Everyone faces difficulties and obstacles at some point throughout their lifespan. Challenging times may arise for a multitude of reasons, including major life transitions, trauma, divorce, death or loss, or conflict within the family system. Some of these life events make it more difficult to cope than others and it can be important to seek help and support from trusted professionals who understand you and the challenges you are facing. Our therapists know how important the therapeutic relationship is in facilitating change in our clients’ lives. We are relational therapists who specialize in a variety of modalities. To learn more about each therapist please visit the staff page for access to each therapist’s bio to find the best fit for you and your therapy needs. Click here to see our therapist staff page.
Many couples experience periods of relational distress, and at times it can seem difficult to repair the relationship. Broken trust, impaired communication, and unmet needs can create despair and emotional distance within the relationship. Our therapists will support each couple in the journey to rebuild trust and connection within the relationship by viewing the couple as a system in which each partner impacts and influences the current state of the relationship. Each therapist will work with the couple to explore the relational patterns and negative cycles within their relationship in order to build awareness and empower change. We work at rebuilding trust and improving communication and expression of needs so that connection can be restored. If you are interested in working with any of our therapists who specialize in working with couples, please visit the staff section to read each therapist’s bio to determine the best fit for you and your partner. In addition, we have therapists with training in Emotion Focused Couples Therapy (EFCT), which is a more specialized training for working with couples. If you are interested in learning more about EFCT please visit link http://www.iceeft.com. Please refer to our clinician’s bios to find the right therapist for you. Click here to see our therapist staff page.
Sometimes families need assistance navigating through life’s challenges or growing pains within the family. Each family is their own unique system where spoken and unspoken rules become established and influence relationships among its members. We support families to examine these family rules as well as the impact of internal family boundaries and external influences on the family system. In addition, every family has a hierarchy and we explore how these power differences impact the family both positively and negatively. Our therapists assess these areas and utilize the information to help build awareness and promote healthy functioning within the family system. It is our goal to join with the family and assist them in working through their growing pains and life challenges in order to become a more cohesive and solid team. We have therapists that have been trained in Family Therapy and thoroughly enjoy this dynamic process. Please refer to our clinician’s bios to find the right therapist for you. Click here to see our therapist staff page.
Play is a natural part of a child’s daily development. Play Therapy is a form of therapy which utilizes play, a familiar and comfortable method of expression for children. When painful circumstances arise for children, it can be very difficult for them to express their feelings and process overwhelming events. Due to their developmental stage, children cannot change their behavior or emotions simply through cognitive reasoning. Children naturally use play to express everyday emotions and needs. Sometimes the presence of a therapist specializing in the therapeutic use of play is needed to help support a child’s process of recovery through painful emotions. The use of metaphor and pretend in a child’s play with a trained professional can provide a sense of mastery over painful emotions and experiences, thereby diminishing negative behaviors and emotions and increasing a child’s emotional capacity and self-confidence. Please refer to our clinician’s bios to find the right therapist for your child. Click here to see our therapist staff page.
Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) is a unique approach to psychotherapy. ART is unique because the ART Therapist guides the client to replace the negative images in the mind that cause the symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress with positive images of the client’s choosing. And this is done quickly, most often within one session! Once the negative images have been replaced by positive ones, the triggers will be gone. Nightmares and repeated intrusive thoughts will stop.
Some of the growing body of research that shows ART can do this may be found by clicking the following link: https://acceleratedresolutiontherapy.com/evidence-based/. ART is recognized as evidenced-based by the Society of Clinical Psychology, Div. 12 of the American Psychological Association (APA).
ART is also unique in that it combines the enormous power of eye movements to allow voluntary changes in the client’s mind with well-established therapies like Gestalt, Psychodynamic Therapy and Guided Imagery. Within the ART protocol, the eye movements, along with other ART enhancements, make these therapies work much faster and more effectively.
With these therapies, combined with ART’s eye movements and other ART enhancements, many mental health problems other than Post Traumatic Stress can also be resolved quickly. Among the things ART can deal with are OCD, Eating Disorders, Generalized Anxiety and Generalized Depressive Disorders. ART can deal with traumas often associated with Dyslexia but also go beyond that to improve reading! (The issues that have been resolved by ART are listed more fully below.)
That eye movements are calming and therapeutic is evidenced-based. It has been shown that they produce theta waves in the brain. Theta waves have been connected to creativity, intuition, daydreaming. These brain waves are often present during meditative states.
One of the special aspects of ART is that when clients replace their negative images with positive ones they don’t need to talk to the therapist about any details of the trauma. This is because ART is procedural, though creative; and the client is really in control of the process, while the ART Therapist is a helpful guide. This makes the therapy easier on the client and easier on the therapist.
Although some traumatic experiences such as rape, combat or loss of a loved one can be very painful to visualize, early in the ART session the client has already rapidly moved beyond the place where they are stuck in these past experiences and is making positive changes of their choice. ART sessions are calming for the client and very often joyful, especially at the end, for both the client and the therapist.
Here are some issues that have been quickly and effectively treated by ART:
Anxiety
Depression
Phobias
Panic Attacks
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Post Traumatic Stress (PTS)
Addictions/ Substance Abuse
Performance Anxiety
Family Issues
Victimization/Poor Self Image
Victimization/Sexual Abuse
Relationship Issues/Infidelity
Codependency
Grief
Job-Related Stress
Pain Management
Memory Enhancement
Dyslexia Anxiety
Click here to see our therapist staff page.
Keeping a secret about sexuality can be incredibly lonely and scary. Not knowing how those around you would respond if they knew who you were on the inside can create a very heavy burden. We have clinicians who will meet you as an individual person with worth and value, and who will work to provide a place of acceptance and safety for you in this journey. These clinicians can help support you through some of the challenges LGBTQ individuals experience, including the process of coming out for the first time, feeling unsure about attraction, and talking with family members. We also have clinicians who work with same sex couples and LGBTQ families who are struggling with a variety of concerns. Please refer to our clinician’s bios to find the right therapist for you. Click here to see our therapist staff page.
Parents can often feel overwhelmed and lost in dealing with challenging emotions and behaviors in their children. In our culture, there is an expectation that if parenting is done correctly, then our children will “behave and turn out right.” At Watershed Psychological Services, we believe that every child is unique, and requires parenting strategies that fit his or her individual needs. Parents often feel like they are trying to navigate a ship without a sail, and we want to provide support and guidance for each parent that is tailored to the specific needs of the child and the specific situation. We work with difficulties in parenting related to:
- Separation and divorce
- Non-compliance and oppositional issues
- Tantrums
- Difficulties concentrating
- Sleep disturbances
- Mood regulation difficulties
- Fears and anxiety
- Aggressive behaviors
Click here to see our therapist staff page.
Adoption is a way that many people choose to grow their family. At times extra guidance, education, and support is needed to understand the concerns that may develop for adopted children and their families. Our therapists understand these unique challenges many adoptees and families face. Whether you are an individual, child, adolescent, or adult, we can assist you in working through the issues that arise with adoption. Our therapists work with individuals who have adopted through the foster care system, domestically, and internationally. Also, we have an adoption competent therapist on site to help apply strategies that will improve the quality of life for the adoptee. Please refer to our clinician’s bios to find the right therapist for you. Click here to see our therapist staff page.
During this challenging time in our world, many people are feeling increased anxiety, confusion, or even hopelessness. Adjusting to all the rapid rapid changes in our world and being confined to home can feel very overwhelming. It can be difficult to know where to reach out for help with so many businesses closed. Here at Watershed, our therapists are able to provide therapy in your home through virtual visits. Minnesota recently passed a law for telehealth to be covered by insurance companies the same as if you were in our office. Despite this newly enacted law, it is still always a good idea to connect with your insurance company about telehealth benefits. Many of our therapists also offer a sliding scale if needed. We offer telehealth support for individuals, couples, families, parents, and even children.
Please contact us for more information, and we will be happy to help you find a therapist at Watershed that would meet your needs. You may also check out our staff page to read the bios of our therapists for more detailed information. Our therapists are ready and more than happy to assist you and your family during this difficult and challenging time in our world.