"for the well-being of one another" Dennis Smith, LCSW Therapist/Counselor
"for the well-being of one another" Dennis Smith, LCSW Therapist/Counselor
Hello
Greetings
This service is about helping people through challenging experiences. I am sure you have questions.
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Services
This practice focuses on mental health and helping people to cope with and improve life situations. I bring over 40 years of professional skill and experience in counseling and psychotherapy, problem-solving, improving interpersonal skills in relationships and helping people successfully manage their emotional life. This work is about successful life management!
Life issues
Anxiety, Depression, life issues such as Relationships, Anger issues, Low self-esteem, Chronic Worry, Illness, Loss, Trauma, Abuse, Suicidal Thinking, Gender issues, and many others.
My philosophy
The Good news is YOU ARE MORE POWERFUL than you know. The challenge is to recognize if you are unknowingly using your POWER in counterproductive ways. It is easy to get caught in that web. When you get "lost in the woods" it helps to have a guide. Our service is to help you be "equipped" to get through the troublesome times and improve your knowledge and skill at making a better life experience for yourself and your relationships when relevant.
Mental health symptoms important to pay attention to
Persistent sadness, anxious or "empty mood", feelings of hopelessness, pessimism, Decreased energy, fatigue, feeling "slowed down", change in sleep patterns such as inability to get restful sleep or even unusual oversleeping, change in appetite which could include noticeable overeating or frequent loss of appetite, suicidal thoughts/attempts-immediate help is necessary!
Restlessness or irritability, anxiety or panic attacks, fear of loss of control, fear of impending doom, hyperventilation, heart palpitations, or other miserable bodily symptoms. These are just some of the possible symptoms that may well indicate your life and hope is in a critical state for which a health professional can be of service.
Making Contact
It is recommended that you contact by email first, if possible. QuestTherapy@therapist.net Otherwise, call or text to 575-973-4479. Provide your contact information and what your question or need may be. Be careful about putting CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION in the email or text. You will be contacted in a timely fashion.
The likelihood is that the therapist will be in "session". An email response or text from the therapist will be the quickest way for you to receive a response. If you are experiencing an emergency such as a suicidal crisis or abuse, CALL 911 OR CALL the Crisis And Access Hotline 1-855-662-7474:
Final thought
Life can be very challenging and someone to help you find your way out of an emotional/behavioral "hole" can truly be a "hand up"!
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Symptoms for which to seek help
There are many possible symptoms that indicate there is need of attention. When the symptoms are not getting better from what you know to do, then it is time to seek help. Here are several of those symptoms that can lead to further discomfort, misery and ill health and further life problems.
Persistent sadness, anxious or “empty mood”
Feelings of hopelessness, pessimism
Decreased energy, fatigue, feeling “slowed down”
Insomnia, early-morning awakening, oversleeping
Low appetite and weight loss or overeating and weight gain
Thoughts of death or suicide, suicide attempts
Restlessness or irritability
Anxiety or Panic attacks-sweating, fear of loss of control, fear of impending doom, hyperventilation, heart palpitations, and many other miserable bodily symptoms
Persistent symptoms that do not respond to treatment, such as headaches, digestive disorders and pain for which no other cause can be diagnosed
Indecisiveness that robs you of taking action
Anger episodes that are loud and frequent or frequently feeling angry, easily "set off". Something is going on with you that needs attention. Significant and frequent anger is damaging to your health, relationships, job, etc.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will I be able to keep my business private and confidential?
Medical and Mental Health Professionals are required by law and by ethics to keep private information "private". Great pains are taken to provide your records private. It is true that if you are relying on insurance companies to pay for your therapy, they will receive limited information such as diagnosis and number of visits plus they may want a record of progress. The way this is handled by the professional is not to put personal details of individual sessions. Most professionals use a form of progress notes such as the S.O.A.P. method which refers to
a generic report of what the patient presented such as "patient reported current experience of symptoms and brought up a new issue contributing to his anxiety. Notice: The previous sentence did not reveal details. It simply indicated something important to the treatment problem was addressed. (The reader does not need "nitty-gritty" details.) The rest of the progress notes are simply reporting on methods used, progress observed and what the plan is for progress.in the next session.
The one exception is by law, medical and mental health professionals are obligated to report to the appropriate authorities if you, as the patient, communicate that you are "planning" on hurting or killing yourself or another person. Medical and Mental Health professionals are committed to protect your privacy.
For your information; If you are able to pay for your treatment out of your own resources, it is then possible that none of your information will be shared with other entities such as insurance companies.
What does therapy cost? Generally the "therapy hour" is 50 minutes with the last 10 minutes set aside for the therapist to end the session and make notes.
The hourly wage is generally approximately $120. The final agreement on price will be discussed prior to the beginning of treatment. Of course, if a session is better conducted at a lesser amount of time the cost would be adjusted. Likewise, if the session is agreed upon to go significantly longer than the typical "hour" the cost would be adjusted.
What forms of payment can be used?
Insurance, if the company is willing to pay.
Cash or credit card