Counseling Services
Mental Health Counseling Benefits
Speaking with a counselor about traumas, stresses, negative life moments, and more can be difficult, but ultimately beneficial. Having someone in your life you can trust to work with you on helping to cope with experiences causing pain, anxiety, or depression may help you face these challenges more confidently, cope with them in a healthier way, and build your self-confidence.
LGBTQIA+ Therapy
While I work with individuals who do not identify as LGBTQIA+, Prism Therapy Solutions was founded with the goal of working with kids, teens, and young adults who identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community. As a member, myself, I understand the challenges facing young people in the community. These struggles can start early and be present throughout their life. It’s my mission to help you develop realistic tools for navigating these issues and develop a strong sense of self.
Recognizing & Addressing Trauma
When we think about traumatic experiences, they typically involve terrifying, life-threatening moments and those moments are, in fact, forms of trauma. However, they are not the only forms. A person can experience trauma in any situation. Trauma comes from the feelings a person has about an event. If someone experiences fear, being overwhelmed, or otherwise helpless, that can lead to trauma.
In short, emotional and psychological trauma may be abundantly clear in some cases and less obvious in others. It’s important to remember that the objective facts surrounding any moment are not what we use to determine the level of trauma an event can impose on a person. It’s all about how the person felt about the event as it was happening and after the immediate moment passed. Understanding what trauma may look like is key to seeking help in addressing the issues that result.
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)
What is TF-CBT?
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a short-term, structured treatment focused on helping children, teens, young adults, and families work through the impacts of trauma. During TF-CBT, we use cognitive-behavioral techniques to adjust negative behaviors or reactions and modify distorted thinking.
How Can TF-CBT Help?
Although TF-CBT was initially developed to address children who had experienced sexual abuse, the treatment has grown to serve many children, teens, and young adults who have gone through any form of trauma. This treatment can help address issues stemming from trauma such as anger, depression, anxiety, and feelings of guilt or powerlessness as well as symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which can involve sleep problems, recurring intrusive thoughts, concentration issues, and more.
Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR)
What is EMDR?
Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR) is a form of psychotherapy that helps people access trauma and other adverse life experiences in order to intellectually and emotionally process to begin healing. During an EMDR session, eye movements or other bilateral stimulation (sometimes in the form of hand or leg movements) are used to track the hand of the therapist as it moves back and forth.
Many researchers believe that the similarity between EMDR and Rapid Eye Movement (REM) experienced during deep sleep is key to how memories are uncovered. When a person undergoes talk therapy, they can gain insights through the interpretation of their therapist. When a person undergoes EMDR, they gain insights through their own accelerated emotional processing.
How Can EMDR Help?
While a common belief is that it can take years for a serious trauma to heal and become less of a burden to carry, EMDR may be able to help you begin your path to recovery with one session. Numerous studies have indicated that through EMDR, the brain is able to heal from emotional trauma just as well as a person can heal from physical trauma. EMDR can greatly aid in the recovery from severe emotional trauma, phobias, panic disorders, and more.
Counseling Options
In addition to TF-CBT and EMDR, I offer play therapy to kids. Play therapy uses the power of playing to help children work through trauma by encouraging them to express their feelings and communicate more clearly. This can help present opportunities to learn how to deal with negative situations and learn conflict resolution skills.
Telehealth
My office is located in the East Village neighborhood of Des Moines, Iowa and I also offer telehealth. This option is often a favorite for clients who live further away or are not comfortable with in-person sessions.
Insurance Details
I accept Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance and am also happy to work with private pay clients. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions you may have about payment options.
Get in Touch
I’m happy to answer any questions you may have about starting therapy. Please let me know how I can help by reaching out to me via email at hilary@prismtherapysolutions.com, calling (515)303-0160, or by booking an appointment today.