Counseling Services
Seeking mental health counseling is often the hardest thing a person or family can do for themselves. Our process focuses on allowing you to make informed decisions as to how best to work toward the achievement of your goals. Counseling can take an individual or family in new directions that, without guidance, they would struggle to ever achieve. Counseling helps to increase motivation, confidence, structure, direction, function, safety, and stability. Individuals and families can make great changes by working with a counselor who remains objective, supportive, and focused on your goals.
Individual Counseling
Individual therapy sessions are the most common form of therapy and the type most clients expect when seeking help. Counselors work to build a collaborative and caring relationship with their clients. Through this therapeutic relationship, counselors help their clients reach their goals and achieve a more stable and integrated life. Individual sessions typically take weeks or months to see lasting changes. However, because you are working individually, the changes are completely up to you.
Your counselor will interact with you to build perspective, explore various factors, and provide information for you to consider during your sessions. Often you will have structured homework assignments to allow you to work independently between sessions. Counselors remain available to assist you in difficult situations and are ready to help you.
Family Therapy
Families often need help sorting out complex issues and dynamics in the home. It can be difficult to ask for help when dealing with family issues. Frequently families have secrets or personal beliefs that block their ability to accept help and resolve the issues they are experiencing. Our counselors at New Directions can help your family address such issues as behaviors in the home, abuse and neglect, changes in structure and communication.
Family therapy can bring a great deal of change and improvements in relationships among family members. Families often come to treatment after the problems have reached a critical level. This means patterns of behaviors and wounds from other members have compounded to the point that outside help is required. Because there is a strong motivation for everyone to be close and content with each other, progress can sometimes take just a few sessions. However, with more difficult or long-term problems, healing can take more time and require some individual therapy for members of the family.
Child and Adolescent Therapy
Sometimes teens struggle with behavioral issues that require special interventions and assistance. We work with your teen to address the cause of the disruptive behaviors and provide a supportive place for them to process their thoughts, feelings and behaviors. We also work with parents to help them establish and support healthy boundaries and expectations that prepare your teen in becoming an adult.
Couples Counseling
Relationship and couples therapy involves people in close relationships (dating and married, work partners, friends, parent and child, etc.). They come to counseling for all different reasons. Often, they don’t understand why they are struggling. They think that there is something wrong with them or something is inherently flawed about their relationship.
Relationship counseling might be right for you if you are experiencing the following:
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You don’t communicate well.
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You don’t get along with each other’s families.
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You feel contempt toward your partner.
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You don’t feel attracted to your spouse.
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You don’t respect your partner’s opinion.
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You know nothing of what your partner thinks or feels all day.
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You love your partner, but something is just missing.
It is important to note that relationship and couples counseling is typically not covered by insurance providers. Also not all of our counselors work with couples.
Adolescent Sexual Behaviors
Johnathan Johnson, LPC/MHSP works with adolescent sexual behaviors. This population takes a highly trained therapist with unique experiences. Treatment for this population typically involves the Department of Children Services and the juvenile court system. Treatment for this population usually takes over a year of treatment and can involve the displacement of the youth from the home. The process affects the whole family and requires a great deal of time and energy for all involved.
Among our services, we also can provide sexual risk assessments reports for courts to determine placement for youth with sexual issues.
LGBTQ
We work with LGBT youth, adults, and families to address issues such as coming out, challenges with work or family, parenting, and relationship dynamics. We know the LGBT population has a higher rate of social, mental, and substance abuse issues. We are here to provide you with a non-judgmental and safe space to process your thoughts and feelings.
We also work extensively to support transgender individuals through transition through exploration of the emotional, mental, and social stressors that many transgender people face.
Alternative Lifestyles
We know that finding a provider for individuals who maintain an alternative lifestyle can be very discouraging. If you live an alternative lifestyle such as polyamory, nudism/naturism, BDSM, and other lifestyles, we provide a safe and accepting space for you to address your personal counseling needs and encourage you to integrate your lifestyle in healthy and safe ways. If you are struggling with identifying or reconciling your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors around alternative lifestyles, please check out our staff profiles.