Kiandra Hebert Ph.D. Clinical Psychology

Anxiety and worry can become a cyclical process. When we start to worry about what could go wrong we feel more stressed. When we are feeling more stressed our mind tends to think more about bad things that could happen. Worry is really a creative process. We will never run out of things to worry about. How can we live life with a sense of calm, peace, and ease when so many things could go wrong? There is a way to feel better, more centered, even when there are no guarantees in life.

I used to work at the Sharp's Hospital IOP program for people with severe depression and suicidal ideation. With depression it's easy to lose hope that one can feel better. Depression tricks people into thinking things are worse than they are, more bleak, that others care less, and to feel isolated and alone. Therapy can help change these patterns of thinking. I also think lifestyle changes such as improving gut health are important in treating many people with depression.

The way we think about ourselves, others, and our situation has a huge impact on how we feel and react to things. I help people notice patterns in their thoughts and behavior. Often a belief such as "I'm not good enough" can affect multiple areas of life causing increased conflict, focus on the negative, procrastination, and increased anxiety and depression. By helping people to identify deeply held beliefs we can work together to change responses.

When working with couples I combine the approaches, such as Gottmans', that focuses on communication with emotional focused therapies that argue when we feel good about another human being most of us naturally use good communication towards them. Both aspects are important. Feeling more loving towards our partners and using more understanding language even when we are feeling angry and hurt. I have had a lot of success in helping couples improve relationships.

I think it's important to look at the full picture. If someone isn't feeling well it can be caused by a variety of factors. It could be not feeling connected to others. For some it may be related to ones body being run down and helping them to find ways to improve lifestyle factors.