Health is a state of complete harmony of the body, mind and spirit. When one is free from physical disabilities and mental distractions, the gates of the soul open.
~B.K.S. Iyengar, famous yogi
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Sareet Taylor, Ed.S., LMHC
Counseling and Yoga Therapy FAQs
Oviedo, FL
How do I know when I should seek counseling?
Deciding when to seek counseling is a personal decision. Many people seek counseling because they wish to make positive changes in their lives (i.e., go back to school, change careers, lose weight, stop smoking, begin a relationship or end an unhealthy one), and they believe they would benefit from support and guidance along the way. Others seek counseling because change has been thrust upon them (i.e., illness, divorce, death of a loved one, job loss), and they need some support and assistance in order to cope with the experience and move on in a healthy way.
Whatever your reason, counseling can be beneficial for everyone -- how often in our lives do we have people really sit down and listen to us, focus on us with 100% attention, and invest their energies into our personal well-being? Counseling is an opportunity for you to focus on you. There does not need to be something "wrong" with you in order to benefit from counseling. Everyone can benefit from non-judgmental support, guidance and caring attention. Additionally, the mind/body techniques that you can learn in counseling will be beneficial to you far beyond your weekly (or bi-weekly) sessions. [Top]
What should I expect when I come to counseling?
Generally, when you come to your first session, or "intake", I will go through some structured questions with you, so that we can work together to determine what your needs are and what the best plan of action will be to get those needs met so that you can get back on the path to wellness.
Subsequent sessions will generally be less structured in nature, and will be tailored to your needs and your personality.
When you come to counseling, I think you will find me to be friendly, laidback, easy to talk to, knowledgeable, and valuing humor as an important component to counseling.
In my work, I utilize Motivational Enhancement and Solution-Focused modes of therapy, which are just what they sound like -- working collaboratively with you to identify your strengths, determine what the roadblocks are which keep you from being where you want to be, and help you to re-connect with your inner motivation to achieve true wellness. I also frequently incorporate mind-body techniques such as breath work, relaxation and yoga therapy into our work, as I find that when we address both mind and body together, you progress much more quickly. [Top]
How long will counseling take?
Generally, individual counseling sessions are 55 minutes in length. Depending on your situation, it may be possible to conduct shorter (30 minute) sessions. Group sessions are generally longer (60-75 minutes). Some clients come for weekly counseling sessions, others come bi-weekly, and occasionally some clients come monthly. We will work together to determine which plan would work best for you.
Answering the question, "how long will it take until I feel better?" is a little more difficult, as this depends quite a bit on your personal concerns and needs. Wounds that took years to create cannot be healed in hours. However, because I take such a pragmatic approach to counseling, it is often possible to achieve the results you want in 6-12 sessions. You may even feel somewhat better after the first couple of sessions, as I will work to give you specific skills to cope with your concerns. I will also often suggest "homework assignments" between sessions, so that you can integrate the work we do together into your daily life between sessions, thus making therapy much more effective. [Top]
Why do some people choose not to use their health insurance benefits for counseling?
It can certainly be helpful to be able to use insurance benefits to cover the cost of counseling. The concerns of the mind are equally important, and connected to, the concerns of the body, and it would be wonderful if health insurance plans covered both equally. However, the following are several reasons why people may choose not to use their benefits, and are things you should know if you choose to use yours:
- Lack of Confidentiality. Most manage care plans are directly involved in your treatment, and this requires that the therapist disclose a great deal about your counseling sessions to the plan’s clinical case manager. While this does not often pose a problem, it may come into play if a client is dealing with a court or other legal issue, or if he is applying for a job in the military, law enforcement, or high-level government (FBI, CIA, State Dept.) sectors.
- Authorization for Treatment. Obtaining authorization for treatment from some managed care plans can often be cumbersome and time consuming for both counselor and client. Insurance plans may only authorize a few (generally 3) sessions at a time, making clients wait long periods between sessions. They also may refuse to authorize further treatment even though a client does not feel that his issues have been adequately resolved.
- Over-diagnosis. Managed care plans sometimes will not authorize treatment unless it is deemed "medically necessary". This can put both client and counselor in a awkward position: the client may feel he must pretend to be sicker than he is in order to access his benefits, and the counselor may feel pressured to provide a diagnosis that isn’t really necessary in order to get authorization for treatment. Unfortunately, such a diagnosis may follow you in the future as a pre-existing condition if you change insurance plans, possibly resulting in a denial of coverage for future therapy. Insurance plans frequently refuse to pay for family counseling, marital counseling, or counseling to deal with adjustment issues. [Top]
Why do some people participate in group counseling?
aGroup counseling involves small groups of individuals working together under the facilitation of a counselor, either on general life issues, or on a specific topic area (i.e., stress management, anxiety, substance abuse, women’s issues). Group counseling can be a very cost-effective experience, because clients learn not only from the therapist but from each other. It can help people to feel less isolated, recognize that they are not the only ones with their specific problems or feelings, receive feedback from others, and instill a renewed sense of hope.
The availability of group counseling depends on the number of interested people at any given time. Please take a look at my "counseling services" page, and contact me if you are interested in group counseling. [Top]
What is yoga therapy?
Yoga therapy is swiftly emerging in western culture as a way to use the ancient tradition of yoga for therapeutic purposes. There are several different training programs for yoga therapy. Many incorporate "prescriptions" of specific poses to address specific ailments, such as anxiety, stress, insomnia, or chronic pain. The program in which I received my training, Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy (www.pryt.com), essentially utilizes gentle yoga poses as a backdrop for therapeutic dialogue.
In other words, the basic idea is that emotional blockages often manifest themselves as physical blockages in the body, and by assisting individuals into gentle poses (along with breath work and relaxation, and a technique called "body scanning"), we can get to the root of these blockages. In this way, Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy addresses body and mind simultaneously, and helps individuals to re-connect with their bodies and their inner selves, and reach a new level of personal awareness and wellness.
While I believe strongly in the value of yoga therapy and other mind-body techniques in counseling, it is not necessarily for everyone. Some people may be uncomfortable with such techniques. It is most important that you feel comfortable with your counseling; in fact, that is the most important factor to a successful counseling experience! Please be assured that we will devise a counseling plan that is best for you, and that I will put all my energy into your well-being. [Top]
What is EFT?
EFT stands for Emotional Freedom Technique, and it is often referred to as "emotional acupuncture". EFT falls under the category of energy psychology, which refers to a variety of holistic treatment techniques, all of which are based upon the premise that many of the negative emotions we experience in life (stress, anxiety, depression, sadness) are due, at least in part, to disruptions or blockages of energy within the body, and if we can "unblock" the balance to the energy within our bodies, we can achieve healing. EFT is based on traditional Chinese acupuncture, but there are no needles. It involves tapping on specific acupuncture points on your body while engaging in very specific therapeutic dialogue.
This technique is great for many issues, but it is especially terrific for address issues related to anxiety and healing from past trauma. People generally find that working through painful memories during EFT is far less painful than doing so with traditional talk therapy, and they tend to fee relief much more quickly. I find this technique especially useful for teenagers, particularly if they are reluctant to come to counseling, because they get involved in the "tapping" (it can feel a little silly at first) and forget that they are actually participating in counseling.
If you would like answers to questions regarding either my practice or counseling in general that you do not see answered here, please feel free to contact me via phone or e-mail.
I look forward to assisting you on your journey to wellness!
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Sareet Taylor, Ed.S., LMHC
Motivation for Wellness, LLC
2006 Town Plaza Ct.
Oviedo, FL, 32765
407-701-5414
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