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4200 Montrose Boulevard, Suite 550
Houston, TX, 77006
United States

(713) 376-9822

Child, teen and family therapy in Houston, TX. Joan's specializations include: ADD/ADHD, Anxiety, LGBT Issues, Abuse Issues, Adjustment Issues, Depression, Eating Disorders, School Trouble, Learning Disabilities, Trauma, Behavioral Problems, and Self-Mutilation. 

My Blog

This is a collection of psychiatry and psychology news and studies related to child, teen and family therapy.  These resources may be useful to parents interested in learning more about current topics influencing child, teen and family therapy.

Filtering by Tag: Phobias

How Therapy Nurtures Clients and the Benefits of Seeing a Therapist

Joan Lipuscek

Therapy is a powerful tool for personal growth, healing, and emotional resilience. For individuals navigating life’s challenges, seeking professional help can offer long-term benefits for mental health, relationships, and overall well-being. Therapists play an essential role in nurturing clients through a supportive, non-judgmental environment. This blog explores how therapists provide that care and the tangible benefits clients can experience.

How Therapists Nurture Clients

Creating a Safe, Non-Judgmental Environment: A key to effective therapy is the creation of a safe and comfortable space where clients can openly express their feelings. Therapists build trust with clients, offering a confidential environment that fosters vulnerability. Feeling secure is critical for clients to explore difficult emotions, mental health concerns, and personal growth without fear of judgment.

Providing Emotional Support and Understanding: Therapists offer more than just advice—we provide emotional support and understanding. Whether clients are dealing with anxiety, depression, grief, or trauma, therapists guide them through these challenges, validating their experiences. This emotional support helps clients process and cope with overwhelming feelings, making them feel less isolated in their struggles.

Teaching Coping Strategies and Practical Tools: Therapy is about more than just talking. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and mindfulness techniques are among the many tools therapists use to help clients manage stress, anxiety, and other challenges. These therapeutic approaches equip clients with practical skills to regulate emotions, handle life’s stressors, and navigate difficult situations.

Encouraging Personal Growth and Self-Awareness: One of the most significant aspects of therapy is helping clients develop self-awareness. By examining thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, clients gain a deeper understanding of themselves. This heightened self-awareness leads to personal growth and helps clients make positive changes in their lives, leading to improved mental health and well-being.

Supporting Clients Through Life Transitions: Major life transitions—such as divorce, job changes, or the loss of a loved one—can cause significant emotional strain. Therapists help clients manage these transitions by offering guidance, emotional support, and coping strategies. By nurturing clients through life’s changes, therapists promote resilience and adaptability.

The Benefits of Seeing a Therapist

Improved Mental Health: Therapy is highly effective for treating a wide range of mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, trauma, and grief. Working with a therapist helps clients understand the root causes of their challenges and find healthier ways to cope. Over time, therapy can improve overall mental health, leading to a greater sense of emotional well-being.

Stronger Relationships: Therapy doesn’t just improve the individual—it also strengthens relationships. Through improved communication skills and emotional regulation, clients often experience better connections with their partners, family members, and friends. Therapy helps address issues like conflict resolution, intimacy challenges, and setting healthy boundaries, which all contribute to healthier, more fulfilling relationships.

Building Emotional Resilience: Life’s challenges can sometimes feel overwhelming, but therapy helps individuals build the emotional resilience needed to navigate tough situations. Clients learn how to manage stress, regulate their emotions, and stay grounded even during difficult times. Emotional resilience is a crucial skill that benefits clients throughout their lives.

Gaining Clarity and Problem-Solving Skills: Therapy offers a structured approach to tackling personal problems. By working through their thoughts and emotions with a therapist, clients gain clarity on their issues. Therapists also help break down larger problems into manageable steps, guiding clients toward effective problem-solving strategies.

Empowerment and Confidence: Through therapy, clients gain a sense of empowerment over their lives. By addressing their mental health issues, setting goals, and learning coping skills, clients feel more in control of their decisions and emotions. This increased confidence leads to a more proactive and fulfilling life.

The Importance of Therapy for Long-Term Well-Being

Therapy isn’t just for those experiencing a crisis. It offers long-term benefits by promoting self-awareness, emotional health, and personal growth. Regular sessions with a therapist can help individuals navigate life’s ups and downs with greater clarity and resilience.

For many, therapy is an ongoing journey toward better mental health. Whether someone is dealing with anxiety, depression, grief, or just seeking to improve their relationships, a therapist provides invaluable support, helping clients make meaningful progress toward their goals.

Therapists nurture their clients by offering emotional support, creating a safe space for exploration, and providing practical tools for growth. The benefits of therapy are wide-ranging, from improved mental health to stronger relationships, greater resilience, and a deeper sense of self-awareness. Whether you're facing a specific challenge or seeking personal growth, therapy offers a nurturing and transformative path to well-being.

Invest in your mental health today and consider therapy as a powerful tool for navigating life's challenges. A trusted therapist can guide you toward healing, growth, and lasting emotional resilience.

Mental Disorders in U.S. Teens

Joan Lipuscek

It is often difficult for families to understand the prevalence of teens suffering with a mental disorder. To help alleviate this, we created the following data visualization for the summary results of the study, "Lifetime Prevalence of Mental Disorders in US Adolescents: Results from the National Comorbidity Study-Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A)" published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

For ease of use, we have included only figures on lifetime prevalence. This is the proportion of a given population that has ever had a mental disorder as classified by the DSM-IV at some point in their lives at the time of the study.

The visualization is structured with the highest level summary data available on the first tab, data by disorder type on the second tab and specific disorder data on the final tab. (Please set your browser to allow third party cookies if you receive an error while trying to explore the data.)

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

Tab 1: All Disorders - The study concluded that while 49.5% of teens between the ages of 13-18 had suffered from a mental disorder at some point in their lives, only 22.2% of teens had suffered from a disorder that could be characterized as severe. For disorders to be classified as "severe impairments," the study required the respondents to report "a lot" or “extreme” impairment in daily activities, or “severe or very severe” distress. According to the study, "Severe emotional disorders required both distress and impairment to be present, and severe behavior disorders required endorsement of symptom criteria by both the parent and the adolescent."

Tab 2: Disorders by Type - Among disorder types, anxiety disorders are the most common with 31.9% of U.S. teens experiencing an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives. However, anxiety disorders were also found least likely to be severe with only 8.3% of teens reporting a severe impairment. Along gender lines, teen girls were more likely to suffer from anxiety and mood disorders, while boys were more likely to suffer from behavior and substance use disorders.

Tab 3: Specific Disorders - Specific phobias were by far the most popular mental disorders with 19.3% of teens reporting that they had suffered from this disorder at some point in their lives. However, specific phobias were also the least likely disorder to cause "severe impairment" with a prevalence rate of just 0.6% among teens. Along gender lines, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are noteworthy for the large dispersion between the number of male and female sufferers. ADHD is reported for 13.0% of males, but only 4.2% of females. PTSD is reported for 8.0% of females, but only 2.3% of males. 

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