Grace Counseling of Athens provides the following counseling services :
Trauma Focused Therapies
A trauma focused therapy approach is helpful for those who have experienced emotional trauma whether a serious injury, violence, car accident, combat, or the loss of a close family member, divorce, betrayal, bullying, job loss or abuse. Trauma therapies are beneficial to help process and cope with traumatic images, memories, situations and triggers that may arouse a strong physical or emotional response.
In trauma therapy, the client works through past and/or early life experiences and how these may be showing up in the present. The goal is to get at the root cause of difficulties so that a person can live a healthier life in the present and look towards the future with greater hope and freedom. Different trauma treatment approaches may include Trauma Focused CBT or EMDR.
Grief Support and Bereavement Counseling
The loss of a close loved one through death, divorce, serious illness or other tragedies touches the very fabric of our beings, changing the landscape of life as we once knew it. The perils of grief, loss and sorrow may be so profound leaving us with a sense of uncertainty, upheaval and feeling lost and unsure of how to find our way through such uncharted waters.
Grief support and bereavement counseling serve as a guide and compass to help others learn to find new ways of carrying on and to be able to eventually find acceptance and the ability to move forward.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is based on the idea that our thoughts and beliefs impact the way we feel, act and behave. CBT is especially beneficial in the treatment of Anxiety and Depression. CBT interventions can help those who are hurting to identify the thoughts and beliefs that trigger negative emotional and behavioral reactions. Then, new ways of coping and challenging harmful thought patterns are learned to help improve adaptability and increase emotional health.
Play Therapy and Expressive Therapies such as Art and Sand Tray
For the child, play is a natural way of communication. Therefore, the use of therapeutic play allows the child to indirectly communicate about thoughts, feelings and experiences which they may otherwise not have words for or which may feel too threatening to communicate about directly.
For younger children, due to their developmental level, language skills and abstract thinking abilities are not that of an adult. Therefore, observing and understanding a child’s play can become an important way to understand the child’s internal world.
Parenting Skills and Child Behavior Management
For preschool or elementary age children who are having difficulty managing and regulating behavior, behavior therapy techniques are used to help parents broaden their parenting skills and to develop an individual behavioral plan. Through providing education, parenting resources and practical tools, new patterns and habits can be developed so that children and families can be more successful in their everyday lives.
Interpersonal Therapy
Interpersonal therapies are designed to help an individual understand and work through troubled relationships that may be causing emotional distress. When important personal relationships are at the root of depression treatment to improve communication patterns and how a person relates to others can be beneficial in bringing relief.
Christian Counseling
For individuals whose Christian faith is central, Biblical principles and scriptural references, prayer, music, etc. can be helpful resources in the counseling process.
During painful times some people may experience unsettling questions of faith, purpose and meaning. Therefore, it is important to have a safe space where it is okay to wrestle with tough questions without fear of judgment, and Grace Counseling of Athens seeks to provide that space.
