Among the first things new clients ask when they call to set up an appointment are: 1) what are our fees, and 2) will insurance cover those fees? I address some of these questions on our Fees & Insurance page, but this blog post will take a deeper dive into the world of insurance plans, mental health care, and therapy.
Read MoreHi, I’m Cory Anderson, owner of and one of the therapists at Integrity Counseling Group. I’ve been doing therapy in San Diego for more than 10 years. In that time, I’ve had hundreds of first sessions with new clients! Here’s a peek into what to expect in your first therapy session.
Read MoreSmartphones were designed to be addictive. You actually get a little hit every time you check your phone and see a new email or social media follower. Just like a drug, smartphone stimuli activate the reward system in the brain, which entices you to come back again and again.
Read MoreOur goal in marriage counseling or individual counseling after an affair is ultimately to empower you to 1) take care of yourself, and 2) work toward making a healthy decision. This decision is ideally one you feel is respectful to you as a person and your relationship as a whole. For some people, that may mean working through the underlying issues and conflict to stay married. Other clients may decide that a situation warrants divorce.
Read MoreBut sometimes friendly relationships at work can become something more. An emotional affair may not involve sexual infidelity, but it can be just as damaging to the spouse as a sexual affair. In this blog post, I will tackle some questions surrounding emotional affairs, marriage counseling for emotional infidelity, and how to approach your spouse if you think they are engaging in emotional cheating at work.
Read MoreMany couples have tried marriage counseling with little to no change in their dynamics. They might practice communication skills in therapy, but they feel like there’s still a wide gap between them. They lack the emotional connection they crave. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Read MoreSometimes couples decide to divorce despite their best efforts, or clients come to us having already gone through the divorce process. In these cases, they want to know how to make coparenting a success, so they can reduce the impact of the divorce on their kids and be the best coparents possible.
Read MoreMost people with bipolar disorder alternate between long stretches of depression and (hypo)mania. For example, they may have depression for months or years at a time. With rapid cycling bipolar, a person experiences four episodes of mood cycling in one year. This could include any combination of mania, mixed mania, hypomania, or depression. Usually these shifts take place over the course of weeks or months, but some psychiatrists report having patients who can experience shifts lasting just a few days.
Read MoreSpouses of unfaithful partners are usually relieved to learn that their strong emotions around the infidelity are perfectly valid. According to Dr. Patrick Carnes, who founded IITAP, the leading organization for treating sexual addiction, discovering your spouse’s infidelity can be as traumatic as sexual assault.
Read MoreIf you stop at sobriety you are missing out on the full benefits of healing the addicted brain, such as overcoming “Stinking Thinking.” This is critical for relapse prevention. “Stinking Thinking” is a term often used in 12 Step programs to refer to the negative patterns of thought that add fuel to the fire of addiction. These thoughts sabotage your ability to see the world clearly and take responsibility for your actions.
Read MoreOne of our goals at Integrity Counseling Group is to create a safe space where clients can find freedom from depression, anxiety, marital conflict, addiction, and more. That’s why it is so important to us to make sure that our offices meet a few criteria.
Read MoreYou may feel afraid to be around your loved one, especially if they have expressed suicidal thoughts. This is a perfectly normal way to feel. You love this person, and it’s scary to think that they are suffering and might do irreversible harm to themselves. The important thing in this situation is to stay calm and stay with your loved one. You don’t need to talk about the depression the whole time you are together—you don’t even need to make it better.
Read MoreThe brain is surprisingly malleable. By addressing your teen’s depression early, you will help them form new patterns that they will be able to use going forward in times of stress and sadness. If you wait, your teen is less likely to respond to treatment and will be more likely to relapse into subsequent depressive episodes.
Read MoreIf you think you or a loved one might be struggling with sexual addiction, check out the Sexual Addiction Screening Test (SAST) provided by IITAP, the leading organization in the treatment of sex addiction. Asking for help is the first step.
Read MoreHealthy sex brings a sense of fulfillment and connection. But sometimes sex goes from healthy to problematic. The therapists at Integrity Counseling Group recognize that unhealthy sexuality can cause a lot of confusion, pain, and heartache.
Read MoreChoosing an addiction therapist is an incredibly personal decision. The therapist can look great on paper, but if you don’t connect in-person your recovery might be stalled. It’s important that you feel your therapist has your back and is rooting for your success.
Read MoreOur go-to method for treating trauma and abuse is Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). EMDR has been around for awhile and has plenty of evidence-based research to demonstrate how highly effective it is in treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other forms of trauma.
Read MoreSharp Mesa Vista Hospital in Kearny Mesa created the GRAPES tool to help people with depression overcome their inertia. If you’re struggling with depression, using a fruit-themed mnemonic device may not sound very appealing, but stick with us. We promise it will help!
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