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Services We Offer
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34 N Whistler Ave, Freeport IL 61032
(815) 235 - 6171
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| © 2007 New Horizons Counseling Center 34 N Whistler Ave, Freeport IL 61032 (815) 235 - 6171 |
| Definition | Anxiety is a part of every day life. Anxiety can be beneficial, heightening alertness and preparing the body for action. Anxiety or fear is a protection from danger. However, these fears are not normal when they become overwhelming and interfere with daily living. Then, they are symptoms of an anxiety disorder, one of a group of disorders that are, according to the American Psychiatric Association, “the most common and most successfully treated form of mental illness.” |
| Who Is Affected? | The American Psychiatric Association estimates that anxiety disorders affect 8.3 percent of all Americans. |
| Causes | Researchers believe there is no single situation or condition that causes anxiety disorders. They believe physical and environmental factors may combine to create the illness. Biochemical imbalances, learned behavior or unconscious conflicts are all labeled as culprits. Likely, they all contribute to some extent in many cases. |
| Symptons | Symptoms of anxiety disorders include shakiness, sweating, dizziness, fatigue, dry mouth, diarrhea, lump in throat, cold clammy hands, tingling to hands or feet, and high pulse and/or breathing rate. All of these can be symptoms of any of the anxiety disorders. Symptoms can be so severe that they are almost totally disabling.
In addition to these general symptoms, more specific symptoms can appear including:
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| Treatment | A combination of psychotherapy and medication custom-tailored to the patient’s specific condition can successfully relieve anxiety disorders. Behavior therapy is often used in treating phobias and obsessive-compulsive disorders. According to the severity of the symptoms, outpatient therapy, day treatment or intense inpatient hospitalization are all settings in which anxiety disorders can be successfully treated. Individual therapy, group therapy, occupational and recreational therapy and treatment with psychiatric medications can be prescribed in a combination unique to the individual’s recovery needs. |
| For More Information | If you would like more information about anxiety disorders or other topics, please contact New Horizons Counseling Center at (815) 235-6171. |
| Definition | Anger is a natural emotion that is neither good nor bad. Anger is both a physical and emotional response to the world. It is one of the emotions that make us human. Anger is a two-step process. Anger starts with an experience of pain. The pain can be either physical or emotional: it can be a stomach ache or fatigue, feelings of rejection or loss. The pain leads to arousal, a strong drive for discharge and stress reduction. Step two in the anger process is the use of trigger thoughts. These are attributions that blame and condemn others for the painful experience. Individuals use trigger thoughts to ignite feelings of anger and discharge some of their arousal. While everyone feels angry at times, each of us handles that feeling differently. While there are hundreds of ways to express anger, when we become abusive or violent, and harm others in our expression of anger, it is time to consider changing the ways we express our angry feelings. | ||
| Causes | You have three basic psychological needs that must be satisfied to feel that your world is a good place to be:
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| Effects | Uncontrolled anger can lead to negative consequences including:
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| Treatment | Dealing with anger:
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| For More Information | For more information, call New Horizons Counseling Center at (815) 235-6171. |
| Definition | Depression is a term that can describe a normal human emotion. It is also the name of a debilitating emotional syndrome in which victims’ moods are seriously disturbed for at least two weeks. Suicide, the most serious result of depression, is the 10th leading cause of death in America and the third leading cause of death among those aged 15 to 24. Depression can be triggered or aggravated by any number of external or internal factors, such as personal tragedy or a chemical imbalance. |
| Symptoms | In addition to feelings of sadness, hopelessness and irritability, depression includes at least four of these symptoms:
Depression can appear at any age, even in infants. In young people, depression is likely to be indicated by poor school work, rebelliousness, bursts of activity, drug and alcohol abuse and running away. Scientists estimate that more than half of those who have had one episode of major depression will have another. |
| Treatments | Treatment for depression may be as diverse as the forms and severity the depression itself presents. Outpatient therapy, day treatment and intense inpatient hospitalization are all settings in which depression may be effectively treated. Treatment may include individual therapy, occupational therapy, group therapy, recreational therapy, medications, and increased socialization. Treatment goals include preventing the patient from harming himself; addressing his biological needs for nutrition, rest and sleep; orienting the person to reality; developing or increasing feelings of self-worth; resolving internal conflict; increasing ability to cope with anxiety and stress; and ability to deal with feelings. The ultimate treatment objective is to return the person to full functioning in the home, work and community environments. |
| For More Information | If you would like more information about depression or other topics, please contact New Horizons Counseling Center at (815) 235-6171. |
| Definition | Although usually associated with death, the sense of loss, referred to as grief, can follow an unpleasant or even a pleasant life change. Even the most sought-after progress means loss of the old and familiar. Some situations that initiate grief/loss reactions include:
The deaths of spouses, children, parents, friends, enemies, neighbors, classmates, and pets or the losses of:
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| Symptons | Symptoms include feelings of sadness, hopelessness, “depression,” feelings of anger or irritability, fantasies of restoration of what was lost; and the unwillingness or inability to believe the loss has really happened. Symptoms are often found in people who have recently undergone a loss, consuming much of the victims’ available energy and attention. There is, at times, an inability to think about, attend to, or value anything or anyone except what was lost. |
| Treatment | Time has always been considered the great healer in the grieving process. A normally healthy person will – in time and after experiencing the pain of the sadness, anger, false hope and disbelief over and over again – “work through” the grief experience and emerge from it well and able to commit themselves to new attachments. However, sometimes urgent needs, such as employment or child care, the belief that one must “keep a stiff upper lip”, illness, a predisposition to biological process may prevent its natural resolution. At these times, help is needed. According to the degree of severity of the symptoms, treatment may include individual or group therapy and/or medications. The ultimate treatment objective is to allow the natural grieving process to complete itself, enabling the individual to move on to new experiences and new commitments. This part of the process is often helped by occupational and recreational therapy. A combination of medical, psychotherapeutic and behavior interventions is often most useful. |
| For More Information | If you would like more information about grief and loss or other topics, please contact the New Horizons Counseling Center at (815) 235-6171. |
| Definition | Stress is your body’s automatic physical and emotional reaction to a demand, pleasant, or unpleasant, placed upon it. |
| Causes | Stress is most often caused by change, such as loss of a loved one, job or career change, pregnancy, illness/injury, vacation, or lifestyle change. Some people are more prone to the ill effects of stress due to poor coping skills and unhealthy attitudes about themselves and the world around them. |
| Effects | In our fast-paced, modern society, researchers have noticed that today we experience more stress in one year than our ancestors did in a lifetime. On a daily basis we may experience 20 to 40 negative and positive stressors. Many of these stressors are a part of our daily routine, such as driving in heavy traffic. The way we cope with these stressors can either enhance our lives or lead to physical and/or emotional difficulties. Stress is a part of life and a certain amount of stress is good for us. It helps keep us alert and provides us with challenges and motivation. On the other hand, if ignored, some of these stressors may weigh us down. |
| Signs of Too Much | Prolonged stress, or “distress,” can affect one’s physical and/or emotional health. Some warning signs include frequent headaches, poor eating habits, irregular sleep patterns, hyperactivity, fatigue, anger, and depression. If not properly dealt with, these and other stress symptoms can affect our level of functioning at home, work or school and our personal interactions with others. Approximately 70-90% of our illnesses today are stress related. |
| Coping | The key to coping with stress is for us to manage stress before it manages us! |
| Work Off Stress | Stress is energy. Through physical activities, such as swimming, biking, playing tennis, gardening or walking, you can let go of that stressful energy. This helps you get recharged and allows your mind and body to function more effectively. |
| Take Care of Yourself First | Set realistic expectations and daily demands of yourself. Balance both work and play into your lifestyle. Laugh often each day. |
| Change What You Can | Often times we cannot change a situation or event that causes us stress, but we can change the way we think about it and the tools we use to cope with it. |
| Talk Out Stress | Talking about your stressors with someone you trust, such as a family member, friend, co-worker, clergy member, teacher, or therapist helps relieve stress. Share our feelings honestly and perhaps another person can help you put the problem in perspective. |
| Learn To Relax | Find a few quiet moments each day to clear your mind. Allow your mind and body to work together to help regain self-control and deal with stressors in healthy ways. |
| For More Information | If you would like more information about coping with stress or other topics, please contact the New Horizons Counseling Center at (815) 235-6171. |
| Love and Logic Parenting Group Parenting can often times be a wonderful experience mixed with much heartache, frustration, and conflict. At New Horizons Counseling Center we offer a “Love and Logic” Parenting Group that is designed to provide parents with tools to parent in a manner that promotes healthier relationships with their children and address behavior problems in a constructive manner that enhances the child’s ability to take responsibility for solving problems, make responsible choices, and live with the consequences of their choices. The “Love and Logic” Parenting Group meets for a total of 5 weeks, one night per week for two hours. It is designed to address parenting of children 17 and under. “Love and Logic is a philosophy of raising and teaching children which allows adults to be happier, empowered, and more skilled in their interactions with children. Love allows children to go through their mistakes. Logic allows children to live with the consequences of their choices. Love and Logic is a way of working with children that puts parents and teachers back in control, teaches children to be responsible, and prepares young people to live in the real world, with its many choices and consequences.” If you are interested in attending a Love and Logic Group or would like more information please contact New Horizons Counseling Center at 815-235-6171. Parents Forever Parenting Class The Parents Forever Parenting Class is designed to satisfy the Parent Education and Family Stabilization course that is required to obtain a divorce in the State of Illinois. This class meets one time for 4 hours. The class is offered in a psycho-educational format and educational materials are included in the cost of the class. These classes are scheduled bimonthly and it is required to call and pre-register for the class. If you are interested in attending the Parents Forever Parenting Class or would like more information please contact New Horizons Counseling Center at 815-235-6171. |
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Mediation is a form of alternative dispute resolution. Mediation aims to assist two (or more) disputants in reaching an agreement. Whether an agreement results or not, and whatever the content of that agreement, if any, the parties themselves determine, rather than accepting something imposed by a third party. The disputes may involve organizations, individuals or other representatives with a vested interest in the outcome. Mediators use appropriate techniques and/or skills to open and/or improve dialogue between disputants, aiming to help the parties reach an agreement (with concrete effects) on the disputed matter. Normally, all parties must view the mediator as impartial. Mediation can apply in a variety of disputes, such as commercial, legal, diplomatic, workplace, community and divorce or other family matters. If you would like more information on mediation services or would like to inquire how to access mediation services at New Horizons Counseling Center please call 815-235-6171. |
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ADHD is generally considered to be a developmental disorder, largely neurological in nature, affecting about 5% of the world’s population. The disorder typically presents itself during childhood, and is characterized by a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity, as well as forgetfulness, poor impulse control or impulsivity, and distractibility. ADHD is currently considered to be a persistent and chronic condition for which no medical cure is available. ADHD has been shown to often impair functioning, and many adverse life outcomes are associated with ADHD. ADHD is most commonly diagnosed in children and, over the past decade, has been increasingly diagnosed in adults. About 60% of children diagnosed with ADHD retain the disorder as adults. Studies show that there is familial transmission of the disorder which does not occur through adoptive relationships. Twin studies indicate that the disorder is highly heritable and that genetics contribute about three quarters of the total ADHD population. While the majority of ADHD is believed to be genetic in nature, roughly 1/5 of all ADHD cases are thought to be acquired after conception due to brain injury caused by either toxins or physical trauma prenatally or postnatally. According to a majority of medical research in the United States, as well as other countries, ADHD is today generally regarded as a chronic disorder for which there are some effective treatments. Over 200 controlled studies have shown that stimulant medication is an effective way to treat ADHD. Methods of treatment usually involve some combination of medications, behavior modification, life style changes, and counseling.
If you would like more information on ADHD and effective treatments for the disorder please contact New Horizons Counseling Center at 815-235-6171. |
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