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THERAPY can be a one to six week program with a focus on problem solving, behavior
management, or crisis resolution. Therapy can also be a more long-term process depending on the needs of the client.
Contact THE OFFICE for an appointment.
PARENT EDUCATION are courses of instruction that reduce family stress and provide practical
skills training in relating to children and teenagers in ways that result in the development of self worth and self control
in both parents and children. Contact THE OFFICE for a current schedule.
FOSTER PARENT EDUCATION A course of instruction similar to the Parent Education Curriculum but specifically tuned to address
the dynamics of foster families. Contact THE OFFICE for a current schedule.
SEMINARS *
CONSULTATION * STAFF DEVELOPMENT * THERAPIST TRAINING A variety of workshops, continuing education programs, and consultive services are
available to interested agencies, organizations, and professional groups. Training seminars, related to various mental health
issues, are presented throughout the year. Contact THE OFFICE for a current schedule.
GROUPS to address specific life issues, including groups for men, couples, and therapists,
are offered on a demand and scheduled basis. Groups provide both support and training. Contact THE OFFICE for a current schedule.
FEES are comparable to those charged by other service providers in this locale. Some health
plans cover all or a portion of the cost of therapeutic services. Perspective clients are encouraged to discuss with me their
financial situation before deciding they cannot afford therapy. Arrangements for low income clients
are available. For specifics, see THE OFFICE.
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WE
WORK HARD TO MAKE THE PAIN GO AWAY
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As human beings, we are
vulnerable to PAIN. Unfortunately, once we are wounded, the pain tends to haunt us. It seems to be lurking in
the shadows, just waiting for an opportunity to hurt us again. So we exert considerable energy to protect
ourself against "old" and "new" pain, even when there is clear evidence that an "old" pain cannot wound
us any more. Therapy can assist us in healing pain that continues to haunt us and freeing us from being overly vigilant
against "new" pain.
Protecting ourself from
"new" or "old" pain is not about one's character or sanity. It has to do with the way God made our incredible brains.
Our emotional brain and brain stem want to be sure that we will not be hurt beyond our capacity to endure, so until the emotional
brain and brain stem are informed that the "war" is over, these parts of our brain work twenty-four seven protecting us.
Therapy can help our emotional brain and brain stem literally let go of and move painful experiences to another
part of the brain, namely to our long-term memory. Once a painful event is in our long term memory, our brain
knows that it is over, a painful event in the PAST.
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Our pain, our feeling powerless and little,
our addictions all play a part in our relationships, especially those intimate and close relationships. Therapy can
help us sort out what each person in the relationship brings to the table. Therapy can provide the tools for supporting
each other's healing so we can truly be the best relationship we can be.
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Healing results in empathy and
compassion.
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Compassion, in particular, takes us to the doorsteps of the realm of God and the
SPIRITUAL.
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When I look
in the mirror, who do I see? When I go about my day, and especially when I have to deal with difficult situations, how
old do I feel? Many of us do not have a felt sense of just how old we are nor do we have a felt sense of our internal
strength. We experience ourselves as powerless against all the the BIG PEOPLE in our lives. I might be sixty years
old, but I feel like I'm three when I have to call a creditor! Therapy can assist us in with this discrespancy--our
chronological age not jiving with our internal age. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with feeling
YOUNG. It's when we feel SMALL and POWERLESS that we get ourselves into trouble. Somewhere in our brain
we know that we are in fact all "growed up" and we really can't get into trouble anymore. Yet we still experience
ourselves as LITTLE.
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So we often turn to some kind of addictive behavior
to keep the pain at bay or to compensate for our sense of being little and powerless. And, of course, addictions take
many forms, some obvious and some not so obvious. I can be addicted to doing good deeds for the whole world while I
neglect my family as well as I can be addicted to alcohol, drugs, sex, gambling, the computer, exercise, food, and the list
goes on!
download information
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© 2009, Vernon R. Bradley
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