Relationship Problems

Most couples face problems at some point during their relationship. These problems can include lack of trust, issues with sex and intimacy, poor communication, financial concerns, roles, and managing conflicts. When problems arise, they are often ignored in hopes that things will get better. This only creates heightened anxiety regarding the issue and your partner. Brave Hearts encourages the development of both healthy individuals and healthy couples during the counseling process through strength building, expressive activities, and non-accusatory communication.

Children’s Play Therapy

Play therapy helps children address and resolve their own issues. Childhood problems often include adjusting to divorce, bullying, school issues, abandonment and developmental issues. During play therapy the therapist and your child interact through art, toys, and specifically designed therapeutic activities. This assists children in learning to express feelings, address inadequacies, communicate with others and solve problems.

Anxiety

Anxiety is a normal physical, mental and emotional reaction to stress. At moderate levels it can help narrow your focus to complete a task. However, when anxiety becomes excessive it inhibits daily activities including work, school, social activities and relationships. Daily life becomes a constant state of worry, fear and dread. Anxiety does not have to rule your life. There is hope. Call Brave Hearts to talk with a qualified therapist.

Self Esteem & Personal Growth

Self esteem is a term used to encompass the healthy belief system a person has regarding themselves. Self esteem is developed through receiving unconditional love and acceptance, being taught good communication, problem solving and boundaries. For those not raised in this type of environment or not currently living in this type of environment, low self esteem may develop. Low self esteem is characterized by feelings of unworthiness, blame, rejection, negativity, anxiety, resentment, depression or anger.

The goal of treatment is personal growth through getting to know oneself fully. You will be able to have a new found understanding of what is important to you and why; learn about your weakness and strengths and how to use them both more effectively; and realize what balance in life means for you.

Grief & Loss

There are many reasons people grieve including divorce, loss or change of a job, relocation, life changes, a life threatening illness or death. The grieving process takes time and cannot be hurried. Each person grieves differently. Therapists at Brave Hearts Counseling can lead you through these changes by assisting with the grieving process and helping you learn to accept your new life.

Codependency

A codependent relationship can occur between couples, siblings, friends or parents and children. In an attempt to help their partner, the codependent controls, makes excuses for, pities, and creates other actions to perpetuate the needy party’s condition. In the end the codependent feels unfulfilled in the relationship and often resents their partner for not meeting their own undisclosed needs. A codependent person generally experiences the following feelings: distrust, fear, avoidance, perfectionism, intimacy issues, and physical illnesses related to stress.

The goal of counseling is to create interdependent relationships. In an interdependent relationship there is no fear, guilt or recourse associated with being assertive, seeking your needs, being fulfilled or caring for the good of the relationship. Counseling teaches communication, assertiveness and listening to yourself and others. It can help you become more aware of unhealthy behaviors and the triggers that initiate the behavior.

Codependency Group Meets Mondays at 6:00 pm and Thursdays 10:00 am.

Anger Management

Anger is a natural human emotion that is a response to threats. It allows us to defend ourselves when we are attacked therefore a certain amount of anger is necessary for our survival. Anger can be caused by both external and internal events such as coworkers, traffic jams, or excess bills. However, uncontrolled anger can be debilitating and damaging to yourself and others.

Brave Hearts Counseling Anger Management classes are designed to work with the anger by exploring the causes of anger, discovering healthy methods for expressing anger and then using this new information to assertively work towards desired goals.

Anger Management classes meet the Department of Juvenile Justice, Department of Justice and Department of Children and Families requirements for court ordered anger management classes.

Domestic Abuse

Every 9 seconds a woman is beaten. This is a tragic statistic. Unfortunately it only shows one face of domestic violence. Domestic violence is not just physical abuse. It is a pattern of behaviors occurring between two or more people in a relationship used to gain power and control over the partner. Domestic violence is any physical, verbal, economical or psychological behavior used to intimidate, manipulate, hurt, humiliate, injure, threaten, frighten, blame or terrorize the other person.

Brave Hearts Counseling specializes in providing support groups, individual, family and couples counseling to anyone affected by domestic violence. Brave Hearts Counseling runs two weekly support groups for adult victims of domestic violence. These groups allow the participant to share their experiences, explore generational violence, develop boundaries and self-trust, incorporate healthier coping skills, and affirm a positive self image. Individual, couples, and family counseling focuses on family member roles and triggers, house rules, and creating the new, changed family.

Groups meet Mondays at 6:00 pm and Thursdays at 10:00 am. Individual, couples and family counseling are scheduled by calling the office at (352) 867-8477.

Please note:Brave Hearts Counseling DOES NOT provide shelter services. We refer clients needing shelter, safety plans or court advocacy to the area Domestic Violence Shelters. To contact your local Domestic Violence Shelter please call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).

Sexual Abuse

Childhood sexual abuse can take many forms. Contact between the child and perpetrator may begin with intruding on a child in their room or bathroom, sexual comments, or indecent exposure, then progress to fondling, touching sexual parts of the child and encouraging or forcing the child to touch the offending adult.

Treatment for recovery from sexual abuse can take place immediately after the child reports the abuse or years later when the adult can no longer bury their pain. If you were abused in the past there are many reasons you may not have been able to tell an adult including feelings of shame, self blame, disbelief, or being threatened or bribed by the perpetrator. When a child is abused by a family member, friend or relative they may also feel betrayed by both the abuser and the family member they believe should have protected them.

The trauma associated with sexual abuse can lead to avoidance, intimacy issues, obsessive thoughts or actions, self-mutilation, substance abuse, shame and guilt, suicidal thoughts, re-victimization and compulsions. Many adult abuse survivors do not fully realize how their current struggles are associated to their past abuse history. Without seeking counseling, the effects of sexual abuse will affect your life forever.

At Brave Hearts Counseling we cannot change the abuse that has already happened in your or your child’s life. We can however help you keep it from negatively affecting your future. We use a counseling process that helps you heal your pain through telling your story, processing your feelings connected with the abuse and the abuser, grieving the loss associated with abuse, understanding the affect abuse had on your life and changing your false perceptions of self to create a healthier future.

The Sexual Abuse Peer Group meets Mondays at 7:30 pm.

Trauma/PTSD

We often view trauma to be the events that happen on the other side of the world. Yet in today’s world, experiencing or witnessing a threatening, frightening or unsafe situation can happen in your daily life. Treatment of trauma is not about “getting over” the event. No one can change what has happened, but trauma does not have to define your life. Brave Hearts counselors will help you reduce anger, anxiety and blame associated with the trauma.

Non-Pharmaceutical Treatment of ADHD & Oppositional Defiant Disorder

Brave Hearts Counseling offers a non-pharmaceutical counseling method for working with children or adolescents diagnosed with ADHD and their families. We have found that combining family therapy, play therapy, socialization, time management, behavior modification and awareness, school involvement and problem solving decreases anxiety and feelings of instability in the child. Additionally Brave Hearts assists the parent in communication, boundary setting, behavioral interventions and education about ADHD helping the parents become a partner in the process with their child’s development.

Brave Hearts Counseling also establishes a partnership between the school, parents and the therapist which can assist with the improvement of social and learning skills through creating a structured, cohesive environment.