Kimberly Wielgus

Depression can come and go, but can also be very serious and permanent. It is extremely important to identify and treat symptoms of depression - sadness, crying spells, lack of motivation, suicidal ideation, and more. Don’t stay comfortable in this. We will talk about the thoughts, and retrain your thinking. Am I really “worthless”? Am I going to be stuck feeling this way “forever?” Had this happened before and how have I come out of it? Are my thoughts rational?

Sometimes anxiety can lead to feelings of panic, and panic attacks. There are exercises to restructure the thought patterns in order to decrease and/or prevent these. Once you develop the techniques to the point where they just become second-nature (mindfulness, deep breathing patterns, identifying cognitive distortions, replacing them with valid and rational thoughts) you can apply them whenever the anxious thoughts arise and prevent them from getting worse, and even prevent panic attacks.

If alcohol and drug use are causing problems with your health, in relationships, in your work and other areas, you may have a problem. It is up to you to decide if and when you want to address it. I have found that for many, the 12 Steps and Alcoholic Anonymois have worked wonders. For others maybe not. But, there are things besides abstinence - like harms reduction, for one - and other drug & alcohol treatment techniques, such as S.M.A.R.T. Recovery - that we can work on.

Mindfulness-based therapy techniques will help you remain present, focusing on the here-and-now. There are a multitude of exercises we can practice together (visualization, deep breathing, muscle relaxation) and techniques I can provide to you for you to practice alone, if you feel more comfortable doing so. Mindfulness helps decrease stress, anxiety, are having trouble staying focused, difficulties with sleep, and many of the techniques can be practiced even when you’re around other people!

CBT is an evidenced based technique known to help with anxiety, panic disorders, depression, and even trauma. To put it simply, changing the way you think can change the way you feel, and changing the ways you think and feel, can change your behaviors! It works if you work it!

My earliest years of therapy stemmed from impatient drug & alcohol addiction counseling. Although I am skilled in alcohol and drug addiction, I do suggest trying the same approaches - like the 12 Steps, harm reduction, SMART Recovery - for other addictions such as gambling, shopping, sexual addictions. I think the most difficult part of addiction is accepting it - knowing that you have the problem and that it is not something you can easily control or use “will power” to overcome.