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Sunday, April 24, 2011

I'm a nervous wreck!


A two part series (Part 2)

Do you feel uncomfortable in groups? Do you find yourself suddenly terrified, sweaty, and unable to breathe? Are you uncomfortable in closed elevators or fearful of snakes or spiders? If so, you might suffer from the #1 mental health concern in America… an anxiety disorder.

Can you define anxiety for us?

· Anxiety is generally defined as a feeling or worry, dread, feeling uneasy, nervousness, or apprehension or fear of daily events or future events

· Anxiety disorder effects about 40 million Americans

· Number one mental health problem in America

· More women than men suffer from anxiety

Tell us about the symptoms of anxiety

· Excessive or constant worry and tension

· Preoccupation with fears, unrealistic view of concerns

· Headaches, stomach pains, sweating, muscle tension

· Difficulty with sleep, irritability, feeling restless or uneasy

What are some of the most common forms of anxiety disorders?

· Panic attacks: Affecting over 5 million Americans, they are characterized by sudden episodes of intense fear or apprehension that may come from “out of the blue.” These attacks generally lasts for a few minutes to an hour. Generally people experiencing sweating, shortness or breath, racing heart, feeling numb, hot or cold flashes, and fears of going crazy.

· Social phobia: This is the most common anxiety disorder. It involves the fear of embarrassment or humiliation in situations in which you must perform. The fear surrounds the concern that you will say or do something that will cause others to judge you as weak, crazy, or not capable. The most common social phobia is fear of public speaking.

· Specific phobia: Affecting over 12% of all Americans in their lifetime, this type of phobia involves a strong fear or avoidance of one particular type of object or situation. Some of the most common phobias are fear of animals, fear of heights, fear of flying, and fear of blood or needles.

· Generalized Anxiety disorder: This disorder is characterized by anxiety that persists for at least six months. Generally this occurs when people are concerned about numerous life stresses and experience symptoms of irritability, restlessness, sleeplessness, muscle tension, difficulty concentrating, and fatigue

· Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: Generally sufferers are reluctant to talk about their symptoms because they impair with daily functioning. OCD sufferers might spend hours cleaning, tidying, checking or ordering to the point that these activities interfere with their lives. Generally individuals feel an obsession to perform a particular activity, and feel compelled to attend to the obsession. This disorder affects over 2.4 million Americans during any 6-month period.

Remember if you suffer from any of these symptoms—reach out to a therapist and remember that anxiety disorders have a 70% success rate for treatment.

Do you give in to fears?



May 4th is National Anxiety Screening Day

Just like eating or sleeping, anxiety is a normal part of life. Under the “right” circumstances, anxiety can be beneficial because it motivates us to take action. Faced with an unexpected or unfamiliar challenge, the feeling of anxiety prepares us for the upcoming event. Anxiety heightens our alertness and readies the body for action. Anxiety can also protect us by urging us to flee when we are in danger.

How is fear different than anxiety?

· Fear is directed towards a concrete, external object or situation. People fear tests, or fear they will be unable to pay their taxes, or perhaps fear that they will be rejected.

· Anxiety is something that occurs internally—it is a response or a feeling that something may occur. Anxiety affects people psychologically, behaviorally and physiologically.

· Anxiety affects our entire body…we begin to sweat, our muscles become tense, our heart races, we feel queasy, we have a dry mouth, or we may fear that we will die.

When does anxiety become a disorder?

· Researchers define as disorders those situations in which the anxiety reaches overwhelming levels, or dramatically reduces or eliminates productivity, or intrudes in a person’s quality of daily life.

· Disorders are distinguished from everyday normal anxieties by three elements:

o their intensity (such as panic attacks);

o their duration (they don’t go away after a stressful situation is resolved)

o those that are persistent ( (persistent fear of objects or events can lead to phobias)

What are common treatments?

· Treatment: Commonly, they are treated with a combination of psychotherapy and medication.

· Strategy: Typically therapy deals with teaching methods to minimize stress reactions, helping people break destructive thoughts, and helping people learn strategies to cope and become resilient

· Success: Success rates for those who use therapy and medication together have a 60-70% rate of success.

Monday, April 18, 2011

A Proven Traditiion of Excellence


Here's a list of of new staff listings. Wow have we grown....




















Joy Miller & Associates: Counseling and Wellness
Joy Erlichman Miller PhD, LCPC, MAC, CADC
Heidi Turcot LCSW, E-RYT / Emeritus
John J. Hubbs LCSW, CADC, SAP
Ed Hamann EdD, LCPC, LMFT / Emeritus
Connie Hamann LCPC, CADC / Emeritus
Suzanne Brasche LCSW, ACSW, CADC, MISAII
Judy Carlson LCPC, EMDR
Heidi Pompe, MA
Sarah Stuber, LCSW
Karen Greene LCPC
Steve DeCremer, LCPC
Debra Disney, LCPC, DCC
Jori Sparry, LMFT
Jill Egizio LCSW
Sherry Dockins LCPC, CADC

Office Staff
Debbie Fitzpatrick
Kathy Gawthorp
Lisa Zell
Stephanie Powers Hlinak
Taylor Gawthorp

Joyful Living Studio Consultants
Yoga - Heidi Turcot E-RYT, Lisa Nelson Raabe, Lisa Zell
Meditation – Venkatesh Anandasayanam

WE ARE GROWING ONCE AGAIN!!!!!


We are growing once again. Watch this space an learn more about our new additions to our staff...

Jori Sparry LMFT and Jill Egizio LCSW