Month: October 2012

Couples Therapy couples counseling October 30, 2012 By drmikeadmin 0 Comments

How Long Should I Expect Couples Counseling to Last?

Couples counseling is a type of counseling, or psychotherapy, that helps couples recognize and resolve conflicts to improve their relationships. It is typically guided by a therapist with an educational background in couple and family counseling with extensive experience working with couples and a variety of presenting issues. At Proliance Center in Boca Raton, FL, we are often asked a variety of questions about the process of couples counseling. One of the most common questions is about the amount of time a couple should expect to be in couples counseling before their problems are resolved.

It is important for couples to recognize the unique nature of the couples counseling experience. The couples counseling you can expect at Proliance Center, and at most well-respected therapeutic settings with educated and experienced practitioners, is specifically catered to your individual needs. Therefore, there is no set number of couples counseling sessions that will solve your particular need. The number of sessions are based entirely upon your needs, goals and commitment to the process.

What we can tell you is that typically, couples counseling is often a short-term form of counseling. Couples generally present to counseling with specific needs and goals in mind. Often, if they are unable to identify these needs and goals prior to beginning counseling, they may be discovered as early on in the process as the initial session. Once the needs have been addressed and a treatment plan is developed with your couples counselor, you will begin working toward the goals to which you’ve agreed. Once these goals are completed, the couple is generally able to reduce the frequency of sessions or complete treatment. Therefore it is important to recognize that the length of treatment is very much linked to the severity of the issues presented and the commitment of each partner to the experience.

If you feel couples counseling could benefit you and your partner, but have hesitations about the process, a Proliance Center couples counselor is available to answer your questions and help guide you to a solution that will work best for you.

Anxiety Disorders Family Therapy family therapy • proliance center October 23, 2012 By drmikeadmin 0 Comments

How to Find the Best Family Therapist for Your Family

The decision to seek family counseling for you and your family is one that requires a great deal of consideration. You want the experience to be positive and successful and therefore, want a family therapist that will best address your family’s needs and help you improve the communication and cohesion within your family. At Proliance Center in Boca Raton, we believe that you should choose a family therapist once you have developed a thorough understanding of that therapist’s education, experience, reputation, and approach family therapy. You must also feel as if you have a personal connection with this professional after an initial consultation, either by phone or in person.

Education and experience are the foundation of a family therapist’s expertise. Do your homework when it comes to choosing a family therapist. Many therapists today make this type of information available on their practice websites, online therapy directories or print advertising. Your therapist should have a minimum of a Masters degree in the field of mental health and significant experience working with families. Don’t be afraid to ask a clinician about their education and experience by phone or email before scheduling your first appointment.

Reputation is also an important factor in choosing a family therapist. Look for recommendations from trusted friends and family members. Ask local professionals such as physicians, religious institutions, school counselors and other trusted sources. The internet can also be an excellent resource to gather information from the family therapist’s website and online review and recommendation sites.

A family therapist’s approach to family therapy is unique to each professional. You can often read about their treatment approaches and preferred models of therapy on their websites but you can also call and ask. A trusted and experienced family therapist will be able to share with you their personal views about family therapy and their preferred models of treatment and educate about these approaches. Listen to the information they provide and ask questions as needed.

Finally, your relationship with your family therapist is as important as all of the factors listed above combined. Make sure you feel comfortable with them and are able to communicate your feelings and concerns freely. Do your best to assess this relationship in an initial phone consultation or face-to-face meeting. At Proliance Center, the best and most successful families we treat are those that are open with their family therapists and are comfortable with the process. Adjustments can always be made to make your experience the best possible.

Nose Twitching Tic Uncategorized Nose Twitching Tic October 15, 2012 By drmikeadmin 0 Comments

What You Need To Know About A Nose Twitching Tic

What is a nose twitching tic?

This is often described as a repetitive and bothersome movement of the nose that for many people is described as “rubbing my nose because it tickles”, “flexing my nose and upper lip, as though there’s a bee on it and I’m trying to shoo it off without using my hands”, “moving my nose much like when you’re about to sneeze or you have an allergy “and “feeling like my nose tenses up and then relaxes a lot”. Regardless of the variation, many people find it incredibly irritating to the point that the muscles that do this can actually get tired and begin to hurt.

What causes a nose twitching tic?

In most cases a nose twitch is relatively benign and can result from a lack of potassium in your diet, exercising a lot, excessive caffeine consumption, use of stimulant drugs/medications, stress, and lack of sleep. Other times it may be related to a Tic Disorder, such as Tourette’s Syndrome.

Can stress cause a nose twitching tic?

Yes, some people get facial twitches when they are stressed, tired and even excited.

In fact, for those that have recurrent nose twitches any extremes of emotion can amplify this nose tic and increase its occurrence.

Is a nose twitching tic a problem?

This is not necessarily a problem and with most people it is more of a habit that is barely noticeable to any one else. However, in some cases it is very much a bother, frequent, painful and very noticeable to others. People find that if they focus on it they won’t have the nose twitching tic. However, since they can’t do this all the time, particularly at night, it can get worse at night.

What to do about a nose twitching tic?

Who can help with a nose twitching tic?

One of the best doctors to consult for a nose twitching tic is a child psychiatrist that also treats adults. Many child psychiatrists are trained to see not only children, but adults as well. In fact, while not logical, they are trained as adult psychiatrists first, THEN they sub-specialize in children. It is here that they learn about the identification, diagnosis and treatment of tic disorders, which often begin in childhood. Other medical doctors may not recognize people with a nose twitching tic and may not be aware that it could be a tic disorder. Sure they can tell you about whether it is a potassium deficiency, allergy or other medical problem, but the Psychiatrist (having also received medical school training) will also be able to identify these as the causes by running medical tests.

How to treat a nose twitching tic?

As with anything else it is important to treat the cause of the nose twitching tic. Get enough sleep, cut caffeine intake, make sure to have potassium in your diet and do what you can to reduce stress. Consider relaxation therapy and if needed, in very bad cases, medications can be used to significantly reduce the nose twitching tic.

Tic Disorders tic disorder boca raton October 9, 2012 By drmikeadmin 0 Comments

Do Psychiatrist Diagnose Tic Disorders?

People often wonder “do psychiatrist diagnose tic disorders?” and the answer is that it depends. In general the answer to the question of “do psychiatrist diagnose tic disorders?” is that any psychiatrist CAN diagnose a tic disorder, but you have to know what a tic disorder looks like to do so. So to answer the question of “do psychiatrist diagnose tic disorders?” it is important to know what are tic disorders and what they look like.

This is where in consideration of that question of “do psychiatrist diagnose tic disorders?”, we need to look at what kind of training the psychiatrist has had. The best psychiatrist to see for the answer of the question “do psychiatrist diagnose tic disorders?” is a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist. This is a medical doctor who after four post-medical school years of training in general psychiatry will spend an extra two years of training in problems that are most often limited to children and adolescents.

Since Tic Disorders usually start in childhood and often disappear by adulthood, most adult psychiatrist are rarely trained to pick up a tic disorder even when they see one. The reason comes down to the fact that the presence of Tic Disorders is rare in adulthood, except under certain conditions. These certain conditions include: severe stress in someone who previously had tics as a child or if the tics are brought out by taking/or abusing certain medications such as stimulants.

Stimulants are used to treat ADHD/ADD, but can have the side effects of bringing out tics. It is for this reason that someone trained to use them must use them very carefully. The challenge often lies in the treatment of an individual (child or adult) who not only has a problem with ADHD/ADD, but an underlying or coexisting tic disorder as well. So to answer the question: Do Psychiatrist Diagnose Tic Disorders? The answer is yes, but a Child Psychiatrist who also sees adults would be the best person to see.

Tic Disorders eye tick treatment October 4, 2012 By drmikeadmin 0 Comments

What You Need To Know About Eye Tics

What are eye tics?

These are described as repetitive and bothersome movements of the eye(s) or eye lid(s). Eye tics, twitching, blinking or spasms are relatively common. Some people have eye-rolling movements they can’t control. When the eyelid is the problem, usually only the bottom lid of one eye is involved, but the top eyelid of that same eye can also twitch. While most eye tics come and go, some may last weeks, months or longer. Regardless of the variation, some people find it incredibly irritating to the point that the muscles that do this can actually get tired and begin to hurt.

What are causes of eye tics?

Most cases of eye tics are relatively benign and can result from stress, tiredness, eye strain, caffeine, alcohol, dry eyes, nutritional imbalances (like magnesium deficiencies) and allergies. Some forms of eyelid twitching are rare and caused by neurological conditions such as blepharospasm or hemifacial spasm. Blepharospasm is characterized by the regular and forceful closing of the muscles around one or both eyes (not just the eyelids). Hemifacial spasm is a contraction of the entire side of one’s face – eyes and mouth included. These two should be diagnosed and treated by a neurologist or ophthalmologist. Other times (and more pertinent to this web site) eye tics may be related to a Tic Disorder, such as Tourette’s Syndrome. These are more likely when someone has involuntary eye rolling, for instance, and they can be accompanied by other facial or body tics.Can stress cause eye tics?

Yes, some individuals can get eye tics when they are stressed, tired and even excited. In fact, for those that have recurrent eye tics any extremes of emotion can amplify the eye tics and increase their occurrence.

Are eye tics a problem?

This is not necessarily a problem and with most people it may be more of a habit that is barely noticeable to any one else. However, since in some cases it is bothersome, painful and very noticeable to others an evaluation by a medical doctor is important.

What to do about eye tics?

If it is not noticeable or much of a bother, ignore it, live with it and do nothing. If you look around everyone has one twitch, habit or otherwise that is characteristic to them. Comedians, for instance, pick up on this when they are going to imitate people. However, if it is a bother, get help and treatment. Reducing your stress can help make eye twitching stop. Catching up on your sleep can help too. Your eyes may be working too hard, triggering eyelid twitching, since overuse of computers, tablets and smartphones can lead to eye strain and/or dry eyes. Reduce eye strain by having your eyes checked for glasses or a change of glasses. Have dry eyes checked and treated. If your caffeine (coffee, tea, soda, etc.) and/or alcohol intake has increased, cutting back is worth a try.

Who can help with eye tics?

After seeing your eye doctor, one of the best doctors to consult for eye tics is a child psychiatrist that also treats adults. All child psychiatrists are trained to see not only children, but adults as well. In fact, while not logical, they are trained as adult psychiatrists first, THEN they sub-specialize in children. They are very knowledgeable about the identification, diagnosis and treatment of tic disorders, which often begin in childhood. Other medical doctors may not recognize people with eye tics and may not be aware that it could be a tic disorder. Sure they can tell you about whether it is a magnesium deficiency, allergy or other medical problem, but the Psychiatrist (having also received medical school training) will also be able to identify these as the causes by running medical tests.

How to treat eye tics?

As with anything else it is important to treat the cause of the eye tic. Get enough sleep, cut caffeine intake, see your eye doctor and do what you can to reduce stress. Consider relaxation therapy and if needed, in very bad cases, medications can be used to significantly reduce the eye tic.