Community Resources
Crisis Treatment
Central Florida Behavioral Hospital offers every inpatient and outpatient program that most anyone in a crisis could need for serious psychological concerns, substance abuse, and suicidal ideation.
La Amistad Behavioral Health Services offers excellent treatment and programs for adolescents suffering from mental health or substance abuse concerns. La Amistad also offers public schooling options so that your child does not fall behind. Another great option in the Orlando area for teens is the Discovery Mood & Anxiety Program in Maitland.
If you are in need of support services for substance abuse or addiction, I would recommend you consult with RehabSpot. It is an organization that can connect anyone with information about substance treatment programs throughout the U.S.
Educational Support
NAMI, the National Association of Mental Illness, is a good organization led by volunteers who provide education and support for individuals with almost any mental disorder and their families. Click here to visit Florida’s state chapter.
Depression Bipolar Support Alliance is a very helpful national organization that focuses on supporting individuals and families dealing with all types of mood disorders. This is a great place to learn about depression and bipolar disorder. They provide free tools to help people track their ups and downs, involve supportive family, and how ask therapists and psychiatrists the right questions. I highly recommend it.
Post-Traumatic Stress and Trauma
The most effective treatments for trauma are EMDR and ART. Trauma can also be treated as part of couples therapy using EFT. Here are two videos of Dr. Sue Johnson describing how a well-trained EFT therapist can address trauma and couple distress together:
- Trauma Therapy with a Couple (video)
- Treating Complex Trauma with EFT (article)
- Click here to find an EFT trained therapist near you
Please feel free to send me an email or give me a call if you would like referrals for therapy or psychiatry. I keep a list of good therapists and psychiatrists in the Orlando and San Antonio areas.
Couple Workshops
Vicki Kennedy, LMHC and Mark Beck, LMHC are my recommendation for any couple seeking to participate in a workshop or retreat. They host 2-day workshops every few months in central Florida. Couple’s rave about the healing and growth they experience by participating in Mark and Vicki’s 2-day intensive workshops. They utilize the Hold Me Tight curriculum. To learn more visit their website at Couples Workshops of Florida.
Book Recommendations
This is a book by renowned relationship researcher John Gottman. I find it very helpful for parents and other caregivers seeking a more effective approach to guiding children. It is also a useful tool for parents who are dealing with the negative effects of their own parents’ mistakes in raising them. It is a helpful resource for current parenting challenges. I use Gottman’s ideas with people of all ages.
The authors Adele Faber and Elizabeth Mazlish did a great job with this book. I’d recommend you get the audio version and just listen to it a few times while on a walk or commuting to work. They focus on simple ways to talk with and listen to kids. Their approach is very hands on and experiential, which means it can sink quickly and deeply.
This book is written for couples who want to improve their marriage. It addresses what a healthy marriage looks like, what a troubled marriage looks like and walks couples through seven important conversations that change your relationship for the better. I often recommend it as a companion to couples therapy.
This workbook is written for couples who are in therapy as a companion to their treatment. It mirrors the work we do in our therapy sessions, and for many couples can reinforce the therapy and be a resources to return to when needed.
An excellent book for anyone who finds himself or herself repeatedly in the wrong relationships or acting the wrong way when conflict happens. Levine and Heller give you a good start making sense of the relationship patterns that are behind most relationship distress.
Psycho-Educational Videos
A helpful introduction to the most common type of couples therapy I provide called Emotionally Focused Therapy, or EFT.
An informative 23-minute explanation of why couples who love each other fight so much. Sue Johnson describes much of what happens in couples therapy and why even the most distressed couples can repair their bond.
This plenary address by Dr Sue Johnson at the AACC annual convention dives deeper into why healthy attachment is crucial for any relationship, whether with a partner, child, parent or with God. Sue explains why attachment science and historic Christianity are saying the same thing about what makes for fulfilling relationships.
The Gottman Institute produced this 2-minute tutorial to describe the 4 most destructive behaviors that destroy any relationship, unless they are addressed. This tutorial also shares four quick antidotes to each horseman. How many are happening in a particular relationship you care about?
a 7-minute animation explaining the science of attachment theory – how formative relationships influence future relationships. Counseling with a therapist trained in attachment is an effective and way to change attachment strategies that are ruining current relationships, regardless of how bad it has become.
A short history of John Bowlby and the groundbreaking work he did to popularize attachment theory. His work is the foundation of the most effective and validated relationship therapies.
The most common reasons why people cheat in relationships.
Johns Hopkins Children’s Hospital produced this 15-minute progressive relaxation video. It is an excellent skill to develop for anyone needing an extra tool to deal with anxiety, trouble sleeping and focusing or concentration difficulties.
In this 6-minute tutorial for chair yoga is easy for anyone to do, even at work. Recreation therapists often find that even the most anxious person can find tensions relief and relaxation by doing exercises like this.