Improv Group

By: Adam Davis

What is Improv Group Therapy?

A group therapy designed to help increase Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and/or Dialectical Behavioral Therapy skills, encompassing the use of mindfulness and emotional regulation, through the practice of improv! 

How could this workshop/group be beneficial for me?

Repetition can be a helpful aspect when it comes to learning. Whether your therapist has encouraged you, or recommended you, to practice certain coping skills, or you have taken an interest in learning about aspects of mindfulness on your own, this improv workshop/group offers a way to practice such skills in a challenging, yet fun and creative way! The workshop/group is designed to help participants internalize and practice clinical skills in a different way, compared to that of a traditional clinical setting, in order to make parallel connections to real-life experiences.

So, what does a workshop/group entail?

A typical workshop/group can entail somewhere between 3-5 improv warm-up games/exercises that are explained, and led by, the therapist/facilitator. Some exercises last a handful of minutes, while other warm-up games could last 15 or more minutes. In addition, the therapist will explain at the beginning of the group, and end of the group, what clinical intentions/skills are focused on and how such skills can be used in one's personal life.

What is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and improv?

ACT: An engaging perspective to therapy in which clients attempt to learn how to accept their thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations as they show up in the present moment, identify their values, and take action toward what is important in their life.

DBT: A constructed form of therapy that encompasses an educational aspect of helping clients learn skills to help cope with overwhelming emotions, and to help increase their ability to build and maintain healthy relationships.

Improv: A form of theater in which most of what is performed is unplanned, not scripted, and created in the spur of the moment. Some core principles that are reflected in improv are tolerance, compassion, and modesty. There are no errors or miscalculations in improv, but rather gifts, origination, and opportunities.

As improv opens a vessel to observe the mind’s ability to respond to a scene, or opportunities that arise throughout an activity, a byproduct that is often produced is comedy and laughter. Furthermore, from a clinical perspective, laughter itself has been studied and it has shown to offer physiological and mental health benefits such as lowering levels of the stress hormone cortisol and can help improve depressed mood, anxiety, and stress.

So how do they all interrelate?

By using improv exercises/games, within a group therapy setting, clients are able to actively utilize ACT/DBT mindfulness skills (being in the present moment with thoughts, feelings, and sensations without judgment) to help clients improve their listening and communication abilities, learn to let go of unhelpful traits of perfectionism, and to help strengthen imagination and creativity. Additionally, by utilizing ACT/DBT through the practice of improv, clients can learn how to implement skills to help cope with anxiety, including social anxiety, and depressed mood.

OTHER COUNSELING SERVICES OFFERED AT WELLMINDED COUNSELING

Therapy for depression isn’t the only service we offer. WellMinded Counseling offers the following counseling services:

• Substance Abuse Counseling

• EMDR

• Couples Therapy

• Relationship Counseling

• Depression Treatment

• Trauma Treatment

• Teen therapy

• Self-Esteem Counseling
  
  
  
  
  
  

Are you Suffering from High Functioning Anxiety? An Anxiety Therapist Weighs In

January 25, 2022 by: Tesia Paz

Do you sometimes wonder if you could possibly be diagnosed with anxiety? But then again, on second thought, you think, “no way, don’t people with anxiety have messy and chaotic lives?” You, on the other hand, meet deadlines, are a star performer at work or school, and on the outside, seem to have your stuff together. After all, that is what success is measured by, isn’t it? Never mind the constant tension in your shoulders, ruminating thoughts, feeling like you’re never “enough”, having trouble falling asleep, intense fear of failing... Starting to sound familiar?

Let an Anxiety Therapist in Tampa, FL, tell you WHY!

Let me introduce you to anxiety’s not-so-distant cousin, High functioning anxiety (HFA). They would be twins, except that(HFA) can manage to keep the inner turmoil at bay and has the outside world fooled into thinking they are meticulously in control. What they don’t let others know is that they are intensely afraid of failing, which causes them to lose sleep each night. They never think they are good enough. Therefore, feeling good about themselves is a rare occurrence and a fleeting moment just barely within grasp. They also wonder what it would feel like to relax and just enjoy a beautiful morning rather than scurrying on to the next thing demanding their ever-present attention.

If this sounds like you, an Anxiety Therapist in Tampa, FL, is just a phone call away.

Anxiety is a cognition-based mental health disorder. Unfortunately, when you are faced with a strong enough stressor, you get thoughts that you are in danger which then create a cascade of fear-based responses in your body. Another interesting fun fact is that it happens regardless of if the stressor is real or imagined. The sense of danger seems to be lurking around, leaving you feeling on high alert, edgy and uncertain. Therefore, appearing from the outside, you seem like you have it all together, bright, cheery, full of energy, goal-driven, and successful. However, on the inside, you are anything but that. You are standing on the brink of a disaster waiting to happen at any moment.

Thankfully, just like with anxiety treatments, there are several cognitive and behavioral therapies that can be taught and, over time, help you regain your life back from the clutches of perfectionism and anxiety.

WORK WITH AN anxiety THERAPIST IN TAMPA, FLORIDA

Getting set up with a young adult therapist at WellMinded Counseling is as easy as following these steps:

1. Schedule a free 30-minute consultation with our counseling office

2. Get set up with one of our therapists in Tampa

3. Gain support from a Therapist in Tampa, Florida

OTHER COUNSELING SERVICES OFFERED BY WELL MINDED COUNSELING CENTER

With over 10 years of experience, our therapists are able to address a wide range of mental health concerns with clients of all ages. The WellMinded Counseling Center offers the following services: Substance Abuse Counseling, EMDR Couples Therapy, Relationship Counseling, Anxiety and Depression Treatments, Trauma Treatments, and Self-Esteem Counseling.

Resources:

https://harleytherapy.com/blog/posts/high-functioning-anxiety

https://www.bridgestorecovery.com/high-functioning-anxiety/

Photo:

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What is EMDR Therapy?

By: Amber Cherrette

EMDR Therapy is a therapeutic modality that is used to help clients heal from traumatic events. EMDR stands for eye movement desensitization and reprocessing. This modality was originally created by Dr. Francine Shapiro and found effective for clients impacted by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Dr. Shapiro discovered this modality by chance, after observing for herself that spontaneous repeated eye moments had a desensitizing effect on previously distressing thoughts. Since it was developed in 1987 however, it is effective at treating a wide variety of additional presenting issues and life disturbances including depression, anxiety, panic, divorce, and life transitions to name a few.

How Does EMDR Therapy work?

After a traumatic or distressing event, sometimes a person can find that they are having difficulty integrating the information from that event. That event, due to how our body and brain respond during stress, stays and is stored unprocessed The pictures, thoughts, sounds, scents, and feelings may become stuck and cause distressing symptoms day to day. EMDR therapy at our Colorado-based therapy practice helps individuals identify stuck pieces, and use the brain’s inherent system to process and re-integrate those stuck pieces. This modality will not erase any memories, instead, these memories will no longer be tied to and activate the same distress that is present prior to treatment.

How does eye movement fit into this?

EMDR therapists in Colorado use eye movement as a way to stimulate both hemispheres of the brain and activate the brain’s inherent information-processing system. Other methods of activating both hemispheres of the brain, or bi-lateral dual attention stimulation, have been developed. Sometimes alternating hand taps or auditory tones can be used as well. This bilateral dual attention stimulation, or is what helps process and integrate stuck, distressing information.

How can I begin EMDR therapy in Broomfield, Denver, or Throughout Colorado?

Discover a path to healing and transformation with the experts at our Denver-based therapy practice or our Broomfield-based therapy practice. If you're facing challenges like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, panic, divorce, or life transitions, EMDR therapy could be the key to unlocking a brighter future. Our EMDR therapists specialize in helping individuals identify and process stuck pieces, using the brain's natural system to reintegrate memories without activating distress. Take the first step towards a more empowered and resilient you.

1. Schedule a consultation with our compassionate therapists at WellMinded Counseling

2. Start exploring the possibilities of EMDR therapy with support

3. Unlock a brighter future without negative memories

OTHER COUNSELING SERVICES AT WELLMINDED COUNSELING in Colorado & Florida

Therapy for depression isn’t the only service we offer. WellMinded Counseling offers the following counseling services:

• Substance Abuse Counseling

• Couples Therapy

• Relationship Counseling

• Depression Treatment

• Trauma Treatment

• Teen therapy

• Self-Esteem Counseling

The Body Keeps the Score

By: Andorra Turner

“The Body Keeps the Score” is a book written by Bessel Van Der Kolk, M.D. The author is both a therapist, as well as a scientific researcher on psychology and trauma. He explores advances in the research of trauma and how we have learned how trauma affects us both physically and mentally. It explores how trauma affects us, using real examples that the author has experienced with his clients.

The effects of trauma are far-reaching, and they may affect individuals dealing with trauma and PTSD in more ways than they realize. Many individuals who have experienced trauma struggle to understand and communicate their feelings. It can be very helpful for these individuals to understand how their own minds have been affected by what they have experienced. “The Body Keeps the Score” can be a helpful tool for gaining more understanding.

Bessel Van der Kolk states that trauma is not the events that we have experienced, but how our body responds to those events. Trauma keeps our brains in “fight or flight” mode and doesn’t allow us to feel safe. Recognizing how trauma has affected us and taking steps to allow ourselves to feel safe is important in recovery.

Do you ever find yourself:

• Having flashbacks, nightmares, or intrusive memories of events that have happened to you in the past.

• Avoiding things that remind you of the traumatic event(s) that happened to you because they cause you distress.

• Having persistent numbness/apathy and detachment, or anxiety and hypervigilance?

It might be worth talking with a therapist or reading “The Body Keeps the Score”. These are normal responses to traumatic events; it’s the way that our brain tries to keep us alive. It is possible to make changes that will allow you to experience safety, support, trust, and happiness. You can reach out to a trauma-informed therapist to help you work through this, and therapy as well as tools like “The Body Keeps the Score” can help you gain greater understanding and less judgment towards the things that you are struggling with.

3 teachings from the author

• He teaches us what trauma is, and how it is different from everyday stressors that we experience. He explains how one event may cause trauma for one individual, but a different individual, would not be as affected by it.

• He teaches how trauma affects us both mentally and physically - how it can have many symptoms that may be difficult for someone experiencing trauma to understand.

• Lastly, he teaches ways that make it possible for someone who has had a traumatic experience to recover from that trauma, such as EMDR therapy. He explains them in ways that may make it easier for someone experiencing trauma to choose which method may be the right one for them.

Here is a helpful YouTube video in which Bessel van der Kolk details his views on trauma and things that may help someone work through it. What is trauma?

OTHER COUNSELING SERVICES OFFERED AT WELLMINDED COUNSELING

Therapy for depression isn’t the only service we offer. WellMinded Counseling offers the following counseling services:

• Substance Abuse Counseling

• EMDR

• Couples Therapy

• Relationship Counseling

• Depression Treatment

• Trauma Treatment

• Teen therapy

• Self-Esteem Counseling

What is Trauma Informed Therapy?

By: Caroline Anawate

What does trauma treatment in therapy look like?

First let’s begin by understanding that no one’s experience of trauma will be the same as another one’s experience of trauma, therefore trauma treatment will vary from individual to individual. When you are ready to depart on your journey of understanding your trauma, it is up to you to find what type of therapist fits best with you and your experiences.

What is trauma-informed therapy?

When one is looking to begin a trauma therapy journey, it is important to understand what trauma-informed therapy is. Trauma-informed therapists understand the all-encompassing impact of trauma on emotions, thoughts, the body, and the nervous system. They conceptualize symptoms of trauma as survival mechanisms rather than problems. Trauma-informed therapists actively work to create a safe and non-judgmental atmosphere for their clients through empowerment and collaboration. They acknowledge and understand that experiences of oppression i.e., homophobia, sexism, racism, and ableism are experiences of trauma, and actively work to be allies to marginalized communities. The purpose of trauma-informed therapy is to emphasize safety, collaboration, and empowerment while offering healthy skills and strategies to help one better understand, cope, and process emotions and memories tied to traumatic experiences.  

Trauma Therapy Treatment

There are many different approaches to treating trauma and PTSD. It is important to understand that one single approach will not fit everyone, therefore you and your therapist should collaborate in order to find what best fits your needs. Here are some well-known evidence-based treatments for trauma-informed therapy:

Cognitive Processing Therapy

CPT helps clients to learn new, more positive ways of addressing trauma-related beliefs and emotions. CPT shines a light on maladaptive or self-blaming thoughts caused by trauma and guides clients in challenging those thoughts and behaviors.

Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE)

PE teaches individuals to gradually approach their trauma-related memories, feelings, and situations. The goal of this kind of therapy is to guide clients in learning that trauma-related memories and cues are not dangerous and to reform one’s thoughts and behaviors associated with those cues.

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)

EMDR believes that trauma and deeply held negative beliefs as a result of that trauma get trapped in the body. Thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations are activated while the stimulation helps reduce the emotional and physiological reaction to the trauma. EMDR uses bilateral sensory stimulation, memory recall, and grounding resources to reduce distress and desensitize clients to traumatic memory.

Other forms of trauma-informed therapy that aren’t specific to only trauma treatment but are still beneficial include:

Psychotherapy

Also known as talk therapy, gives one an opportunity to speak about their trauma and work through the healing process.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

The goal of DBT is to help clients learn how to better regulate emotions. DBT helps instill new skills in order to help clients change unhealthy behaviors.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

ACT helps one to develop psychological flexibility and is a form of behavioral therapy that combines mindfulness skills with the practice of self-acceptance. ACT encourages one to embrace their thoughts and feelings rather than fighting or feeling guilty for them.

If you are someone who has been affected by trauma you are not alone and there is hope. Here at WellMinded Counseling, we have various practitioners who practice using a variety of trauma-informed treatment approaches and can help you on your journey.

OTHER COUNSELING SERVICES OFFERED AT WELLMINDED COUNSELING

Therapy for depression isn’t the only service we offer. WellMinded Counseling offers the following counseling services:

• Substance Abuse Counseling

• EMDR

• Couples Therapy

• Relationship Counseling

• Depression Treatment

• Trauma Treatment

• Teen therapy

• Self-Esteem Counseling