Psychology Services

Panic Disorder is best described as an intense and temporary feeling of anxiety with symptoms such as rapid heart rate, shortness of breath, feeling out of control as well as other symptoms. Education as to what Panic Disorder is and is not is the beginning of treatment. Continuing in therapy includes applying well-established Cognitive-Behavioral techniques that can be effective to minimize or eliminate symptoms.

Generalized Anxiety or better known as chronic worrying is another common type of anxiety. Pervasive worrying contributes to insomnia, mental fatigue and even depression if long-lasting. Cognitive techniques help identify and reduce the exaggerated assumptions and fears related with Generalized Anxiety. Relaxation practices help address the chronic tension that exists with it.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is an affliction in which people have a generalized fear of something bad happening to them or family members unless they check and recheck things, do things in a certain order or various other types of repetitive behaviors that end up reinforcing fear associated with OCD. Cognitive-Behavioral therapy spells out the process of how this is learned and how one can unlearn the aspects of it. Severe examples of OCd often need medication to help in the short or may need to be maintained.

Social Phobia, or better known as social anxiety, is an intense fear of being judged by others and a tendency to pay attention to those anxious feelings when in social settings. Avoiding the social settings or not engaging with others only makes things worse. Skills-based cognitive and behavioral changes can vastly reduce the painful feelings associated with social anxiety.

Dysthymia suggests a person experiences mild, moderate or severe depression over longer periods of time – over two years to be technical for this designation. By addressing long-standing issues such as concerns with what others think, fear of failure, low self-esteem as well other long-standing issues this type of depression can lessen significantly. Dr. Cargill will help you in the process of understanding the ways in which depression like this can be overcome.

Major Depressive Disorder is characterized by a severe down mood and generally losing interest in most or all activities that once gave that person pleasure, or a sense of accomplishment. Through behavior changes and identifying and changing negative patterns of thoughts the depression can lift. Again, this type of depression can be so severe that therapy and medication combined are often necessary.

Anger or, the “ugly” emotion, as it sometimes referred to is problematic for the person who gets excessively angry and those around them. Being hyper-aroused, feeling threatened, treated unfairly and blaming others are just a few of the characteristics that lead to and maintain anger. Recognizing the thoughts and physical aspects of anger and learning to counteract them can potentially bring about a dramatic change in the experience and expression of anger. Dr. Cargill has helped many people learn to apply CBT and Mindfulness techniques to quell the fire of anger.

People often seek out help for lower levels of anger or “frustration” and agitation. Like anger but less intense, excessive frustration and chronic judging of others or situations contributes to poor quality of life; not to mention possible health problems and insomnia related to elevated stress hormones in the body. Much like stress management outlined here in another section, decreasing frustration intolerance is about learning how perceptions, thoughts and lack of attention to physiological arousal and tension contribute to and cause this problem.

• If basic safety needs are not provided during development, or worse if there was abuse, associated life-traps labeled Abandonment, Mistrust or Abuse can develop.
• A sense of connection develops with adequate attention, affection and guidance growing up – without it lifetraps labeled Emotional Deprivation or Social Exclusion can develop.
• Autonomy he ability to separate from parents and function independently – without it lifetraps labeled Dependence or Vulnerability can develop.
• Self-esteem is a sense of feeling worthwhile personally, socially and in work – without it lifetraps labeled Defectveness and Failure can develop.
• Self-expression is the freedom to express our needs, feelings and natural inclinations – without it lifetraps labeled Subjugation and Unrelenting Standards can develop.
• Developing unrestrained desires, wants and expectations can lead to unrealistic limitations placed – this can lead to a lifetrap labeled Entitlement.