Life is a puzzle: We all need to be loved and accepted, and yet we all fear rejection and abandonment. Every close relationship poses both a threat and an opportunity. Let’s face it: although monumentally important to our emotional and physical health, relationships are anything but easy.
We learn how to relate to others in early childhood by watching our parents, and we carry these lessons as our world extends to school, work, and play. Our own unique personalities evolve, along with our ways of feeling and behaving in the world as we get older, and eventually inform us of who and what is safe and trustworthy.
Sometimes traumatic events or transitions in our lives find us feeling or behaving in uncomfortable or frightening ways. We either shift our thinking or behavior to accommodate the changes, or we develop symptoms that remind us that things are not OK. Symptoms can be vague such as feeling down, foggy, or easily upset. Other times, they are powerful such as panic attacks, avoidance of certain activities, or even a daily migraine.
Physical or emotional symptoms are a message from your body that you need help and sometimes motivate us to reach out to friends, family, or a therapist.
I've been a family therapist for 25 years. And I was trained to look at an individual's struggle in the context of their relationships. I have continued to train in other treatment techniques as well, searching for techniques that would alleviate emotional pain. And the most impressive and effective one I have found is
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing). I am a certified specialist in this internationally-recognized technique which provides dramatic treatment for emotional and physical traumas. It also helps relieve anxiety, phobias, and PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder).
When clients come to my office, they tell me they feel they have walked into a safe and comfortable place. My greatest strength is the ability to maintain and convey a strong vision of each client's true potential despite the struggles and self-doubt inherent in the process of change. Clients tell me they find me compassionate with a genuine, down-to-earth style that allows a feeling of comfort and safety. I often use my own personal experiences with mental health in addition to my training to help others feel less isolated with their problem.
I offer a free 30 minute telephone consultation to discuss how I could meet your unique needs, … which raises the question of payment. Although I take some insurance plans, there are real benefits of paying your own way. You will not be labeled with a mental health diagnosis required by insurance companies. Self-pay clients are not restricted to the 45 minute sessions, so that therapy that needs 90 or 120 minutes is possible. You are able to text or call whenever you need help, and add family members to the sessions when.
Jennifer McCarron Reaches
Montgomeryville PA