Plains Area Mental Health Center Helping People Cope with Everyday Living

Anger is an emotion that can serve a useful purpose, such as protecting oneself against mistreatment. However, people who become angry over small matters on a consistent basis should know that chronic anger is likely to make them less happy and healthy as well as less optimistic. With these important ramifications in mind, it is important for people to ask themselves whether their health and welfare are more important to them than the circumstance that engenders their anger. When anger wells up, it is also important to ask whether it is an appropriate response to what is bothering them. Next, it may help to take a breath and consider whether the situation can be modified in any way.

If you’re wrestling with anger issues, it can affect every aspect of your life and the lives of those around you. Our caring counselors provide a safe space and an understanding ear as well as proven techniques to help you deal with this difficult issue. In addition to anger issues, we can also help if you’re wrestling with depression, stress, or anxiety. If you would like an appointment or if you have any questions, please call one of our offices or 800-325-1192.

P.S. Talk therapy may help individuals with a low boiling point gain some insights into their behavior as a means of understanding it better and learning to choose an alternative response when appropriate.

At midlife, many people re-examine the way they have been coping with stress and decide to make some changes. If so, psychotherapy can provide an effective means of bringing greater satisfaction to one’s life. One very popular type of psychotherapy is “psychodynamic therapy,” which begins with awareness of past experiences and feelings that might unconsciously influence current emotional well-being and functioning. By gaining insight into their motivation and conflicts, it may be possible to develop more productive ways to cope with them. Another popular form of therapy, “behavioral therapy,” concentrates less on the past and the unconscious and, instead, focuses on ways to change harmful thinking and behavior patterns. The best therapy is the one that works for you.

No matter what your age and what your preferred form of therapy, if you feel that you need a change in how you deal with stress, now is a great time to call our office. Our compassionate counselors can offer with a variety of proven techniques and useful tools to help you deal with stress. In addition, we can help if you’re wrestling with depression, anger issues, or anxiety. If you would like an appointment or if you have any questions, please call one of our offices or 800-325-1192.

P.S. Perhaps the most important aspect of psychotherapy is the dynamic between therapist and client.

Parents have every right to be leery about their youngsters’ participation in Internet activities that expose them to potential harm. After all, anyone is just one text message away from making a comment or showing an image that has the potential to elicit a firestorm of criticism and rejection. At the same time, it is necessary to recognize that texting and e-mailing have become the predominant means of expression among youngsters, and social networking sites have become the preferred gathering places. With this in mind, parents must make the effort to set necessary boundaries for their children while still allowing them the freedom to interact with their peers. Otherwise, failure to grant any Internet privileges may provoke feelings of isolation.

Parenting in the 21st century is complicated. Parents are forced to deal with new technologies that change with bewildering speed. It’s enough to make your head spin. Our caring counselors know how overwhelming it can be to set rules for technology you don’t even understand. We can help with setting proper limits and understanding how to deal with this ever-evolving world of adolescence. In addition to family counseling, we also offer help with anxiety, depression, and stress.

Please call one of our offices in Le Mars and Orange City, 800-325-1192, or 712-546-4624; Cherokee, 712-225-2575; Ida Grove, 712-364-3500; or Storm Lake, 712-213-8402.

P.S. Parents may want to initiate discussions with their children about Internet protocol by bringing up the issues of impulsive statements, anonymous confrontation, and hurtful comments.

The term “agoraphobia” (derived from the Greek word “agora” for “marketplace”) refers to the fear of open or public places. Agoraphobics may suffer symptoms of severe anxiety when they leave home and anticipate being anxious while at home. As a result, they generally avoid situations that trigger anxiety and are afraid to leave particular areas that are familiar to them. In the most severe cases, agoraphobics may be afraid to leave home out of fear of developing panic symptoms such as a racing heartbeat, difficulty breathing, and shakiness. While it is not known for certain why agoraphobia develops, some theorize that it may stem from having a panic attack in a crowded area, which creates a strong avoidance response.

Of course, if you are suffering from agoraphobia, you need to seek treatment right away. But you needn’t be suffering from something so dramatic as a full-blown phobia to seek help. Depression and stress can strike anyone at any time. Our compassionate counselors understand your real difficulty — whether it’s caused by a dramatic phobia or by something as subtle as depression — and we offer the compassion you want and the proven solutions that you need to get back to your usual healthy self.

Please call one of our offices in Le Mars and Orange City, 800-325-1192, or 712-546-4624; Cherokee, 712-225-2575; Ida Grove, 712-364-3500; or Storm Lake, 712-213-8402.

P.S. From a talking therapy perspective, agoraphobics may benefit from cognitive behavioral therapy, which helps them recognize distorted feelings about particular situations that may be causing anxiety and learn to counter the fears they evoke.

Providing care for a spouse, family member, or friend with a debilitative injury or degenerative disease can be an arduous task for caregivers. Without getting help for themselves, people charged with the responsibility of caregiving become increasingly vulnerable to both physical and mental problems of their own. Thus, it comes as troubling news that a recent survey shows that one in four caregivers reports that they suffer from depression (as compared to 9% of all Americans that are estimated to suffer from depression). The survey also found that one-third of family caregivers spend more than 30 hours per week in that role. Mental health professionals urge caregivers not to overlook their own needs and seek help when they need it.

If you are suffering from depression –whether it’s from your role as a caregiver or for any other reason — you deserve to be healthy again. That’s why you should call our office for an appointment. Our caring counselors provide a safe space and proven techniques for you to help deal with your depression and come into the light again. In addition to depression, we can also offer help with stress and anxiety. If you would like an appointment or if you have any questions, Please call 712-546-4624 or 800-325-1192. Our address is 180 10th St. SE, Suite 201, Le Mars. Helping people cope with everyday living.

P.S. Without help, some caregivers are confronted with a 24/7 task of caring for an infirm loved one, which is unsustainable.