Integrative Counseling
When you feel anxious or stressed, your whole person is involved in the process - from knots in your stomach, to tightness in your chest, to a racing mind - that’s why Integrative Counseling can be so effective.
Have you tried traditional counseling in the past but maybe felt pieces were missing?
Do you want to feel better on a more holistic (whole-body) level?
Do you want to learn how to use mind-body-energy techniques to assist you in your therapy sessions?
“Neuroscience research shows that the only way we can change the way we feel is by becoming aware of our inner experience and learning to befriend what is going inside ourselves”. according to the internationally expert on trauma, Bessel A. van der Kolk in The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma.
Maybe you’ve tried counseling in the past, but aren’t really sure how Integrative counseling can make a difference?
Stress & anxiety often affect us on every level, not just mental.
Integrative counseling, offered exclusively by Beth, is a mind-body-spirit counseling approach where we explore & address the relationship & interaction between feelings, thoughts, behaviors & the body’s meridian system, biofield including chakras, & consciousness principles. It’s truly a holistic counseling treatment to help heal stress, anxiety & trauma.
Research has shown we carry our experiences, emotions, & thoughts within our body - within our DNA itself. An Integrative counseling approach addresses all these levels.
During our time together using Integrative counseling, we’ll explore not only cognitive-behavioral patterns and skills but also ways you can incorporate holistic, energy healing principles as well.
This integrative treatment is extremely self-empowering where you actively participate outside of counseling sessions to continue the work we do together. You’ll learn ways to learn & master energy healing techniques you can carry with you wherever you are.
“We have learned that trauma is not just an event that took place sometime in the past; it is also the imprint left by that experience on mind, brain, and body. This imprint has ongoing consequences for how the human organism manages to survive in the present. Trauma results in a fundamental reorganization of the way mind and brain manage perceptions. It changes not only how we think and what we think about, but also our very capacity to think.”
What can Integrative counseling include?
Integrative counseling can include a number of areas that we can incorporate into our counseling sessions. One example may be looking at potential dietary issues that may be affecting your mood through the use of a Food-Mood Diary we can review during your therapy session that you can also share with your physician & nutritionist;
Incorporating body movements & simple Yoga postures into therapy sessions to help move stress, tension, old trauma from the body & making that mind-body connection;
Mindfulness & meditation practices we can do together & you can use at home;
Spiritual approaches such as prayer, connecting with God, and faith-based principles;
Some clients like to incorporate all of these into their counseling sessions - while others only want a few. Whatever is perfect for you is perfect for me. I want any of our therapeutic work together to resonate for whatever is best for you!
How can Integrative counseling help with anxiety & depression?
Let me give you an example of treating an anxiety attack with a holistic technique:
Grounding & centering yourself in the present moment.
When we’re anxious, we’re often spinning around in our heads trying to think our way out of it. It’s almost a reflex. The problem usually is the more we try & think our way out, or distract ourselves, the more entangled we become - in other words, it gets worse. That’s because we’re reacting to fear with fear. It creates a vicious cycle. .
Grounding & centering ourselves can help anchor us in the present moment. The present moment is what it is...nothing more, nothing less. And even if we’re feeling totally stressed or anxious in that moment, we’re breathing. We’re safe. There’s usually no immediate danger - if there is, react accordingly!
There’s a simple & fast way to ground & center yourself in this moment. It goes like this:
Gently bring your awareness into your feet. Feel yourself grounded to the floor & your body in the space around you. You are the center of that space.
Focus on the support of the ground underneath you. Move your mind there - that is, center all your awareness into your feet deeply feeling the ground beneath you. And repeat for as long as you need.
If you try it, how do you feel? Did you feel a shift? Even a little?
This is a very simple technique, but I wanted to give you an example of how these Integrative therapeutic techniques can be part of a therapy session & how much they can be a great complement to anxiety treatment.
Is Integrative counseling expensive?
Integrative counseling is an investment that you make in yourself and to better your life in the future. You can be more comfortable, productive and at-ease when you feel better and have tools you can easily turn to. Consider how much time & energy you spend trying to feel better & deal with life. Let me ask you - can you imagine a life where you know how to nourish & support yourself?
While Beth participates as an in-network therapy provider with Aetna & Horizon BCBS, most of her clients use their out-of-network benefits and get reimbursed directly.
Integrative counseling is designed to give you the tools you need to feel better.
Can’t I just learn this integrative counseling stuff online or through YouTube?
Yes, there’s a lot of information out there. You can read articles & watch videos, but how much of that is centered around you as an individual? No two people are alike - and so, no single answer is right for everyone. There is a ton of information out there, but it can be overwhelming to sift through it all, learn how to decide what resonates with you & then apply it all.
Beth has received & invested extensive training, practice & certifications in the areas of counseling, energy & spiritual healing, and holistic therapy techniques to bring you this type of deep-dive work. And she knows how to help you incorporate it quickly into your own life.
You can check out more about Beth & her credentials/experience by clicking here: Beth Kane
Integrative counseling is offered by Beth exclusively.
Counseling sessions may include times we mostly talk and others times we focus on doing the other work - sometimes, it’s both in a single therapy session. It really depends on what your individual needs are at the time. We make our treatment plan together so it’s just right for your own individual needs. Integrative Therapy is offered in our Point Pleasant, NJ office but can also easily be done online.