What is therapy?
What is the purpose of going to therapy?
Learn to identify and express feelings
Set goals and work to achieve them
Learn new coping skills
Learn new ways to communicate with people
Can help manage feelings like stress, anxiety, sadness, and more!
What are common symptoms of ADHD?
Inattention & hyperactivity/impulsivity
What does anxiety mean to you?
Share your definition of anxiety!
What are common symptoms of PTSD?
- being exposed to, experiencing, or witnessing something scary or life threatening
- having memories of the scary event often and when you do not want to think about them
- having dreams related to the scary event
- feeling like the scary thing is happening again when it is not, like having a flashback
- stress related to internal feelings (heart racing, sweating, certain emotions) or external things (being where the scary thing happened, being with the person who did something scary, being away from someone who got hurt) that remind you of the scary thing
- avoiding people, places, and things that remind you of the event
- thinking or feeling more negative after the event (thinking you are a bad person, you caused the bad thing, having a hard time feeling positive feelings)
- becoming more easily upset or annoyed after the scary thing happened
What is a diagnosis?
This is when a mental health professional talks to you about your symptoms, thoughts, feelings and behavior patterns. You may be asked to fill out a questionnaire to help answer these questions.
This helps the person better understand your category of symptoms so they know how to best help you. This also helps another professional you might work with learn about your past.
A diagnosis can change over time.
What are examples of inattention?
- has a hard time focusing on details
- has a hard time giving attention to something for a long time
- may not seem like the person is listening
- may have a hard time following directions
- do not like to engage in activities that take a lot of focus
- may lose things
- can get distracted more easily
- may forget daily activities
What are symptoms of GAD?
- anxiety and worry that happens more days than not
- it is hard to control feelings of worry
- may feel: on edge, easily tired, hard time focusing, mind going blank, irritable or easily annoyed, tense muscles, issues falling asleep or staying asleep
True or false, PTSD can affect how a person acts or feels about certain topics relating to their scary experience.
True!
What is a treatment plan?
A treatment plan outlines what has been happening that lead someone to seek services, what they are experiencing now, the diagnosis, and goals they want to work on.
The counselor writes goals and objectives of how they plan to help the person reach their goals.
What are examples of hyperactivity/impulsivity?
- fidgeting, tapping, moving in seat
- leaving your seat in a situation when you are expected to stay sitting
- running or climbing when it is not appropriate
- hard to play quietly
- feeling like you are "on the go"
- talk more than others
- answers questions before they are finished/interrupting
- harder to wait your turn
What is the difference between an anxiety disorder and stress?
The difference is that in an anxiety disorder, the symptoms are extreme and don’t go away once the stress is over.
True or false, a patient with PTSD may react differently to common sounds or ongoings that remind them of their scary experience.
True!
What are symptoms?
Mental illness symptoms can affect emotions, thoughts and behaviors.
Different diagnoses have different symptoms. Knowing the symptoms help the counselor pick the right diagnosis.
Is ADHD a biological diagnosis?
Yes! Our environment may impact ADHD, but is largely a biological diagnosis.
Is any type of anxiety healthy?
yes, some anxiety from time to time is normal and healthy; it can help motivate us and help get us out of tough situations.
Can PTSD be genetic?
No! PTSD is not genetic and cannot be passed from a parent to a child. Someone needs to experience something scary to develop PTSD.
Does therapy last forever?
Some people are in therapy for most of their lives, some people go in and out of therapy and work with different therapists, some people are in therapy for a little while.
There is no right or wrong way to do therapy!
How can therapy help with ADHD?
May help people with ADHD recognize how their own thoughts affect their behaviors. It works to help people reframe their thoughts so they have more positive behaviors and more control over their ADHD symptoms.
It can also help kids learn new skills to complete tasks and stay focused and help families better support people with ADHD!
Is anxiety genetic?
Anxiety can be passed on genetically. If someone in your immediate or extended family has had problems with anxiety, then you may be more likely to develop an anxiety issue.
Is PTSD life long?
Yes and no.
For some people, they can experience symptoms of PTSD throughout their life. Other people's symptoms become less more easily. There are a lot of factors that impact PTSD but it can get better with therapy and time.