Specialty Areas

ADHD

ADD/ADHD is a chronic, developmental, possibly handicapping condition. It is neurochemical in nature and by far the most effective treatment is stimulant medication. However, children and
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Relationships

Opposites sometimes attract but they tend not to last. People assume that they need someone to complement them so they look for someone who has characteristics they do not possess.
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Depression

Depression occurs in both adults and children. The symptoms may be masked by alcohol or drug abuse or by physical symptomalogy.
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Anxiety

Anxiety, along with depression, are the most common mental health concerns. Anxiety affects work, relationships, and parenting. It often is manifested as a physical or medical disorder.
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Child Behavior Problems

Parents are Shepherds, Not Engineers: Strive to Enjoy Your Children as Individuals; Rather Than Trying to Redesign Them to Be Like Others;Use Immediate Feedback; Act, Don't Yak
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Stress Management

A list of 101 ways to help you manage stress. Keep it handy and refer to it when you feel things are starting to overload for you.
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Psychotherapy & Psychological Services

Coping with Society's Stress

Life should be simple. We live in stressful times that overwhelm us and force us to use new coping strategies. As society ups-the-ante with ever increasing demands and technology to master, we are left with tools that may have worked at one time in the past but now don't always work now. Psychotherapy is personal consultation designed to overcome obstacles in our lives, providing new ways of looking at things, and managing circumstances that cannot be changed but we need to live with. Psychotherapy fosters growth and provides insight and embraces change. Although individuals think of therapy as providing a fix for one problem, often the process of therapy enriches many other aspects of a person's life.

My Approach

There are many schools of psychotherapy and counseling. My intervention reflects a top-down approach. What do I mean by a top-down approach? After an initial assessment, we set specific goals. We use the simplest therapeutic method to solve the problem(s), proceeding to more complex treatment strategies if necessary until the issues are resolved. An initial approach might be a practical, educational intervention. If this is only partially successful, a behavioral treatment approach is used. Going to the next level is a cognitive approach, followed by psychodynamic and/or family-of-origin work. Sometimes medication is a good idea, and we evaluate that need over the course of treatment.

Do I Need Psychotherapy?

Do you have feelings (like sadness, anger) , behaviors you're engaging in (like drinking too much, spending too much, dating the wrong people, saying the wrong things), or thoughts (like repetitious thoughts, guilt, inability to concentrate) that are troublesome? Have you tried to correct them on your own or with a friend, and it hasn't helped that much? Is it interfering with daily activities. getting things done, or wasting your time? If you've answered mostly yes to these questions, then an consultation might be helpful.

What are other psychological services?

In addition to psychotherapy, psychological testing, career counseling, and training seminars of various mental health topics are available. Psychological testing includes personality assessment, ADHD assessment (adults and children), IQ testing, and brief educational evaluations for learning disability. Forensic evaluation services are also offered for child custody evaluations, competency/sanity evaluations, and criminal risk assessment. Click here for more information on Forensic (legal) Evaluations. Click here for more info on Training or Speaking.

Is Therapy Expensive?

Rates vary by area of the country, by experience level of the therapist, and the educational degree of the therapist. If you're employed, some or all of your costs may be covered by your health insurance plan. Also, if you work for a large company, you might have an Employee Assistance Program that might be helpful.

Who do I contact?

Feel free to e-mail joe@joeperaino.com or call at 713-666-1743 to discuss your situation.