Bridges to Understanding Family Therapy Services

Services

INDIVIDUAL THERAPY SERVICES

What does the structure of therapy look like?  Well, it depends on what you feel you need help with along with ideas from the therapist surrounding the best way to approach services.  Individual sessions focus on processing and healing with a clinician and one client, while family therapy is indicated for family conflicts or relationship issues.  Additionally, we offer couples services and parenting support (done individually or with partners).  We see adults as well as youth in one-to-one, or individual sessions often, and this is one of our primary methods for services.  

 

FAMILY THERAPY SERVICES

As Marriage and Family Therapists, we believe that family work is just as vital as individual work when struggling with issues in the home. We work with clients typically for one hour, once per week, and this time is minimal compared to the length of time that families are together. We will be thoughtful in our recommendations on the most effective means for therapeutic growth. And that may translate to us asking for the vital supporters in a client’s life to join in sessions so that there may be ongoing work throughout the week in between sessions. Family treatment is not only for youth with their caregivers- here at Bridges to Understanding we often work with adult children and their parents. We feel that repair can happen at any age, and the value of family cohesion is important throughout the lifetime. This treatment may include recommendations of tasks to complete at home, as well as a variety of ways that the session may be conducted- sometimes with one client alone, sometimes with the caregiver(s) alone, and sometimes all together as a family unit. As always, the goal is for a reduction in stress and a healthy functioning family.

 

COUPLES THERAPY SERVICES

Couples work comes in many forms, including pre-marital counseling, navigating communication needs, a desire to improve relationship dynamics, exploring decisions following a loss of trust or how to rebuild after an event.  Using active and in-the-moment processing of topics that come up, in conjunction with exploring historical factors that have impacted a relationship, a couple can then co-create a clear path moving forward.

 

CHILD AND TEEN THERAPY SERVICES

As young children are just beginning to learn language and emotions, we see that their behaviors are just the outward response of something happening inside that they have no way of verbally expressing to us. Play therefore is a language, and toys are the words. Fast forward to the adolescent and teen years, the skill of language has developed and yet they still struggle with communication of needs. Using creative therapy methods in conjunction with tools and techniques presented in an age-appropriate way, we find that teens are receptive and tend to thrive in counseling. Therapy for children and teens is proven to be useful for behavioral issues, isolation, coping with grief and loss, families of divorce and separation, school issues, as well as many other difficulties. A child is never too young to start: research shows that the first five years of life are crucial to a child’s ongoing development and success through their lifetime. Whether it involves struggles with soothing and calming a young child, difficulties with attachment, traumatic events, stress during pregnancy, sleep issues, and many other variables impacting a child’s development, Bridges to Understanding is here to help.

PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING SERVICES: INDEPENDENT EVALUATIONS

A psychological evaluation includes formal standardized assessments of cognitive abilities, processing abilities (memory, auditory, attention, etc.), and many times social-emotional and behavioral functioning. In addition, the evaluation may include assessment of the individual’s skills in academic areas such as reading, writing, and math. This information can be used to determine strengths and weaknesses, and will reinforce the type of interventions or treatments that will work best.  This information is also necessary for determining eligibility for special education services for school and college, and is found to be helpful when considering whether or not to begin medication management. We will be happy to coordinate care with your school, therapist, or your medical doctor to discuss the findings from our testing evaluation, which will help plan next steps in intervention.

We offer specialized testing services for adults, youth, and even the littles, in the areas of ADHD, Autism Spectrum, and a variety of additional measures, with a unique focus on helping individuals gain a profound understanding of how their minds work. We understand that navigating the complexities of these conditions can often be challenging, and our mission is to provide clarity and answers. Our comprehensive assessments are designed to shed light on your unique cognitive profile, answering questions, and demystifying the intricacies of your neurological makeup. By delving into your strengths, challenges, and cognitive preferences, we aim to equip you with the knowledge necessary to better function in your daily life. Our assessments not only serve as a diagnostic tool but also as a guide, pointing you towards the most effective strategies and resources for maximizing your potential and leading a fulfilling life.

 

SONOMA COUNTY STRONG

A whirlwind of catastrophic events… Following our community’s natural disaster of the fires (multiple years in a row) we experienced COVID, and as a collective whole our community has experienced trauma.  The impact in each person varies, as many lost their homes in the fires, many lost loved ones during the pandemic, and everyone suffered from isolation and being contained at home while living in a constant state of fear. During COVID we saw marriages fall apart, and children and teens had developmental setbacks both from the loss of in-person education as well as isolation from their friends during a time when their social development was at a peak.  With the pandemic on the heels of the fires, we often overlook the impact fire had on us in Sonoma County, but come hot summer paired with some winds and a hint of smoke, and the feelings of fear come right back even years later. Please know that you are not alone, and Bridges to Understanding is here to help you process the chronic and enduring natural disasters and the state of the world.

 

NEURODIVERGENCE

ASMR Sounds

In our ever-changing world, how others “see” us is oftentimes a social construct.  What a warm welcome to observe the recent trend moving towards a greater understanding of underlying reasons as to why our outward expression may not “fit” into the social constructs created for us.  We all have a unique way we experience the world, and everyone has a sensory profile.  By finding ways to help soothe, to attend to the body’s sensory need, to evaluate each sensory experience to find triggers and helpful tools, these are just a few ways we explore neurodivergence.  And parents of children with neurodivergence, we see you too.  Attending meetings, traveling from service to service, trying to understand what an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) is, feeling our child is not afforded the same rights as peers, getting the looks in public, the list goes on and on.  This practice was founded in the wake of personal experience with this, and please know that you and your family are welcomed and received.

 

HISTORICAL TRAUMA, PARENTING, & RELATIONSHIPS

Many parents remark “I never want to parent my child the way I was raised.” Yet, in the nitty gritty of daily life, in the middle of a battle with their child, they have said or done something that was EXACTLY what they experienced growing up. Why is that? Without diving too deeply into the neurobiology of how we were wired in early childhood and what was ingrained in us, it basically breaks down to the fact that we are human, and that’s just what we do. The healing begins when parents seek help and we are able to guide them through this by helping them realize the triggers they experienced in the moment, how they reacted, tap into that time they were a child and process the pain they have carried into their own parenting style, and ultimately release that baggage so they can move forward and be there for their child the exact way they want to be. Looking at relationships, we see that the attachment we had directly relates to current relationships- We will help you find out why.

 MANY MORE, INCLUDING: