay if you decide to only come one time. It is just always easier to address difficulties in a relationship when they are small. In the field of couples counseling, it is often said that couples wait seven years before coming in. Don't wait.
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What if one of you really wants to come but the other does not? That is when we start with discernment counseling. Discernment counseling is not couples counseling, it is helping both partners come to a better understanding of the state of the relationship and then deciding what each one wants to do about it. This is an important step because couples counseling will not work if both partners are not on board.
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When both partners commit to working on their relationship, it can be a beautiful thing. It is tough work, but couples can learn how to better meet each other's needs. Along the way, love grows again and issues around communication, conflict, and sex are addressed.
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Chris has completed a training program in Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples, one of the best supported methods of couples counseling.
Anxiety & Panic
Anxiety is exhausting. You might have reoccurring worries, thoughts you can't control, compulsive behaviors that are attempts to soothe the anxiety, or full panic attacks. Many people deal with anxiety, but you don't have to. You can control your anxiety; it does not need to control you. In many cases, it doesn't even take very long. There are a plethora of effective tools to take control of your anxiety. In therapy, you'll learn as many as you need to regain control.