Serenity Hale

I’m a mental health counselor and do not prescribe meds, but in all my studies, I have always been told that referring a client to a medical professional for medication management while I utilize therapy can often lead to faster positive outcomes. I’ve seen medication be enough for some alone. I’ve also seen some do well with just therapy. I’ve also seen many do well doing both. It’s a personal decision that you’ll have to make. A lot of client feel shame for considering medications as an option for mental health treatment. Some feel more shame for even doing therapy. However, with all that we know about brain functioning, we still have much more to learn. NO one truly has the perfect answer for this question. Good luck in your decision making.

Honestly, I’ve seen neurofeedback work wonders on changing anxiety within a matter of weeks. Totally worth looking into.

I’ve definitely seen improvement in social anxiety disorder through various modalities including: Accelerated Resolution Therapy, LifeSpan Integration, Lens and Infralow Neurofeedback, Mindfulness and Breath worth, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. We can reduce anxiety by changing our thoughts, our sensations, our emotions, and our brain waves. Lots of ways to go about change, and you have to decide what would work best for you. If something doesn’t work, try another approach. Don’t give up.

I’d definitely recommend you each go to an individual therapist and then also go to a marriage therapist. Both are important to get out of unhelpful relationship patterns.

I’ve definitely seen marriage therapy be a support for couples, but what tends to happen with marriage therapy is healthier boundaries and change from unhelpful relationship patterns. If both are on board for making it work and willing to accept/set boundaries, then it will more likely have a better outcome.

Children likely have anger issues due to their environment. Environment can be broken down into different categories, such as: social environment (how their family and friends interact with them), Physical Environment (nutrition, toxin exposure, etc.), and their own physical body environment (genetic predisposition, injuries, congenital defects, etc.). It can be challenging to nail it down to one thing. Often, you will find it is a combination of different things. This is why it is so important for you to track symptoms and talk to a professional pediatric counselor and pediatrician. Rule out physical causes, evaluate their social and physical environments, and then begin to consider diagnoses such DMDD (especially in young children), ODD, GAD, ASD, etc.

I'm only a counselor and am answering from that perspective. I've seen great good come from medications. However, it is very normal to experience negative symptoms as you trial out different medications. It is uncommon for the first medication to work and be all that you need. Our brains are complicated. It's important that you educate yourself enough to advocate for yourself. Keep in close contact with your doctor that manages your medications. Know that mental health medications can interact with other medications taken for pain, blood pressure, etc. So, yes, there can be harm, but there can also be good. You likely want to approach it from the angle of how well am I functioning and is that enough. If it isn't, start looking for solutions through therapy, Neurofeedback, and/or medication management. Good Luck!