Counseling & Psychotherapy For People Of Color & Racial Trauma

It’s important to feel a strong connection between you and your therapist, and part of that connection comes with knowing your therapist understands your individual needs.

If you’re a person of color living in 21st century America, it can sometimes be hard to find a therapist who can relate with your experiences.

The reason for it comes down to sympathy vs. empathy. Sympathy is an understanding of another’s feelings from more of an intellectual point of view, whereas empathy comes from being able to share in those feelings from the perspective of personal experience.

And while a white therapist may be able to sympathize with your experience as a person of color, they may not be able to fully empathize.

When it comes to things like cultural differences, issues of racism, discrimination, economic disparity, and other issues unique to persons of color in America, a white therapist may struggle if they have not been fully versed in the issues. Their approach to depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, or interpersonal relationships may not make any sense across racial divides.

Here at New Horizons Wellness Services, we’re proud to have a psychologist who specializes in working with the BIPOC community.

Mental Health Counseling & Therapy For ADD/ADHD

Many people associate ADHD as a simple difficulty focusing. But there’s a lot more to it than that.

ADHD – attention deficit hyperactivity disorder – is a disorder that affects how one is able to grant attention to various tasks, as well as how one controls their behavior.

ADHD is usually diagnosed in childhood, but often persists into adulthood as well.

Symptoms can include:

Counseling & Therapy For Anxiety & Depression

Chronic anxiety and depression can be considered as two sides of the same coin. They have some overlapping symptoms, as well as similar treatments.

As well, both anxiety and depression are normal, healthy reactions to circumstances. Anxiety can be described as nervousness, and depression as sadness. So long as they’re tied to a specific event, there’s nothing to be concerned about. It’s normal to be anxious before a big presentation, or to be depressed after bombing said presentation. But when these feelings go on for much longer, and aren’t tied to a specific event, they can begin to interfere with your general happiness.

Anxiety can manifest itself in many ways, including:

• Generalized anxiety disorder
• Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
• Panic disorder
• Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Social anxiety disorder
• Phobias

Meanwhile, depression also goes by many different names, including:

• Major depressive disorder
• Persistent depressive disorder
• Bipolar disorder
• Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
• Situational depression

Currently, there is no known cure for these manifestations of anxiety and depression. The goal of counseling for anxiety and depression, rather, is to help you manage your condition to reduce your suffering, and reduce its impact on your life.

If you’re struggling with anxiety, depression, or a combination of the two, there is hope. Book an appointment with New Horizons Wellness Services to find out how we can help you.

Mental Health Counseling & Therapy For People With Autism

Autism is a condition that can make it difficult to communicate and understand others. As a result, autistic folks sometimes have difficulty with learning new skills, as well as with building relationships with others.

However, mental health counseling for autism can go a long way toward helping you or your child with autism to better integrate with the neurotypical world.

As with occupational therapy for children, early intervention is key. The earlier you notice the signs of autism in your child, the better able your child will be to benefit from mental health counseling for autism. If you’re not sure, we offer autism spectrum disorder evaluations to help you better understand your child’s needs.

However, mental health counseling for adults with autism can be effective as well. Contact us to find out more.

Book your appointment with New Horizons Wellness Services to find out more.

Mental Health Counseling & Therapy For Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities/Delays

Intellectual disabilities and developmental delays can manifest in many different ways. They can affect motor functions, speech and language, cognitive abilities, social skills, abstract reasoning and more.

In the past, it was believed that those with intellectual disabilities or developmental delays couldn’t benefit from mental health counseling. However, that attitude is changing, as is our understanding of those with these conditions.

In fact, with some modifications, mental health counseling for those with intellectual disabilities or developmental delays can make a difference in improving their quality of life. This includes accounting for limitations in memory, reasoning, problem solving, decision making, and planning skills.

In many situations, someone with intellectual disabilities or developmental delays may also benefit from working with an occupational therapist to increase success in ability to do activities of daily living.

If you or a loved one has an intellectual disability or developmental delay, you’ll find a team of professionals here at New Horizons Wellness Services ready to help make the most of life.

Call us today to find out how.

Mental Health Counseling & Therapy For Life Transitions

Life is full of changes. We all recognize that. However, some transitions can be more difficult than others. During these difficult periods of transition, it can help to have a counselor on your side to guide you through.

Life transitions can vary based on many factors and are personal to your experience. What may seem like a big transition to one person may not feel that way to another. These transitions can be positive, negative, planned, or unexpected and still have a strong effect emotionally.

Below are a few examples of common life transitions that can affect one’s mental health.

Our Approach

We work from an integrative model that draws from different approaches in psychology (e.g., cognitive behavioral, solution focused, strength based) that are known to be effective.

The techniques used can be more short term behavioral approaches that are focused on developing effective coping skills for patients to implement immediately, or more long term approaches that allow patients more time to work on whole life adjustment issues.

We tailor our approach and design an individualized treatment plan to meet the unique needs of each patient.

The process of healing and recovery may be a lifelong process as individuals continue to grow and develop throughout their lifespan.

Start your journey toward feeling better today and book an appointment at  New Horizons Wellness Services.

Contact New Horizons Wellness Services

Mental health conditions can be a lot to deal with, but you don’t have to suffer alone.

Achieve the vibrant lifestyle you aspire to through hard work and consistent effort. Counseling offers actionable strategies to reach your goals. Our psychologist stands out from other providers in Portland, Oregon by integrating counseling, life coaching, and assessment with a straightforward, no-nonsense approach.

Our goal is to empower you so that you are able to obtain the life that you want and thrive. You deserve to create a life that aligns with who you really are. That life is obtainable when you’re prepared to embrace it. Counseling is your pathway to achieving the bright life you’ve dreamed of.

Contact us today to find out more about our mental health services, and how they can help you.