Mental Health Counseling & Therapy 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 mental health counselors from different backgrounds. We’ll pair you with someone who meets your unique needs most closely.

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 speech 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.

Mental Health Counseling & Therapy For Transgender Individuals

Transgender individuals are those whose gender identity doesn’t match the one they were assigned at birth. This includes:

Transgender women, who were assigned male at birth but identify more strongly with being a woman.

Transgender men, who were assigned female at birth but identify more strongly with being a man.

Nonbinary people, who feel their gender assigned at birth is incorrect, but don’t identify strongly with the other side of the gender binary either. Nonbinary people may identify as a gender somewhere between man and woman, a combination of the two, or something entirely outside the gender binary spectrum altogether.

There is nothing wrong with being transgender. While in the past trans people were stigmatized and persecuted by the mental health community, that attitude is changing. Rather than trying – and failing – to convince you that you actually are the gender you were assigned at birth, New Horizons Wellness Services counselors will walk alongside you in your gender exploration.

Because of the changing nature of transgender mental healthcare, it can be difficult for trans folks to get the help they need. Sadly, bigotry and a lack of understanding toward trans folks can be a major barrier. Those trans folks who do seek out therapy are often left in the situation of having to lead their own sessions, educating their therapist and helping them work through their own misconceptions rather than actually getting the help they need. In some cases, the therapist’s own bigotry may rear its ugly head as well, making things worse.

If you’re questioning your gender, your counselor will provide a safe, accepting space in which to do so. They will provide guidance in your exploration, encouraging you to come to your own conclusions about your gender identity.

And if you’ve already decided on your gender identity, your thoughts and feelings around your changing gender expression can still present a significant amount of mental distress. Your counselor will work with you to make sense of these feelings and your new role in the world.

Here at New Horizons Wellness Services, we’ll pair you with a counselor who is well versed in issues facing the transgender community.

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

Mental Health 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
• Illness anxiety disorder (hypochondria)
• Phobias

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

• Major depressive disorder
• Persistent depressive disorder
• Bipolar disorder
• Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
• Postpartum depression
• Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)
• 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 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:

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

Intellectual disabilities and developmental delays can manifest in many different ways. It can affect motor functions, speech and language, cognitive abilities, social skills, abstract 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 a speech therapist and/or an occupational therapist.

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: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT for short, is a form of therapy that focuses on practical solutions to present issues.

Through CBT, you and your counselor will explore the way you think and feel, and how it affects the way you behave. By changing your thought patterns, you can change the way you respond to situations that may have caused difficulty in the past.

To find out more about CBT and how it might work for you, contact 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.

Here at New Horizons Wellness Services, we work to pair you with a therapist who matches your unique needs and experiences.

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