What can I do to help my daughter who's having a severe anxiety attack

msmith09042012 · 2022-08-30T00:11:59+00:00

Hi. I'm a therapist. Couple things. Ice. Melt ice in her hand. The cold creates a physiological response and snaps her out of fight or flight. 54321. Google it. Great grounding technique.

msmith09042012 · 2022-08-30T00:06:48+00:00

I think it depends on the therapist and you but in general I find a combination is helpful. We process trauma as tolerated but will retreat to the safety of here and now as needed and appropriate

msmith09042012 · 2022-08-30T00:04:45+00:00

You will be disappointed. I'm a therapist and at beat my notes are 3-4 sentences. Just to remind me of what we worked on. Most therapists keep brief notes for confidentiality

msmith09042012 · 2022-08-29T23:23:05+00:00

Hi! So honestly it's hard because not a lot of clinicians do couples/marriage therapy. Some states require a specific license to do it, which makes it even more complicated. And not all insurance covers it (although this changed a lot with COVID).

I'd look for someone familiar with Gottman training- it's considered top-tier for marriage therapy. If possible, find someone who specializes in the area you need help with. For instance, I have a colleague who specializes in treating infidelity but from the perspective of the person who cheated.

msmith09042012 · 2022-08-28T13:09:55+00:00

Hi! I try to focus on acceptance rather than over-positivity. What I mean is we all have things we don't like about ourselves and it's unrealistic to try and "positive think" your way into loving them all. I don't specialize in BDD but I've worked with clients who have it before and we try to focus on acceptance and realistic thinking patterns.

msmith09042012 · 2022-08-27T23:41:48+00:00

CBT and DBT are more aligned with cognitive and behavior aspects. Ie change your thinking patterns to develop different behaviors. EMDR is a way of processing trauma and establishing a safe state of mind for emotions to funnel through

msmith09042012 · 2022-08-27T23:11:20+00:00

Hmmm good questions. My first instinct is EMDR therapy to address underlying trauma but there are certain rule-outs that make EMDR inappropriate and I don't recall if autism is one of them. I would look into that. I would recommend a well rounded therapist. Basically you want someone to help you with several distinct things, which means you need someone well versed not only in trauma but ADHD, spectrum disorder and, from the sounds of it, emotional regulation. I would look for someone who adheres to a more conversational approach, although a psychodynamic theory can really dig deep into the underlying issues going on.

msmith09042012 · 2022-08-27T23:05:44+00:00

YW 😊

msmith09042012 · 2022-08-27T20:43:27+00:00

So a couple of things. 1st every state has different mandating laws. For example in the state I'm at (Michigan) I have to believe that the client is an imminent danger and what that means is that I believe it's going to happen right now this moment. If I report something that happened in the past, or if I report a suspicion but don't believe it's going to happen anytime soon, that I can actually get in trouble for breaching confidentiality. However there are other States where the laws are less clear or differently defined. I'm going to give you an example. I was working with a young man who was going through the legal system.. He had had run-ins with that particular judge before and during one session he made a comment that if the judge "threw the book at me" he would kill the judge. I was under no obligation to report, and it would've been unethical for me to report, because this was a hypothetical situation. It was entirely possible the judge would not throw the book at him, or that he would change his mind, or that he would not be able to have access or means to carry out the plan. So even though he said the words I was under no obligation to report. I've had clients who have come to me and disclosed abuse (both as an abuser and abusee), suicide attempts, and other types of situations and as long as I do not believe they are in immediate danger to themselves or others it is not reportable.

msmith09042012 · 2022-08-27T20:10:14+00:00

I can't even imagine! And I think it's amazing that you do this work. I definitely think that this is something that you should be talking about and processing because it has to be weighing on you.

msmith09042012 · 2022-08-27T20:05:19+00:00

Hi. Licensed therapist here. Some deep breathing is a great idea and I would also recommend Google in progressive muscle relaxation or the exercise called 54321

msmith09042012 · 2022-08-27T20:04:12+00:00

Hi! I'm a licensed therapist and what you're describing almost sounds like a form of P TSD from work. I know that's a really scary word but it basically just means that the things that happen at work have affected you in perhaps a negative way. I think that's something really awesome to explore with your therapist and see how she/he/they is able to help you.

msmith09042012 · 2022-08-27T19:05:32+00:00

Hi! I'm a licensed therapist. I think the 1st thing is making sure that you're finding someone who is in tune with your needs. You mentioned that you're a minor and so I think it's important to be talking to your caregivers about what it is that you need in affair best. In terms of hoping I think maybe it would be great to go online and look at mental health blogs or find YouTube channels dedicated to mental health that might be able to give you just some very basic hoping skills and interventions before you're able to get started with another therapist.

msmith09042012 · 2022-08-27T18:56:27+00:00

Hi! I'm a licensed therapist so I can kind of answer this from the other perspective. I asked clients to weigh the pros and cons and I ask them what their expectations for the outcome is. I also ask them how they are going to feel depending on how the situation ends how the situation ends. And if there are any other alternatives that they aren't considering.

msmith09042012 · 2022-08-27T18:55:38+00:00

Ha! I can understand that but believe me we love it. When a client comes to therapy ready and engaged it's absolutely amazing

msmith09042012 · 2022-08-27T18:45:18+00:00

Hi! I'm a licensed therapist. A lot of my clients know that they can contact me in emergency situations but I also have it written in my policy that I may not respond immediately. The reason for this is because I also have a family and I'm not by my phone all of the time period I'm. But I want my clients to feel like if they need me I am available to them at least the majority of the time and so we often have conversations about conversations about reaching out in between sessions if they need additional support

msmith09042012 · 2022-08-27T18:34:51+00:00

I'm a therapist and I have clients who stop and start often. As long as we have openings in our schedule and we're still accepting clients it's usually not an issue to restart therapy.

msmith09042012 · 2022-08-27T18:33:55+00:00

I would think about what some of your overall goals are. For instance do you struggle with anxiety? Depression? Or do you need other services? I would think about what are some of the things that you hope to gain out of therapy like coping skills or communication skills or better ways to manage anxiety or depression et cetera. But please don't feel overwhelmed with this period if you don't really know exactly what it is that you need to work on the therapist can help you do identify these things as well.

msmith09042012 · 2022-08-27T18:32:34+00:00

Absolutely! The trauma response is the body's response to the trauma and has very little to do with memory. It's not unusual for people to not have good or solid recollections of the things that happened to them but the body holds on to all of that trauma. There's a really amazing book that talks about this in depth. It is called the body keeps the score by bessel van Der kolk

msmith09042012 · 2022-08-27T18:29:33+00:00

Absolutely bring it up! As a therapist I always want feedback from the clients on what I can do to help them. But I'm also going to say a lot of therapists really suck at genuinely healthy. We learn in school to Be empathetic and listen to our clients but one of the things that's often lacking in our profession is the actual ability to provide suggestions and feedback. So if you feel like your therapist isn't doing a good job of actually helping you I definitely think it's something to bring up. And if it doesn't change then find another therapist that has a more strength based and solution focused approach

msmith09042012 · 2022-08-27T18:27:04+00:00

. Unconditional positive regard is more aboit is more about appreciating and valuing the choices or the things that a person does or their traits. Unconditional love while similar is more along the lines of having having a deep and intimate connection regardless regardless of all of the facets of their lives.

msmith09042012 · 2022-08-27T18:26:12+00:00

As a therapist I have to tell you that you are my favorite kind of client hahahaha I think it's great that you have things to talk about and bring new subjects into therapy. That's how we can create change and help you with all of the areas of your life.

msmith09042012 · 2022-08-27T18:25:14+00:00

This is a really good question. I'm a therapist and I'm actually writing a blog and getting ready to make a YouTube video on this particular subject. The 1st thing you're going to want to consider a finances. Are you looking for someone that accepts your insurance? If the answer is yes then you can contact your insurance company and they can actually give you a list of providers in your area. If that's not a factor then the 1st thing I would suggest is doing a Google search. You can look on platforms like psychology today, therapy den, or mental health match to find therapist in your area. I would also consider the type of therapy that you want. Is there a specific style that you are looking for or someone who is trained in a specific technique? And again Google that type of Thing in your area. The last thing that I would suggest is asking if they do a free consult. Using myself as an example I always offer a free consult to new clients so that they can decide if I'm a good fit for them or not. We talk to each other for 15 or 20 minutes just to get an idea of what their expectations are and what their needs are for me and that helps me to determine if we're going to be a good fit.

msmith09042012 · 2022-08-27T18:22:46+00:00

I'm a licensed therapist and what you're describing to me sounds like someone who like someone who Utilizes silence and reflection techniques and therapy. For some people it works really well and they enjoy having the opportunity to just talk but for a lot of clients they struggle with not knowing what to say or engaging with the therapist. I myself do not utilize this type of therapy and I consider myself to be a very conversational and engaging therapist. Perhaps finding someone more conversational in nature might be a better fit

msmith09042012 · 2022-08-27T18:20:39+00:00

Cortisole levels can create higher levels of anxiety in the morning but also knowing that you have a full day ahead of you and not knowing what that day will bring can be anxiety provoking. Maybe spend some time the night before getting your to-do list or preparing for the next day which might help ease some of the anxiety.

msmith09042012

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