Concerns Addressed – Please suggest concerns to add to our list
March 19th, 2007 |
Is there is a concern, problem, or issue which you treat in your therapy practice but are not finding in our list of concerns? If so, please feel free to suggest it to us so we will consider adding it to the list. We receive many requests to add concerns which are already listed (sometimes worded or phrased differently). Before making your suggestions please check the list of concerns on the advanced search page by clicking here. You can make your suggestion by replying to this post in the reply box below. Please remember that your suggestions will be viewed publicly.
Thanks for your contribution!
Noah :)
Noah Rubinstein, LMFT, LMHC
Executive Director
http://www.GoodTherapy.org
© Copyright 2007 by http://www.GoodTherapy.org Therapist Pasadena Bureau - All Rights Reserved.
97 comments so far
Request you consider individuals who have experienced Torture from war-like conditions, Ritual Sexual Abuse and also those dealing with Chronic Pain. Thank you for your consideration.
PTSD–and Critical Incident Stress Debriefing would be good subjects to add to the list.
Hi Ron & Marita, Thanks for your suggestions. The list of concerns aims to focus on specific concerns rather than populations. I think we may create a way for consumers to search for a counselor by populations served. I’ll let you know if we do…. Until then please be aware that: 1. we include a number of the sympotms related to PTSD and sexual abuse. These concerns are already listed: Abuse, chronic pain, trauma. And CISD is listed as a model of therapy. Thanks, Noah :)
Self Esteem, Confidence, Regression, Dream Analyis, Childbirth, Phobias.
EMDR, Inner Child, PTSD, biofeedback, breathwork
obsessions
Improve Sports Performance
School Academics
Pulled / Strained Muscles
Massages
Reiki Therapy
*All of which I am trained in.
I would like to see the following:
Improve sports performance
Improve educational academics
Massage Therapy
Reiki Therapy
Reiki Therapy, HypnoTherapy, Massage Therapy
I would like Smoking Cessation to be listed.
Bereavement issues
personality disorders
Midlife transitions, anger management
Consider including bipolar. Mood disorders is often unclear to those experiencing bipolar. Thank you.
Thanks to all of you above who posted suggestions. We’ll be updating our list this week with some of these. Noah :)
I would like to see the following:
• Communication resolution & training
• Pychosexual education
• Adjunctive therapy for vulvar vestibulitis
• Vaginismus treatment
Please consider the following:
Sex & Love Addiction,
Internet Pornography Addiction,
Sexual Anorexia,
Codependency Issues.
Since hypnotherapy (by someone certified by ASCH, for example) is such a powerful tool, your clients should know where they can attain that modality.
Thanks to everyone who’s suggested additional concerns to add to our list! Today, 7/2/07 we’ve updated our list:
!Abuse Survivor Issues (Physical, Emotional, or Sexual)
Abandonment and/or Fear of
Academic Concerns
Addictions (Drug & Alcohol)
Addictions (Other)
Adjusting to Change
Adoption / Reunion Issues
Aggression
Anger
Anxiety
Attachment Issues
Batterer Intervention
Bereavement
Bipolar
Blended Family Issues
Career Choice
Child & Adolescent Issues
Chronic Pain
Codependency / Dependency
Communication Problems
Compulsions
Control Issues
Creative Blocks
Depression
Developmental Disorders (Autism, Aspergers, etc.)
Dissociation
Divorce / Divorce Adjustment
Domestic Violence
Eating & Food Issues
Emptiness
Emotional Intelligence
Emotional Overwhelm
End-of-life Adjustment
Family Problems
Family of Origin Issues
Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual, & Transgender Issues
Grief & Loss
Habits
Hyperactivity
Identity Issues
Impulsivity
Inadequacy
Inattention
Irritability
Isolation (Emotional & Social)
Learning Difficulties
Men’s Issues
Midlife Transition
Mood Disturbance
Mood Swings
Multicultural Concerns
Obsessions
Oppositional & Defiant Behavior
Parenting
Phobias / Fears
Physical or Terminal Illness
Post Partum Depression
Post Traumatic Stress
Prejudice / Discrimination
Relationships & Marriage
Reproduction, Pregnancy, & Birthing
Religion
Self-Confidence
Self-Criticism
Self-Doubt
Self-Esteem
Self-Harm (Cutting, etc.)
Sensitivity to Criticism
Sex / Sexuality
Shame
Spirituality
Stress
Suicidal (Thoughts, Feelings, and Behaviors)
Suspiciousness
Trauma
Trust Issues
Violence
Women’s Issues
Workplace Issues
Worry
Worthlessness
Other – not listed here
suggest tobacco depedence/smoking be included in the list.
I suggest separating “child” and “adolescent” issues. I work with teens, but not with younger children and there’s no way to make this clear.
You could add to your list of issues panic disorder with and without agorophobia
Hi!
I agree with the suggestion to separate child and adolescent…I too work with teens but not children.
I would also recommend adding post-concussional syndrome and cognitive dysfunction to the list.
Forensic issues
Meditation
Phobias
Hypnotherapy
Love of Yourself and Others (I believe it is different than self esteem and/or couples sounseling)
Spiritual Emergency
Kundalini Awakening
I suggest adding the following:
Geriatric Mental Health
Caregiver Issues/Stress
Life Transitions
Infertility Issues
Brain Injury/Dementia/Stroke
Abortion or Post-Abortion issues
Attention Deficit Disorder, Learning Disabilities, Psychoeducational Evaluations
I would like to see Social Anxiety added to the list, as well as Agoraphobia. While they may both be considered covered by “Phobias,” they are distinct enough to warrant their own mention. The DSMIV catagorizes them separately in part because “phobias” tend to be seen as specific fears of particular things- height, closed in places, certain animals, fear of choking, etc. But these two catagories are each broad in their own respect.
Please consider adding the following:
1. Neuropsychological testing
2. Psychological Testing
3. ADD/ADHD
4. Stroke/CVA/Brain Attack
5. Concussion/Post-Concussive Syndrome
6. Traumatic Brain Injury
7. Dementia
8. Alzheimer’s Disease
9. Other Neurological/Medical Disorders
Forgiveness
Fitness Goals
Religious Abuse
Ministry Issues
Financial Counseling
Self Care
Time Management
High school to college process- the search process including preparation of classwork, packages and how to apply, financial considerations, the athlete’s path of application procedure and associated family transitions.
I second meditation. I also suggest adding fertility issues, perhaps to the existing category that mentions reproduction, pregnancy, birthing or as a separate one. Also pet loss.
infidelity
Affair Recovery
Austism Spectrum Disorder/Asperger disorder
Infertility issues
I would like to see the following:
1) Forensic Services
2) Psychoeducational evaluations
3) Psychological evaluations
4) Psychosexual evaluations
I would suggest a category of ’substance abuse’ in addition to but separate from addictions.
emotional abuse category
As several folks have mentioned, Sex/Sexuality is far too broad.
You might want specific categories for:
Sex Therapy
Couples Sex Coaching
Sexual Dysfunction
in addition to the specific sexuality issues mentioned in previous posts.
I would like to add:
Dream work
Values clarification
Life purpose/meaning
Inner guidance
Dear GoodTherapy.org Members,
I’m writing to announce that we have just finished updating our list of concerns. We want to thank everyone for many excellent suggestions. We added over a dozen new separate categories and also tacked some terms onto preexisting ones. Below you will find the Updated list of Concerns as well as a list of every suggestion we received along with our team’s response.
Updated List of Concerns Addressed:
Abuse Survivor Issues
Abandonment and/or Fear of
Abortion / Post Abortion Issues
Academic Concerns
Addictions (Drug & Alcohol)
Addictions (Other)
Adjusting to Change / Life Transitions
Adoption / Reunion Issues
Aggression
Agoraphobia
Anger
Anxiety
Attachment Issues
Batterer Intervention
Bereavement
Bipolar
Blended Family Issues
Career Choice
Caregiver Issues/Stress
Child and/or Adolescent Issues
Chronic Pain
Codependency / Dependency
Communication Problems
Compulsions
Control Issues
Creative Blocks
Depression
Developmental Disorders (Autism, Aspergers, etc.)
Dissociation
Divorce / Divorce Adjustment
Domestic Violence
Eating & Food Issues
Emptiness
Emotional Abuse
Emotional Intelligence
Emotional Overwhelm
End-of-life Adjustment
Family Problems
Family of Origin Issues
Fertility Issues
Forgiveness
Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual, & Transgender Issues
Geriatric Issues
Grief & Loss
Habits
Hyperactivity
Identity Issues
Impulsivity
Inadequacy
Inattention
Infidelity / Affair Recovery
Irritability
Isolation (Emotional & Social)
Learning Difficulties
Life Purpose/Meaning/Inner-Guidance
Men’s Issues
Midlife Transition
Mood Disturbance
Mood Swings
Multicultural Concerns
Obsessions
Oppositional & Defiant Behavior
Panic
Parenting
Phobias / Fears
Physical Abuse
Physical or Terminal Illness
Post Partum Depression
Post Traumatic Stress
Prejudice / Discrimination
Relationships & Marriage
Reproduction, Pregnancy, & Birthing
Religion
Self-Care
Self-Confidence
Self-Criticism
Self-Doubt
Self-Esteem
Self-Harm (Cutting, etc.)
Self-Love
Sensitivity to Criticism
Sex / Sexuality Issues
Sexual Abuse
Shame
Social Phobia/Anxiety
Spirituality
Stress
Suicidal (Thoughts, Feelings, and Behaviors)
Suspiciousness
Trauma
Trust Issues
Values Clarification
Violence
Women’s Issues
Workplace Issues
Worry
Worthlessness
Other – not listed here
Hi,
Wish you’d add AD/HD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). I see you have some if the symptoms listed, but not the full disorder.
Terry Matlen, ACSW
http://www.addconsults.com
Admin: Hi Terry, Thanks for your concern. If you view the “list of concerns” which potential clients of therapy can search for a therapist by, you’ll see that we don’t frame these concerns in terms of diagnoses and disorders. This is in line with the philosophy of our site. If you need more information about this, check out some of our earlier posts about nonpathologizing therapy or email me directly and I’d be happy to elaborate.
Please separate child vs adolescent counseling
Admin: Hi Deborah, thanks for the comment and the suggestion. Actually it is separated in the “age groups you work with” section. When you join GT you can select adults and children separately. And people who search our directory can search separately.
Clients sometimes present:
concerns about the nature or content of their dreaming
concerns about nightmares
concerns about night terrors
[THESE COULD SOMEHOW BE COMBINED]
The techniques of Dreamworking and Dream Interpretation are sidnificantly different. As a member of the International Association for the Study of Dreams, I use collaborative and cooperative methods which are called dreamworking. Dream Interpretation usually involves a presupposition that the analyst understands the dream and the dreamer does not. Dreamworking assumes the only person who can ever “own” or fully “know” the dream is the dreamer … and the therapist acts as a guide to help the process of finding the dream’s true meaning to the dreamer. I’d like to see these two categories be separated so that I wouldn’t be confused as an Interpreter.
I appreciate the nature of your site and I congratulate you on your insights in Alaska.
Admin: Thanks Sandy, We do include Dreamwork / Dream Analysis in our list of models. But because there are so many kinds of anxieties/fears and because we aim to keep our list of concerns as short as possible, we have not included nightmares or night terrors in our list of concerns. We’ll take a look at the list and consider it in our next update
Premarital couples’ counseling
Admin: Hi Michelle, We include couple’s counseling in our list of counseling modes, but we don’t feel that premarital couples’ counseling is truly a separate mode which warrants a distinct category. Perhaps we could add premarital issues to our list of concerns. We’ll consider it in our next update.
Would it be possible to create another category known as “Workplace Stress”? It seems that enquiries often occur from potential clients who are requesting counselling /therapy for addressing stressors from within their corporate,career, or occupational settings. Such a classification would perhaps be somewhat more specific than “Workplace Issues”.
Thanks for your consideration,
David Wong, R. Psych.
Admin: Thanks David, Perhaps we could change the category to “Workplace Issues/Stress.” We’ll consider that in our next update.
Christian Counseling
Hi, I’m requesting you list Rape as a concern. One of my specializations is working with women who have experienced rape which unfortunately is a somewhat common experience that many women (and men) don’t get support for.
Thanks
Sexual addictions would be a good add on
Hi. As a body psychotherapist, I often see individuals who feel disconnected from their bodies and/or emotional experience. Perhaps you could include something like “body-mind split” as a category? (This might not be the best phrase, but it’s a place to start.)
Also, I second what Edna Healy suggested above about adding a rape category. I have worked with survivors of both rape and childhood sexual abuse, and I think rape survivors would appreciate having their issue listed specifically as well.
Last thought, I worry about these lists of concerns a bit, because most therapists deal with so many… I’d hate to see someone not call because I hadn’t checked their specific concern, thinking that I wouldn’t or couldn’t deal with it. And on the other hand, the list could become really, really, really long. And the longer it gets, the more I think it might suggest to potential clients that it is important for their therapist to have checked their specific concern. I’m not sure the best remedy for this, but maybe a few words with the list, to the effect that most therapists deal with a wide variety of issues, and not to worry if someone you are considering calling hasn’t checked your issue? Or perhaps encouragement to ask about it, if the therapist hasn’t checked it?
Thanks,
Jaffy
Meaning in life, work, love
Borderline personality
preoccupation with death
MODELS I use
Hypnotherapy within psychodynamic therapy
psychological and neuropsychological evaluations
Please consider adding to your list of services:
Psychological Evaluations for Surrogate Mothers
Psychological Evaluations for Adoptions
Thank you.
Issues of religious and spiritual life; values, guilt and shame;
also life cycle issues, the need to change
Association of Labor Assistant (ALACE)
ALACE Certified Child Birth Educator and DOULA
Hello, I’m concern is RAPE, I am a faciliator in overcoming rape using Hypnotherapy as a means of overcoming and desentizing the trauma of RAPE.
Also, I am an (ALACE) Association of Labor Assistant (DOULA), Child Birth Educator; I am eager to include Labor Assistant and Labor Educator as one your therapeutic models.
How about infertility/fertility issues
Transgender issues.
I would like to see play / filial play therapy added to your list. Admin note: these are already included.
I would like to suggest that co-parenting therapy and reunification therapy be added. These are services often required when divorces proceed through the court system.
I would also like to have Collaborative Divorce included. This is a particular model of working with divorcing couples on a team with attorneys as we help them to resolve their differences without going to court. It requires specific training and is capitalized for that reason.
compulsive gambling
I would like to see Premarital Counseling as a seperate category. I am trained to use the PREPARE/ENRICH instrument. This program has multiple inventories designed for Premarital couples, couples with or without children, cohabitating couples, marriage enrichment or marital counseling, and for couples over 50, or those going through life transitions such as retirement.
I also use the PREPARE/ENRICH program for pre-maritial and maritial counseling. Pre-maritial counseling is a specialized area of counseling clients may be seeking, and I encourage its’ addition in the listing of areas of concerns.
Step-parenting would be a good issue to add to the list
I think the site should include Sex Therapy
Hi,
One of my most popular specialties is working with the individual adult, couple, and child (children) due to the loss of a beloved pet. I have provided grief support for the above as well as offering Pet Loss Bereavement Support Groups and workshops for the past three years. I was just wondering if this recognizably disenfranchised topic might be added to your list. Thank you for your consideration.
Personal Relationship with Power
Retirement meaning that retirement includes preparations before as well as adaptation to. Including work after retirement, lifestyle changes, etc.
procrastination
perfectionism, excessively stringent standards
How about pet grief?
betrayal
optimism
happiness
trust
disability/adjustment to disability
Hi – recently I have worked with several people who have been sexual abusers of some kind or another who have also been abused as children themselves. It may not be a popular topic but how about adding Sex Offender Treatment to your list? Thanks, Debbie Antari
Many sex-offenders have been abused themselves…But not all sexually-molested persons become abusers. One of the real problems with the policy implications of the public desire to catch and stop offenders is the treatment of children who molest other children as if they are just like adults and will become offenders as adults. As a result of this “fictional belief,” many states require that teens who molest others be put on sexual offender lists (for life!).
A few facts to consider:
1. Adult-like programs based on a relapse prevention model are not effective for children. Recent meta-analytic studies have demonstrated that “good” child therapy is more effective than adult-like programs for children and teens.
2. About 15% of untreated youth sexual offenders go on to become adult offenders. While 6% who are treated with good child therapy go on to become adult offenders.
3. Before we rush in and say that “even a 6% risk is too much,” and put them into adult relapse prevention program (which are not very effective anyway for this group), and put them on offender lists for life, consider the fact that 6% of children with ADHD go on to become sexual-offenders as adults. Shall we put those with ADHD on offender lists?
Reference for all stats here: Child Maltreatment (Journal of the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children), vol 13 #2, May 2008, Special Issue on Children with Sexual Behavior Problems.
I do a lot of work with (mostly women’s) and female adolescents issues with both food and body image. In addition I’d like to see binge eating disorder added to the list. I’ve had numerous clientswho began anorexic and then flipped 180 degrees to becoming overweight and in some cases obese. This is not at all uncommon. Additionally, I do a lot of work with weight loss and educate people why diets don’t work and emotional eating.
Hi, included in my practice is a specialization working with women affected by breast cancer and the people who love them — if you could include Breast Cancer on the list, I’d appreciate that. Thanks.
Harm Reduction
Premarital Counseling
Military Life/Deployment Issues.
Please include guilt as one of the issues that need to br addressed in psychotherapy.
Veterans / Active Duty Military Issues
Divorce Mediation is a topic that is not on your list – Neither is Co-parenting Education.
I want to see what kind of psychologists can help with lying to your wife. Its a problem and it needs to be addressed.
Adding Sexual Addiction and Sexual Offender Treatment would be helpful.
Neuropsychological Assessment
Psychological Assessment
Body Image and weight distortion
Here are suggested search terms: spiritual emergence, spiritual emergency, higher power
I would like to see “Financial Anxiety and Stress”, or perhaps “Financial/Money Issues including debt and spending”
I specialize in this as a sub-category to anxiety and compulsions
Thank you
I would like to see Gifted & Talented Youth as well as Gifted & Talented Adults.
Fibromyalgia
Touretts
Transplant Psychology
Mandated reporting grey areas – boundary issues vs. sexual abuse. eg: child witnessing adult acts of sex and/or violence.
Issues that arise in supervising a new therapist.
Intellectual Development Disorder, individual adult therapy, family/group therapy
Schizophrenia – individual/family therapy
Nonverbal Learning Disorder treatment
I find categories such as Illness, or Health/Healing too general. I specialize in therapy for women affected by breast cancer, I had breast cancer, and my clients were looking for a therapist who had personal knowledge of it. I know others who have sought out therapists personally knowledgeable about other medical conditions, such as MS, or Lupis, and more …
so, I’d like to see a category for Breast Cancer (all too common in the Bay Area)
MS?
Lupis?
other suggestions?
Hello,
I suggest you add “disability” to your list of treatment areas. Please note that this is NOT the same as chronic pain, medical problems, etc. People with lifelong disabilities can sometimes reach a stage in their life (for me it was in my late 20’s) when they need to come to terms with the meaning of their disability. Additionally, people who become disabled due to accident, war, injury, disease, assault, etc. have many issues to work through related to their new status, including: identity issues, anger, grief, fear, guilt, family/ relationship problems, internalized oppression, how to deal with societal prejudice, career change, the meaning of what has happened to them, what is important to them in life now that they see they are not immortal, etc.