Tag Archive for: Stress Management

Collaborative Counseling in Southlake, Texas

The Well House Group is a boutique counseling practice located in Southlake, Texas. We are conveniently located near the Dragon Stadium and Highway 114. Our counselors serve all people, from infants to adults. We offer a collaborative model of counseling that takes a holistic view of healing. With collaborative counseling, we take into account all members of a family system in order to encourage healing for all. We have a diverse group of counselors whose specialties, experiences, and personalities have been strategically brought together to treat a wide variety of needs. With the collaborative model, individual therapy and family therapy can happen in the same practice, and possibly, at the same time. No need to travel around town to find all your specialists. At The Well House Group, we have them all under one roof.

What is collaborative counseling?

Collaborative counseling provides a holistic view of counseling. Often, people seek counseling because they are feeling anxious or depressed. Traditional counseling treats the individual and may occasionally make a referral to a different practice for family or couples therapy.

Collaborative counseling takes the guesswork out of healing. With collaborative counseling, you will see your individual counselor as well as other counselors based on your needs (family therapy, parent coaching, or couples counseling are a few popular ones). With a collaborative approach, a team of specialists will work together to help you reach your mental health goals. Your specialists are experts at collaboration and communication and will skillfully help you reach your goals.

 

From the moment you reach out to our intake specialist, great care is taken to make sure you are appropriately placed with the right counselor and the right team. We take an extensive history and will often refer couples or families to work with other Well House Counseling Specialists. We find that the collaborative model treats the entire family system unit and is the best and quickest way to bring about positive, meaningful change.

How does it work?

When working with your counselor, they may notice themes or pain points in your other relationships or families. Your counselor will discuss these observations with you and will make a recommendation for additional collaborative sessions. The recommendation is often for parent coaching, family therapy, or couples counseling. Your counselor will identify goals and will schedule you with the collaborating counselor. The collaboration doesn’t stop there. The Well House team meets weekly to discuss treatment plans for all collaboration clients. When collaboration is done this way, we can tailor treatment goals to meet the needs of the individuals and the collective in order to bring about lasting change.

What issues can it help?

Collaborative counseling can be helpful for a wide variety of concerns. Since the collaborative model takes the entire system into consideration, it is a flexible treatment modality that can be tailored for just about any need. We commonly help individuals and families with the following concerns:

Marital dissatisfaction
Infidelity
Parenting concerns
Counseling for Teens
Self-harm
Anxiety
Depression
Family dynamics
Post-Partum Depression and Anxiety
Communication struggles in relationships
Trauma and PTSD
Play Therapy

How do I know if Collaborative counseling is right for me?

If you have ever thought that your family dynamic was affecting your stressed teen. Or maybe your teen’s behavior is affecting your family dynamic. Collaborative counseling can help. We do not exist in a vacuum. In fact, when one member of the family is struggling, all members are effected. The same thing applies to healing. When one member of the family begins to heal, all members are effected. It is much easier to achieve mental health when everyone in your family unit is getting help. Even if all family members are not interested in mental health healing, there are ways that a holistic view can support a healing journey. To bring it back to the original examples, Individual counseling for your teen or child can help your child grow and develop their mental health skills. Meanwhile, Family counseling and/or parent coaching can help the family deal with the challenges that arise from the interactions with their teen.

If you struggle with depression and your marriage feels hard, then collaborative counseling can help you tend to the depression while also addressing the needs of your relationship.

You can work through your own thoughts and goals with your individual therapist. Meanwhile, your couples therapist will help you achieve a more fulfilling and harmonious relationship; and both therapists will regularly consult to make sure they are all working towards the same goals.

If you have made a big, life decision that feel great but your family isn’t quite on board, collaborative counseling can help. You can work with your individual counselor to process all the changes. Meanwhile, a family therapist can work with you and your family together to navigate the tough conversations. This approach supports both you and your family. Collaborative counseling can help everyone through the changes.

How does Collaborative Counseling differ from Traditional counseling?

On the surface, collaborative counseling looks a lot like traditional counseling. You will form a close, trusting relationship with your counselor and you will rely on their expertise to hold space for you and to help you navigate towards your mental health goals.

With traditional counseling, if you need additional support (parent coaching, couples counseling, or family therapy), your counselor may provide these services themself or they may refer you to another therapist in a different practice. If your counselor chooses to provide these additional services themselves, it can make it difficult to keep their roles separate. If you are referred to an outside therapist, it can be hard for the two counselors to communicate which will make it hard for all counselors to work towards a unified goal.

 

With The Well House’s collaborative method, you can see different specialists who are all under the same roof. Each counselor has a different specialty and perspective which makes it easy for us to treat a wide variety of needs. From the first intake call, you will receive a high level of care tailored to your unique needs. We are particular about how we pair counselors and clients, and we are particular with how we continue to provide individualized care. To that end, Well House counselors meet regularly to consult and to create tailored treatment plans. You can rest easy knowing that you have an entire mental health team working towards you goals.

Frequently Asked Questions About Collaborative Counseling:

What results can I expect from a collaborative approach?

Since collaborative counseling streamlines the wellness process, you can expect seamless communication and streamlined goals. Results can manifest quickly when all members of a family unit are getting help.

What if I don’t want a collaborative approach?

That is okay! You are always in charge of your healing process. If you are not ready to involve other members in your healing or you are not interested in other services, that’s just fine by us. We have many clients who just come for individual sessions and we would never pressure anyone to receive services that they are not ready for.

Do I have to request a collaborative session?

Not necessarily, but you can if you want. In general, when your counselor thinks that collaboration will be helpful, she will recommend and help you get your collaborative session scheduled.

How can I get started?

If you are interested in starting counseling, call or email us today. Our intake specialist will take the time to learn about your needs and preferences and will schedule you with the counselor or team who best meets your needs.

What to Do When You Are Feeling Overwhelmed

Everyone feels overwhelmed sometimes. When you find your head spinning and you’re having a hard time knowing what to do or how to take care of yourself, you need to take a moment to check in.  At the Well House, we think of the acronym “RAIN” when it comes to overwhelming emotions. Here are some quick, concrete steps you can take to help yourself when you are feeling overwhelmed.

When you are feeling overwhelmed, let it RAIN


R – Recognize what’s going on

A – Allow the experience to be there, just as it is

I – Investigate with kindness

N – Natural awareness which comes from not identifying with the experience

Let’s dive a little deeper into the “RAIN” acronym.

R – Recognize what’s going on

When you are feeling overwhelmed, it’s helpful to shift your perspective from BEING the overwhelm to NOTICING the overwhelm. This is a subtle shift where we simply notice: “I’m feeling overwhelmed”. This alone may not make your feelings go away, but it is a crucial step in the process. When we do this, we get a little space from the overwhelm and our nervous system can begin the process of calming down.

A – Allow the experience to be there, just as it is.

This is where you intentionally show yourself love and compassion. With the same tenderness you would reserve for a child, give yourself compassion for feeling some hard stuff. In these moments, you may look in a mirror and tell yourself: “I’m feeling _______” (fill in the blank with however you are feeling).

“Sometimes it’s okay if the only thing you managed to do today is breathe.”

I – Investigate with kindness.

Gently look at your situation and find ways that you can show up for yourself. If you are still looking in the mirror, ask yourself what you need. Do you need to scream, cry, move? Would it be helpful if you committed to just completing one thing from your list? Or do you need to put aside your list for now and do something fun or relaxing? This is a great time to take some slow, deep belly breaths.

N – Natural experience which comes from not identifying with the experience.

Through every step, you have been practicing non-judgmental attachment with your feelings. As you finish with the RAIN process, remember that there is no such thing as a bad emotion. Emotions are simply signals – telling us how something does or doesn’t work for us. In other words, you are not an overwhelmed person so much as you are feeling overwhelmed at this moment.

“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it again for a few minutes, including you” – Anne Lamott


If you struggle with feeling overwhelmed more often than not, counseling can help. When we feel overwhelmed this is our body and mind telling us that there is something that is too much for us to handle. You don’t have to push through these feelings. The RAIN process is a helpful way to handle difficult emotions as they come up, but it will not help you address the root issues.

How can counselors help you with feeling overwhelmed?

At The Well House Group, we empower you to live your best lives. Whether this is teaching you how to dive deeper into stress management strategies or unpacking some of the root issues that cause your stress; we are here to help. Our compassionate and professional staff are here to help you find what you need to make it past whatever difficulties you may be facing.

Life does not have to feel stressful all the time. You can learn how to manage the overwhelm and live a healthier and happier life. We are available to schedule your appointment today via text, phone call, or email. We look forward to helping you achieve your goals today.

EMDR Therapy | What is It & How Does it Work?

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a dynamic tool that is helpful for many different concerns. EMDR therapy can help those who have suffered past traumas. It can also address persistent thoughts that are getting in the way of your goals and happiness. The EMDR Peak Performance Protocol can even help you maximize your performance and push beyond your current limits. In short, EMDR helps you rewire your brain so that you can more easily reach your goals – whatever they may be.

What makes EMDR therapy in Texas work?

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing or EMDR is a technique that allows the brain to rewire the way it thinks and perceives memories. Most often, this is in response to a traumatic event or a series of repeated traumas. When our bodies encounter something traumatic, our fear response is triggered. Then, when the fear response is on, the amygdala turns on and we react in one of three ways: fight, flight, or freeze. During these moments, our memories become jumbled and the brain has a tough time distinguishing the dangerous memories from the safe ones.

When our brain processes the traumatic memory and everything is jumbled. The memory and anything else associated with it will become a trigger for the emotions we are experiencing during the event. This is why our body can have such a visceral response to certain memories. Once the memory has been stored, the body doesn’t discriminate – whether you are recalling an awkward moment from 6th grade math class or a traumatic event, the body will remember and experience emotions that are in line with the way it was processed the first time.

EMDR therapy works by eliciting these memories and utilizing eye movement to reprocess the memories. You can do this with eye movements, tapping, or other less-visual methods. Over the course of each session, the mind will respond less and less to the memory or the thought. You are essentially re-learning how to think about and process memory.

EMDR allows the brain to untangle the original memories and associated emotions/beliefs. This untangling allows the person to remember the experience without re-triggering old survival responses.

EMDR will change the experience of the memory itself.

How do we know EMDR works?

Woman reaching up arms up to bright sun. If you're struggling with feeling stuck EMDR therapy in Texas may help. Become unstuck and heal. Work with a skilled online therapist who gets it and provides emdr therapy near me "southlake 76092"EMDR is heavily researched and studied. Since its creation by psychologist Francine Shapiro around 1989, over 20,000 practitioners have been trained to perform EMDR. The American Psychological Association has a great collection of case studies demonstrating the efficacy of EMDR. At the Well House, many lives changed have been as a result of the EMDR protocols.

Who are the best candidates for EMDR Therapy in Southlake, TX?

Depending on your situation, you can use EMDR in conjunction with traditional talk therapy or in place of talk therapy. Many EMDR studies have been with individuals suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Since its inception in the 1980s, therapists use many treatment protocols to treat a variety of needs beyond PTSD. EMDR can help with:

  • Anxiety, panic attacks, and phobias
  • Chronic Illness and medical issues
  • Depression and bipolar disorders
  • Dissociative disorders
  • Eating disorders
  • Grief and loss
  • Pain
  • Performance anxiety
  • Personality disorders
  • PTSD and other trauma and stress-related issues
  • Sexual assault
  • Sleep disturbance
  • Substance abuse and addiction
  • Violence and abuse

Another use for EMDR Therapy: Peak Performance Protocol

Peak performance southlake athlete bending backward with arms up above head. When you're training, the last thing you need to deal with is performance anxiety. Get help with emdr for peak performance today. Recover via EMDR therapy in Texas!EMDR for performance works in your mind to identify and reprogram the negative emotions and beliefs that are holding you back. The EMDR for Peak Performance protocol takes these principles and applies them towards amplifying your performance potential. Whether you are an athlete looking to get an edge on your competition or an entrepreneur looking to maximize your mind, EMDR therapy in Texas is a great way to do so. Emotions can hold us back in ways that we never even knew.

If you struggle with performance anxiety or have difficulty speaking in front of any large group of people, you likely have some negative beliefs running in the background of your mind. The EMDR for Peak Performance protocol can help you break down the fears and resistance to public speaking. Your counselor will walk you through a process that begins with identifying the negative beliefs and fears that are holding you back.

When finished with the peak performance protocol, you will have a new way of seeing yourself.

You will feel confident and no longer fear public speaking and will be able to perform at your best no matter the situation.

For athletes, past injuries can lead to hesitation and can get in the way of you performing at the highest level. When you get to a certain level in your sport, the difference between good and great often comes down to your mental game. The Peak Performance protocol will strategically target the areas that are holding you back. By working with an EMDR therapist, you will begin to think differently and perform better.

What do we offer for Online EMDR Therapy in Texas or at our office in Southlake?

The counselors at The Well House are trained to work with you using EMDR therapy techniques for anything from trauma recovery to peak performance EMDR therapy. We partner with you to help you overcome your past and to create your future. With the right support, anything is possible. Learn more about us today and contact us via text, phone call, or email to get you started on the path to better living.

Begin EMDR Therapy in Southlake, TX

If you’re dealing with performance anxiety or trauma, then working with a caring EMDR therapist can help you.  Our Southlake, Texas counseling group has caring therapists who specialize in online EMDR Therapy in Texas, or in-person in our Southlake, TX office. To begin your counseling journey, follow these simple steps:

  1. ​Text, call or email The Well House
  2. Meet with one of our skilled therapists
  3. Start living your life in a more fulfilling way free from anxiety and healing from trauma!

Other Mental Health Services at The Well House

EDMR Therapy in Texas isn’t the only service we offer in our South Lake, TX counseling group. Other services include therapy for moms, parent coaching, EMDR for peak performance, therapy for teens, postpartum support for moms, academic coaching, career coaching for young adults, marriage counseling and couples therapy, young adult therapy, and for LPC Interns and Associates looking to complete their licensure requirements we offer clinical supervision in Texas. All of our services are offered via online therapy in Texas and we have limited in-person options. When you’re ready, begin therapy and start living in a healthy and more fulfilling way.