Addiction Therapy

As a highly qualified drug and alcohol counselor, Dr. Holland provides the most effective treatments for managing compulsive behaviors and addictions, and she will design the therapy to address the unique behaviors that the client may want to change.

Pandemic Taking a Toll on Mental Health and Addictions

Posted on by Dhyana Kearly

COVID Presents Increased Risk of Addiction for Unusual Groups

The pandemic’s effect on addiction has become a hot topic for researchers and mental health specialists alike. "The COVID-19 pandemic is a particularly grave risk to the millions of Americans with opioid use disorder, who—already vulnerable and marginalized—are heavily dependent on face-to-face health care delivery," researchers stated in "An Epidemic in the Midst of a Pandemic: Opioid Use Disorder and COVID-19," a recent study that examined the effects of the unprecedented situation.

In addition to those wrestling with addiction even before the pandemic created challenges in receiving care, it is now being reported that everyone from retired baby boomers with no preexisting addictions to millennials struggling with job loss and COVID related family challenges are now finding it harder to put a limit on emotion-numbing substances.  According to national surveys alcohol sales are up 250 percent, a trend that is compounding both emerging and preexisting mental health issues such as anxiety, stress, and depression.

“In my practice I have been working with a lot of people during quarantine around addiction,” explains Dr. Jenny Holland, PsyD. “The longer COVID restrictions continue, the more potential there is for temporary behaviors based on escaping emotional turmoil to turn into full blown addictions.”

Addiction is not always about drugs, alcohol, or other substances. It can also take on forms including uncontrolled gambling, shopping, gaming, smoking, food, and sex addiction. When these activities become compulsive or unstoppable, they have essentially hijacked the brain’s otherwise 'normal' pleasure functions. At this point, when a behavior becomes a habit or addiction, getting back to ‘normal’ or getting control over compulsions can be a challenge for most anyone.

The Toll of Long-Term Use

Addiction is defined by the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) as a brain disease indicated by cravings, an inability to abstain from the behavior or substance, dysfunctional emotional responses, and a loss of behavioral control. Compulsive behaviors are often unconscious and can result in making questionable choices. Although breaking an addiction is tough, it can be done. The sooner it is addressed, the better the chances are for recovery.

With any addiction, the recognition that something that may have started out as a distraction has now become a problem is the first step on the road to recovery. While denial over the loss of control that leads to addiction may be a way of coping with sudden changes in behavior, knowing when to seek help is key to recovery.

Healthy alternatives to addictive behavior

“My job as a mental health professional is to help my patients restore balance by guiding them toward healthier coping mechanisms,” explains Dr. Holland. “The focus of addiction therapy in my practice highlights how attachment and connection is the opposite of addiction.”

Treatment also incorporates behavioral therapies, counseling, and other supportive measures to build new and improved habits and life skills. Through this process stress and anger management as well as communication skills are combined with relapse prevention tools to create new coping mechanisms that support well-being.

As a highly qualified drug and alcohol counselor, Dr. Holland provides the most effective treatments for managing compulsive behaviors and addictions and offers individualized therapy to address the unique behaviors that the client may want to change.

Teletherapy – Online Video Counseling Services

Short-term sessions, single sessions or ongoing support

It’s no question that these are very trying times for all of us, so I want to let you know that you are not alone. No matter what is coming up for you right now it is important to allow yourself to feel what you’re feeling. I invite you reach out to me to see how we can start getting you on the path to feeling better now.

Contact Dr. Holland to learn more and to schedule an appointment or call 707-479-2946.

 

 

Domestic violence leads to mental health setbacks

Posted on by Dhyana Kearly

Relationship violence created signs of mental illness in both women (depression) and men (anxiety disorders)

Some forms of domestic violence double victims' risk of depression and anxiety disorders later in life, according to new research. The study found many victims of intimate partner violence at 21 showed signs of mental illness at the age of 30, with women more likely to develop depression and men varying anxiety disorders. Intimate partner violence classifies physical abuse as pushing, shoving and smacking.

University of Queensland researcher Emeritus Professor Jake Najman said the team also found equal levels of abuse by men and women. "The number of men and women who experience intimate partner violence is very similar, leading us to believe couples are more likely to abuse each other," Professor Najman said. "People generally don't end up in the hospital or a shelter, but there is a serious mental burden from this type of abuse."

The research showed defacto couples and those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds were more likely to be involved in these types of abusive relationships. Emotional abuse involves comments that make the person feel worthless. Then there is harassment -- a constant and distressing nagging that may have long-term consequences for those on the receiving end.

"It also raises the question, to what extent is this type of violent behavior not just a characteristic of the relationship the couple has with each other, but with other people around them and possibly their children," Professor Najman said. "There is a range of treatment and counseling programs available for couples and families to try and improve the way they relate to one another."

Story provided by Science Daily: University of Queensland. "Unhealthy and unhappy: Mental toll of troubled relationships." ScienceDaily 29 January 2020. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200129091511.htm.

Dr. Jenny HollandDomestic violence can take the form of either physical or psychological abuse, or both, and it can affect anyone regardless of gender, race or sexual orientation, economic status or education. Domestic violence can manifest in behaviors meant to scare, physically harm or dominate a partner. This type of violence typically involves an unequal power dynamic where one partner tries to assert control over the other in a variety of ways. Narcissism can also be considered a form of domestic violence.

Women are most often the battered party in a violent relationship according to statistics which report that more than 38 million American women have been victims of domestic violence. Men can be victimized as well, in both heterosexual and same-sex relationships. Therapy in domestic violence situations often focuses on the client's inevitable loss of self-worth, feelings of anxiety and bouts of depression. Most victims of domestic violence need time and counseling to overcome the overall sense of helplessness that can be the hallmark of abuse.

To make an appointment, or to schedule a free consultation call 707-479-2946 or visit the contact page to send an email now.