Tresenia Womack

Depression impacts the mood, how a person thinks and responds to daily stress. It can be triggered by life events, changes, family history, medical history, or drug use. There are different types of depression and specific forms. People with depression feel very sad, hopeless, fatigue, lack interest, difficulty concentrating and thoughts of self harm. Symptoms can present as physical issues such as headache or stomachache.

Burnout is a state of physical and emotional exhaustion caused by prolonged stress. Burnout presents as fatigue, illness, changes in sleep, appetite and can look like depression. It is important to acknowledge burnout and then take steps to build a mental health care plan such as exercising, mindfulness, setting boundaries and establishing routine.

Anxiety that is excessive and overwhelming can feel like fear, dread, hopelessness, and uneasy. Anxiety symptoms can appear as sweating, rapid heart beat, constant worry, and fatigue. CBT is useful for recognizing behavioral patterns and working to change them. The therapist role is to be supportive, help identify, help understand and provide strategies.

Solution Focused Brief Therapy is one of the most widely utilized collaborative therapies, strength based and goal oriented. SFBT focuses on the present rather than the past. I chose this modality to focus on during grad school, utilized this focus during clinicals and presented my capstone on SFBT. I understand that it is solution building rather than problem solving. SFBT can be utilized to help with a variety of presenting issues such as anxiety, depression, self-esteem and relationships.

Play therapy is utilized to help children process and express emotions through play. Play therapy can be useful for children who find it challenging to regulate emotions, communicate emotions or identify their emotions. The relationship between the therapist and client is crucial to gaining trust. Working with the family system is also a key point to for a good outcome. I learned about play therapy in grad-school and used it extensively in clinicals which had a child focus cliental.

CBT is focused on changing thinking and behavioral patterns. CBT is used to help the client learn to cope with problems, the here and now. The therapist is present to help identify the problem. I had the opportunity to utilize CBT while working in a WRAP program to help families learn to cope with everyday life problems. I also learned more about strategies and the role of the therapist in grad-school.