Monday, April 2, 2012 7:00pm- 8:30pm

 This session will focus on the academic groundwork that provides the foundation to college preparation and acceptance. Information provided by representatives from Step Ahead Idaho.

 Registration Strongly Encouraged

Please call 385-0888 for more information

]]> http://jeffersonstreetcounseling.com/2012/03/29/preparing-your-high-school-student-for-the-future-2/feed/ 0 http://jeffersonstreetcounseling.com/2012/03/29/is-eap-right-for-you-2/ http://jeffersonstreetcounseling.com/2012/03/29/is-eap-right-for-you-2/#comments Thu, 29 Mar 2012 16:39:20 +0000 admin http://jeffersonstreetcounseling.com/?p=1229 Free workshop presented by Lorn H. Adkins, LCPC, LMFT

Thursday, April 12, 2012 7:00pm- 8:30pm

 Really, aren’t you just a little bit curious about an equine assisted therapy? What is it anyway? And how can horses help? If you’ve ever felt just a little curious, or if you’ve ever felt just stuck and wondered if maybe something different might help, come and check this out. It’s not horsemanship, and it’s not riding. It is very real psychotherapy. We have used this program for families and communication and couples and communication. We have also used EAP with individuals experiencing: grief and loss, anxiety, PTSD, depression, and addiction. Our youngest client was six and our oldest (so far) was seventy-five. This is an experiential therapy. You really need to experience this modality to see if it might work for you.

Registration strongly encouraged

Please call 385-0888

When you’re stressed, your body is out of sync. Emotions like anger, frustration, anxiety and worry lead to increased disorder in the heart’s rhythms and in the nervous system. In contrast, emotions like joy, appreciation, care and kindness create synchronization in the heart’s rhythms and the nervous system. Other bodily systems sync up to this rhythm creating a state which scientists call coherence. Because coherence leads to more mental clarity, creativity and better problem-solving abilities, it’s easier to find solution and better ways of handling the stressful situation. In this class, you will learn more about stress management, coherence, and how to sustain overall well-being.

 Registration Strongly Encouraged

Please call 385-0888 for more information

]]> http://jeffersonstreetcounseling.com/2012/03/29/reducing-stress-and-creating-better-health-2/feed/ 0 http://jeffersonstreetcounseling.com/2012/03/07/free-talk-preventing-youth-suicide-cancelled/ http://jeffersonstreetcounseling.com/2012/03/07/free-talk-preventing-youth-suicide-cancelled/#comments Wed, 07 Mar 2012 21:07:01 +0000 admin http://jeffersonstreetcounseling.com/?p=1219 The free talk “Youth Suicide Prevention” scheduled for Thursday, March 8th at 7:00 has been cancelled. We apologize for any inconvenience. Please check out our calendar for future workshops and classes.

How does stress affect health?

According to the American Institute of Stress, up to 90% of all health problems are related to stress. Too much stress can contribute to and agitate many health problems including heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, depression and sleep disorders.

What can I do about it?

The first step is to understand how stress works. It’s not the events or situations that do the harm; it’s how you respond to those events. More precisely, it’s how you feel about them that determine whether you are stressed or not.

Emotions, or feelings, have a powerful impact on the human body. Positive emotions like appreciation, care and love not only feel good, they are good for you. They help your body’s systems synchronize and work better, like a well-tuned car.

HeartMath’s research has shown when you intentionally shift to a positive emotion, your heart rhythm immediately changes. This shift in heart rhythms creates a favorable cascade of neural, hormonal and biochemical events that benefit the entire body. The effects are both immediate and long lasting.

How does it work?

When you’re stressed, your body is out of sync. Typical negative emotions we feel when stressed—like anger, frustration, anxiety and worry—lead to increased disorder in the heart’s rhythms and in the nervous system. In contrast, positive emotions like joy, appreciation, care and kindness create synchronization in the heart’s rhythms and the nervous system. Other bodily systems sync up to this rhythm creating a state which scientists call coherence. Because coherence leads to more mental clarity, creativity and better problem-solving abilities, it’s easier to find solutions and better ways of handling the stressful situation.

How can I create and practice coherence?

The HeartMath approach to stress management introduces tools to help you increase physiological coherence: Use the Quick Coherence® Technique in daily life to reduce the effects of stress and the emWave® technology products to accelerate learning and enhance your practice.

Quick Coherence® Technique

The Quick Coherence Technique is a simple, easy way to interrupt the stress response and quickly bring your system into coherence. Practice this technique 4-5 times a day, every day for a minimum of 3 weeks. Use it prior to or during events or situations that provide emotional challenges – a quick stress manager. Good times to practice are first thing in the morning, before going to sleep at night, break time in the middle of the day, whenever a stressful event occurs or anytime you want to rebalance or get an energy boost. It is suggested you read through the steps first before practicing them.

The Steps of the Quick Coherence Technique

Step 1 – Heart Focus:  Focus your attention on the area around your heart.

Step 2 – Heart Focused Breathing:  Maintain your heart focus and, while breathing, imagine that your breath is flowing in and out through the heart area. Breathe casually, just a little deeper than normal.

Step 3 – Heart Feeling:  Recall a positive feeling and make a sincere attempt to relive that feeling. You can recall a time when you felt appreciation or care for someone or something and attempt to re-experience that feeling. Once you have found a positive feeling—sustain this feeling by continuing with the Quick Coherence steps: heart focus, heart focused breathing, heart feeling.

Once you have completed the steps, ask yourself, “How could I handle this in a better way?” With practice, you’ll find you have more intuitive choices or options for what you might do next—even in the middle of a challenging or high-pressure situation.

The emWave2 is a portable and convenient way to reduce stress, balance emotions, and increase performance. Used just a few minutes a day, this simple-to-use technology helps you transform feelings of anger, anxiety or frustration into more peace, ease and clarity. As you practice on the go or at your computer you increase your coherence baseline and your ability to take charge of your emotional reactions. Health, communication, relationships and quality of life improve.

emWave Desktop helps you achieve coherence through simple-to-learn exercises and games. Using a pulse sensor plugged into your USB port, emWave Desktop collects and translates HRV (heart rate variability) data into user-friendly graphics. Through coherence techniques, interactive exercises and playing games, emWave Desktop helps you create a coherent state, build resilience, increase energy, and promote focus, mental clarity and emotional balance.

For more information about how you can learn to effectively stop the negative effects stress is having on your life with the emWave Desktop, emWave2 and other simple-to-use tools and techniques from HeartMath contact:  Cheryle Jones Andrews, LMFT, LCPC, who has trained as a 1:1 Provider with HeartMath, or visit www.heartmath.com.

Monday, March 5th,  7:00pm – 8:30pm

Unlike stage hypnosis, you are never asked to surrender your will, nor be gullible in clinical trance. Learn how hypnotherapy allows y

ou to stay in control of your thoughts while discovering solutions that your conscious mind overlooks. See how hypnosis can make a difference for you.

Thursday, March 8th 7:00pm – 8:30pm

Speedy Peterson’s sad death has had an impact on suicide prevention efforts in the state of Idaho. This class will examine facts about youth suicide, dispel common myths, and review warning signs, risk factors and protective factors.  The class will also cover what is known about the suicidal mind, how to talk to youth about suicide and where to turn for help when a child is at risk.

Monday, March 12th  7:00pm – 8:30pm

This presentation will focus on the subtle and not so subtle differences in treating adolescents with substance use disorders. This discussion will be geared toward parents and professionals within the community.

Monday, March 12th  7:00pm – 8:30pm

Every successful stepfamily takes time to develop. And every couple faces particular challenges in their relationship that only stepfamilies can provide. Come and explore some of the steps for success in your own marriage, meet those challenges head on, and enrich your stepfamily home environment.

Monday, April 2nd, 2012  7:00pm – 8:30pm

This session will focus on the academic groundwork that provides the foundation to college preparation and acceptance. Information provided by representatives from Step Ahead Idaho.

Call to register.