Emotional pain goes by various labels--anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, unrewarding relationships, addiction, etc--but it has common pathways. Otherwise there would be no treatment for it. No one wants to feel pain. It hurts, by definition. But can you use your emotional pain to motivate yourself to address the the issues that cause it in the first place?
Can you learn to reflect, understand, and respond versus react to your pain and flee from it? It takes time, but re-training your thinking and behavior can yield valuable benefits if you're willing to invest in yourself.
I work with children, adolescents, adults, parents, and couples. I focus on commonalities between emotional issues. Besides anxiety and depression, some of my patients struggle with alcohol, substance abuse, and other addictions. I also do comprehensive psychological evaluations with children and adolescents who have academic and emotional difficulties.
