Counseling for Adults

Life is hard enough.

Don’t do it alone.

You’re exhausted. You’re tired of faking it. You just need space. You’re feeling stuck. And maybe a little unsure about beginning therapy. We get it. We’ve been there. We all have shit to figure out. In a world where it seems like everyone else has it “all figured out,” it’s so easy to make comparisons and begin to feel insecure about our life plans, accomplishments, identities, careers, relationships, and overall life journeys. Feeling stressed and overwhelmed becomes your normal and you begin to wonder if it’s always going to be this way. The truth is that stress is unavoidable, but there are many things you can do to reclaim your happiness and feel more like yourself again. It’s possible to take back control and make life fun again with the right support and space where you can unapologetically be your authentic self – where you can yell, scream, cry, swear, vent, share deepest secrets, whatever – without any judgment.

Therapy is a sacred space. It’s unlike anything else. It’s the one area of your life where you never have to worry about the reactions or thoughts from the person sitting across from you, because you know that person is solely committed to YOUR journey, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Therapy is the one space in your life where the focus and energy is 100% on you, your happiness, your life fulfillment, and your journey through whatever challenges you face. There’s problem-solving, deep reflections, self-understanding, skill-building, empowerment, and a thousand other little moments that can be transformative for becoming be a better version of yourself.

We want you to know that however you show up in session – however you feel, however you act, however you choose to express yourself – we’re paying attention and we care about you. We are accepting you. We’re honoring your experience. We’re listening. Sometimes we cry in therapy. Sometimes we laugh in therapy. Sometimes we say things that we wouldn’t dare to say to our family or friends. We want you to forget about the outside world and just talk to us, person to person.

Therapy can help by:

Improving your coping skills and strategies for stress-management
Creating effective treatment plans for anxiety and depression
Gaining a greater sense of hope, optimism, and belief in your abilities
Enhancing your ability to express and regulate uncomfortable emotions
Processing difficult experiences such as significant life changes or losses
Strengthening your ability to accept things beyond your control
Developing empowerment skills or strengthening your personal identity
Allowing for a consistent, non-judgmental space to talk through challenges
Building a positive connection to a trusted professional who really cares about you
Increasing feelings of interpersonal trust or overcoming social insecurities
Building personal confidence and self-esteem in all areas of your life
Balancing time for work, family, friends, hobbies, and other obligations
Processing thoughts and feelings related to career development
Exploring past and current friendships or learning skills for making friends
Processing dating experiences or discovering ways to build more fulfilling relationships
Helping to understand and overcome challenges within a family or circle of friends

Working to embrace greater self-understanding, purpose, and clearer life goals
Developing skills and strategies for handling anger, frustration, or resentment
Confronting issues such as financial difficulties or other adult hardships
Talking about sensitive issues like unresolved childhood trauma, abuse, or neglect
Addressing problems relating to eating behaviors, sleeping patterns, and overall self-care
Discussing experiences relating to domestic violence or relationship pressures
Overcoming educational stress, such as attending college or graduate school
Fostering a healthy grieving process after experiencing a loss of a loved one or pet
Addressing emotional challenges such as panic attacks, frequent tearfulness, or anger outbursts
Creating behavior plans to help control behavioral impulses, especially for destructive behaviors
Assessing for signs of alcoholism or addiction and creating plans to target these concerns
Improving communication skills and learning how to be more assertive in your life
Confronting issues like obsessive-compulsive problems, perfectionism, or people-pleasing
Healing from trauma and developing a stronger ability to accept painful experiences
Increasing your level of self-worth by focusing on your strengths, skills, and capabilities
Working to free yourself from self-defeating habits, distorted thinking, and unwanted behaviors

We can help you answer:

What is my purpose in life?
How do I know what I want to do with my life?
How can I build fulfilling relationships?
How can I talk to my boss about my unhappiness at work?
How can I say “no” to things and not feel guilty about it?
Why do I feel like my friends aren’t really there for me?
How can I manage my anxiety and trouble sleeping?
Why does it feel I can never relax?
Why do I always seem to pursue things that aren’t good for me?
How can I overcome my perfectionism?
Why does it feel like I’m never good enough?
How can I move forward from a major relationship ending?
How can I feel more empowered in my own skin?
How can I use recreation to help me manage stress?
What does it always feel like other people don’t understand me?
What should I do if I want to “breakup” with a friend?
How can I get along better with my adult siblings?
How can I manage my fears about my kids growing up?
When am I going to feel confident in my job?
Is it okay if I want to change my career direction?
How can I get a handle on my financial difficulties?
How can I build greater self-confidence as a new parent?
Why am I not interested in things I used to like?

How should I plan for the next phase of my life?
Why do I still have concerns about my body image?
Am I ever going to “get over” my childhood trauma?
Should I be worried about my partner’s behavior toward me?
How can I stop binge eating / drinking / using substances?
Why do I still feel upset that my parents are divorced?
Why do I hate family holidays so much?
How can I set social boundaries and still be polite?
Why does it feel like my mind is always racing?
How can I overcome social anxiety and put myself out there more?
Why did someone I love leave me / hurt me?
How can I get more sleep and actually feel like I have energy?
How can I talk to my partner about my mental health?
Why do I feel so tired in the mornings?
Why is it so hard to trust people?
How can I work on my parenting skills?
Why is it so hard to not compare myself to others?
How can I reduce my tendency to spend too much money?
Why does it feel like I never have enough time for myself?
What can I do when I feel lonely, disappointed, overwhelmed, or angry?
How can I actually balance everything going on in my life?
Why is it so hard for me to accept things I know I can’t change?
How can I get back to experiencing joy again?

How do I know if I need therapy?

Some people feel as though they have to be experiencing a certain level of emotional distress before therapy is justified. This is a complete fallacy. We firmly believe that therapy can benefit anybody – there is nothing too small or too big to talk about. Your emotional experiences are valid and worthy of being explored and processed in a safe space with a trusted therapist. We all need someone to talk to from time to time. There is no need to have an identifiable problem or emotional issue to benefit from counseling. In fact, most people who begin therapy with us at River Oaks Psychology do not identify with having any particular mental health condition. Instead, they are seeking therapy to give themselves an opportunity to talk about whatever is on their mind without any judgment.

Sometimes the best experiences in therapy are the ones that derive from a person who seeks therapy for general processing of who they are and how they relate to the world around them. We want you to remember that therapy is controlled by you – it is your time, your space, your session, and your opportunity to use the support from your therapist in whatever way feels most helpful. Beyond general processing support, therapy can be helpful for maintaining positive mental health or to encourage the continued use of healthy coping skills.

In addition, remember that your emotional pain – however it presents – is always important and worthy of being expressed. Healing begins when you are able to feel heard, understood, and profoundly validated by someone who completely understands you. There is no need to justify your reasons for seeking therapy and there is certainly no need to diminish the validity of your pain. We urge patients to avoid comparing their problems to the problems of other people. Whether a person is drowning in an ocean or drowning in a puddle, the person is still drowning – the amount of water (the amount of problems) does not matter.

Therefore, if you are debating whether or not therapy is necessary, remember there is no need to reach a certain unhappiness threshold in order for therapy to be helpful.

Some signs that may indicate a need for counseling include: