Welcome to Bridges Counseling and Psychotherapy Services in Troy, Michigan
- Are you experiencing a time in your life where you feel the stress of your circumstances is exhausting, possibly even hopeless?
- Does your life seem less satisfying than it did before, maybe even empty?
- Possibly, the qualities of your relationships have deteriorated and are becoming more and more detached, combative or confusing.
The decision to ask for help is a difficult decision for most people. The anticipation of finding a therapist that you feel comfortable with knowing you will trust them with your most private thoughts can make the choice even more challenging.
- Maybe you feel as if the intensity of your emotions are getting the best of you, even interfering with the quality of your work, school performance, relationships, or parenting abilities.
- Possibly the opposite has occurred and you have attempted to avoid your emotions, presumably even to the point they seem shut off. Consequently now you experience a sense of numbness, isolation, or depression.
- You have tried to overcome your situation with the support of friends, family, and by making extra efforts to take care of yourself. Both of which you know are healthy and important, but it doesn’t seem as if it is enough now.
- Many people belief they can pull it together themselves through Will Power, this may be your belief. Commonly well meaning friends discourage someone from getting the help they need. With good intentions they may have told you to "Pull Yourself up by Your Bootstraps", after all ….. that is what strong people do isn’t it? Not being able to do so may imply weakness to some, or that a person isn’t trying hard enough.
Strong will power and determination works in many situations and its strength cannot be dismissed. In the past, you may have been able to rely on your determination to make some positive changes in your life. In some cases, “Will Power” alone will never be enough to reverse the downward cycle. You may not even be sure what started it and what changes need to be made.
If you are reading this, it is likely that you are starting to realize that something needs to change because the methods you have tried are not working. They may even be contributing to your distress by making you believe that you are weak, inadequate, hopeless or worse yet that there is something seriously wrong with you.
People often are reluctant to seek the help of a therapist because it has in years past, and still somewhat in today’s society, been viewed as a sign of weakness or for the mentally ill. Sadly, not enough people are knowledgeable enough about counseling or psychotherapy to understand that it is likely that the opposite is true. Even in cases of a mental illness, change takes strength and courage, regardless of where the problem originated.
There is nothing shameful in acknowledging that you need help solving a personal problem. Furthermore, taking action once that realization has been made takes additional courage, especially when doing so may feel awkward, scary, or embarrassing.
I have a passion for assisting individuals in gaining insight and changing behaviors that can significantly increase their quality of life. My belief is that therapy can be a very highly effective tool to help solve a variety of difficulties, ranging from major life transitions and the normal stress of life, to mental illness and addictions. I would consider it a privilege to work with you or your loved one and to be a part of a journey. I can assure you that you will be treated with dignity and the highest respect.
