Areas of Practice

Living through and/or witnessing distressing and traumatic situations can impact our mental health and overall functioning. Fear, dread, shame and hopelessness are just some of the emotions that can persist after a distressing event. When we experience a trauma, our sense of self and sense of safety can be disrupted. We may cast judgment on ourselves and think more negatively about others. We may feel that we cannot "shake" the situation, that we are re-experiencing or reliving the experience over and over again. By working through our trauma, we can find emotional healing so the past no longer impedes our present life and functioning. 

Whether chronic, episodic, or situational, depression can be difficult to live with. Depressive symptoms can include: feeling sad, blue or extremely down; crying spells; a lack of enjoyment in life activities; a lack of motivation; thoughts of suicide; irritability; changes in energy levels; changes in sleep patterns and appetite; feeling tired, exhausted and depleted; and, feeling alone, empty, hopeless, worthless. At Tete et Coeur Counseling, we focus on gaining awareness of the underlying causes and factors contributing to depression, as well as working on negative thinking patterns and unhealthy behaviors that contribute to depressive symptoms. Through this, we can reconnect to those things that foster happiness and wellness. 

The emotional state of anxiety serves a purpose in our life. When faced with a threatening situation, our mind and body get activated to alert us to the danger so we may respond accordingly. When someone suffers from anxiety, this normal response goes into overdrive. Anxiety can become an issue when we get physiologically and mentally activated despite the absence of a threat or when we perceive a threat to be greater than it really is. Additionally, we may feel distressed when we feel we cannot manage our worry thoughts and feelings effectively. By first understanding the roots of our anxiety, we can then learn how to reduce and manage symptoms.

Substance use issues can range from occasional abuse, to binge-drinking/using, to chronic use that can lead to physiological dependence. At Tete et Coeur Counseling, we believe that in order to change patterns of substance use, it is necessary to gain insight into the things that have contributed to the behavior. Those things can include past trauma, mental health concerns, self-esteem issues, attachment wounds, and interpersonal relationship challenges, to name a few. By working through these underlying issues, we can reduce and eliminate triggers that lead to substance abuse and misuse.

Sometimes we may struggle in a specific relationship or we may feel that in general we have a difficult time developing and maintaining healthy relationships. Be it individually or as a couple, we may find it helpful to engage in therapy that focuses on current relationship problems or underlying interpersonal relationship issues. Tete et Coeur Counseling can help you work through a variety of relationship concerns such as: communication challenges; issues with trust; codependent tendencies; boundary-setting; attachment styles and attachment wounds; navigating change; managing conflict; and, substance misuse or other unhealthy behaviors.