The Center for Hope

Welcome to The Center for Hope Counseling Services

pansywade — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 11:44:09 +0000

The Center for Hope is a facility that offers personalized counseling and encouragement to assist individuals, couples and families to gain insight, awareness and a deep understanding of themselves and how they relate with others, to help discover inner strengths, increase life satisfaction, and make positive changes in work and life.

Clients include children, high school & college students, young professionals, mid-life adults, adults nearing retirement, and couples experiencing life transitions, emotional stress, relationship difficulties, and career/academic concerns.

The Center for Hope has the goal to facilitate growth, change, health, hope and healing for you and your relationships. We are committed to working with you to become the best you can be. We can be reached at the telephone number: 832-416-5473 to schedule a confidential meeting at your convenience. We look forward to hearing from you and combining our efforts so that you may lead a more fulfilling and satisfying life.

The Center for Hope

10701 Corporate Dr Ste 205

Stafford, TX 77477
832-416-5473 -office

Health Care Reform and Mental Health

pansywade — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 03:42:12 +0000

Health care reform is a white hot issue right now. Opinions vary widely on how successful, helpful, or even frustrating this whole plan will be for Americans. However, I want to draw your attention to a few small parts of the reform bill that are good for mental health. With all the controversy and political rhetoric, you may have missed these important pieces.

National Alliance on Mental Illness

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (HR 3590) is something NAMI has been supporting since the Senate passed similar legislation on Christmas Eve. Insurance parity is an important goal for those concerned with mental illness treatment. Insurance companies have long minimized coverage and options for treatment.

This bill will help make proper insurance coverage more available and more useful to those needing treatment. It will also improve and support research for serious mental illnesses. Finally, it provides expanded support for people with long-term problems as a result of their mental illness. The overall effect of this law will continue to improve the outlook for people facing the realities of mental illness.

Postpartum Depression MOTHERS Act

The Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act is on stage to be made law today. This act has been in the works for years, facing numerous setbacks and surges of momentum along the way. This act has also drawn its share of scrutiny prior to being included in the wide sweeping health care reform legislation.

Critics have claimed concerns about women and babies being forced to take medication, mandated screening, and other invasive procedures. Take a look at the language of the bill yourself. In my personal review (and those of others), that type of forceful language appears nowhere in the bill.

What this act will do is increase focus on research, create awareness, make support and resources more available to families, and examine the value of screening as a prevention tool. The overall goal is to reduce the rate of undiagnosed and untreated postpartum depression. As a mental health professional, I know how challenging it is to reach people with undiagnosed depression. And as a woman who unknowingly suffered with postpartum depression for years, I’m glad to see such progress against the monster of mental illness.

Look Beyond Health Care Reform Headlines

Later today, the headlines about health reform may be colored with a lot of political passion. The bill has become so large it has been somewhat tough to know everything that’s going along with it. Regardless of your political affiliations, don’t forget about these advances for mental health. Many advocates have come forward and made sure mental health gets its fair share of attention and importance. Everyone with mental illness in their life has just pushed the big monster a little further into the daylight.

~ forwarded from Psychology Today(03/2010), Erika Krull, MS, LMHP is a practicing licensed mental health counselor in Nebraska.

Exercise Equals Elation

pansywade — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 05:27:16 +0000

Did you know that exercising can help elevate your mood? A new study suggests that only five minutes of exercise performed in a natural setting can improve mood and personal well-being. Abundant scientific evidence shows that activity in natural areas decreases the risk of mental illness (i.e. depression or anxiety) and improves the sense of well-being. “Exercise appears to affect, like an antidepressant, particular neurotransmitter systems in the brain, and it helps patients with depression re-establish positive behaviors. For patients with anxiety disorders, exercise reduces their fears of fear and related bodily sensations such as a racing heart and rapid breathing.” says Jasper Smits, Director of the Anxiety Research and Treatment Program at Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, TX.

Many therapists, myself included, utilizes Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) as a method to work many symptoms of depression, anxiety, and in anger management. At times, it works really well but there are times when that method may not be effective in treatment. Therefore, adding a little outdoor exercising or activities as a supplement can have a positive effect on healing.

Examples of a natural exercise environment include exercise in a park, working in a backyard garden, or hiking on a nature trail. Basically, anything that active and can get the patient off of the sofa. “Exercise has been shown to have tremendous benefits for mental health; also it can supplement traditional treatments, helping patients become more focused and engaged.” says Jasper Smits

By combining the CBT treatment and exercising together, the client can receive the benefits of mental freedom and emotional elation from the feelings of stress, anxiety and anger. Throughout treatment, both the client and the therapist must be willing to do whatever it takes to obtain the primary objective of healing and recovery. Let’s work together to achieve your goals…

~pansy wade, lpc, ncc

What About Depression?

pansywade — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 09:28:52 +0000

What do we know about depression? Is there a difference between sadness and depression? Does everyone who is depressed thinks about or attempts suicide? So many questions, but there are answers that can help…What are some symptoms of Depression?

• Persistent sad, anxious, or “empty” mood

• Feelings of hopelessness, pessimism

• Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness

• Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities that were once enjoyed, including sex or hanging with friends

• Decreased energy, fatigue,having a ”lack of motivation”

• Difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions

• Insomnia, early-morning awakening, or oversleeping

• Appetite and/or weight loss or overeating and weight gain

• Thoughts of death or suicide; suicide attempts

• Restlessness, irritability, agitation

• Persistent physical symptoms that do not respond to treatment, such as headaches, various digestive disorders, and chronic pain

For some people being depressed or having sadness is a situational problem – meaning it will alleviate once the situation gets better. If a person loses his job, then he will feel sadness and have depressive feelings, because of the unexpected change and the loss of income. Another example is the ending a serious relationship can bring on an episode of depression or having to move to another state away from close friends and family, creating an occasion for situational depression to develop. While most people will experience sadness over such events, people with a tendency towards depression will react more strongly, especially in the absence of appropriate coping skills or an adequate support system.

Those are also, the ones who experience depression because it’s hereditary (a primary family member suffered with it) or because of a chemical imbalance in the brain. A lack or rather low supply, of serotonin is the cause for the imbalance. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter, involved in the transmission of nerve impulses to regulate moods, emotions, sleep and appetite urges in a person’s brain. Without it, that’s when everything gets ‘off-kilter’, everything else will be out of order. To correct the imbalance, serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as Fluoxetine (Prozac) and Paroxetine (Paxil) are used.

This type of depression doesn’t disappear overnight. It is a condition that can linger for years and only gets better, if the sufferer wants to work it out. It’s truly not a hopeless situation. With the help of medication, prayer/meditation, and talk therapy to develop coping skills, the condition can be controlled and/or alleviated. Never give up – there’s always HOPE. Just reach out to someone – anyone, help is only a phone call away.

~pansy wade, lpc, ncc