SERVICES
Individual Counseling
Psychotherapy helps individuals to better understand their thoughts, feelings, and relationships with others. It also helps individuals to make connections between past experiences and present day behaviors. With greater awareness of oneself and one’s history comes self-acceptance, inner strength, and the ability to make healthier choices. Psychotherapy can be a place where you become comfortable with who you really are and what you really want.
We offer brief, goal oriented psychotherapy as well as longer term psychotherapy. We specialize in working with a diverse clientele of individuals who encompass a wide range of ages, cultural backgrounds, sexual orientations, and professions to include military officers and personnel. Many people come to psychotherapy not knowing where to begin and what to expect.
Some of the things that we may discuss include:
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Your childhood and family background
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The core beliefs and feelings you have about yourself and others
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The way that these core beliefs and feelings developed and the way that they may cause you suffering and distress
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The connection between your past experiences and present day behaviors
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Who you would like to be and your goals
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The obstacles which prevent you from living your life more full
Couples Counseling
Relationships have a tendency to activate strong feelings about ourselves and our partners. The purpose of couples therapy is to stimulate self-reflection and to facilitate healthy, honest communication between individuals. Couples therapy can be a place where you and your partner come together to examine patterns of thinking and behaving which lead to unhealthy merging, distance and conflict. It can also be a place to disclose new information, reassess old agreements, and change the direction of a relationship.
We are able to provide pre-marital, marital, and relationship counseling as well as couples already in the process of separating or filing for divorce. While each couples therapy is indeed unique, there are core skills which can be cultivated in the course of all therapies. They include:
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Learning how to identify your feelings in the moment and communicate them effectively to your partner
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Learning how to listen to your partner’s experience with greater understanding and without judgment
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Learning how to discuss sensitive subjects like infidelity, jealousy, parenting, and finances
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Learning how to disagree and argue in a satisfying yet respectful way
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Learning how to accept and work through situations which cannot be changed
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Understanding your comfort level with intimacy, both emotional and sexual, and the difficulties associated with it
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Understanding how your family upbringing and past relationships have affected your sense of self and the way that you relate to your partner
Family Counseling
Family relationships can be complicated. We are all unique individuals that make up our families. Our different perspectives and ways of being in the world are what make our families special, but it can also create tension. Luckily, that can be resolved. Often, the problem is a lack of communication. Strengthening communication can be the key to improving or resolving family conflict. Sometimes the goal in family therapy may not be continuing a relationship with a loved one, but to gain understanding and open the door to forgiveness.
Family Counseling has shown to be highly effective in improving relationships due to working with an entire family system on challenges, rather than just an individual, who is only one part of the larger family. Bringing your loved one(s) to therapy does not have to be for conflict resolution, but it can be used a check-in to see how the relationship is growing.
Family counseling is appropriate for:
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Stress and adjustment
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Separation/Divorce
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Adoption
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Blended families
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Childhood disorders
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Communication challenges
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Parenting challenges
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Grief and loss
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Shared trauma
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Increasing family support for youth
Group Counseling provides a unique opportunity to learn from each other, as well as a professional group leader. Groups can be designed to help you learn techniques to manage stress and emotions, receive support, and heal.
There are times when we need to feel that we are not alone in our struggle, and group therapy can offer that validation, encouragement, and increase skills and knowledge about ourselves and others. There are times when it may feel more comfortable to meet with other peers, as opposed to seeing an individual counselor, and group counseling allows for this structure. There are times when it may be more effective to learn from others, and group counseling provides an effective means of hearing others’ experiences and perspectives.
Counseling groups typically meet weekly between 75 and 90 minutes for ten weeks. Each group has a professional group counselor and group size is capped at 10 to ensure the best quality experience for all.
Contact us for more information regarding available group therapy.
Group Counseling
Psychological Testing
Psychological Assessment is a specialized area of practice that utilizes empirically valid testing instruments to measure different areas of functioning, identify behaviors and traits, and provide diagnostic clarity. Assessments and instruments may be used to identify emotional, behavioral, or developmental disorders such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, depression, anxiety, memory problems, learning disabilities, and personality disorders. A comprehensive psychological evaluation assists with identifying an individual’s strengths and weaknesses, learning styles, and current levels of intellectual and emotional functioning. Accurate diagnosis is essential for effective therapy, treatment planning, recommendations for medication, school accommodations, and other necessary services. At GCL Psychological Services, we offer testing to adults, adolescents, and children. The following are testing services we provide:
• Diagnostic clarification
• Independent Educational Evaluations
• Academic achievement
• ADHD assessment
• Cognitive or Learning profiles
• Career / Vocational assessment
• Personality assessment
• Emotional assessment