Mental Health: Defined

There are misconceptions about terms used in Psychotherapy, Counseling, and Therapy which might be confusing. Here is, by no means, a comprehensive list of terms I use most frequently in my practice and might be useful as you seek care for yourself or a loved one.

Counseling, Therapy, Psychotherapy-All used interchangeably to describe the process of treatment commonly used to treat mental conditions and illnesses.

Counselor, Therapist, Psychotherapist, Clinical Therapist: All describe a licensed mental health provider who is educated in higher education, trained, and who continually meets state guidelines to practice psychotherapy.

Family Therapy: Family Therapy is a broad term to describe theraputic sessions that includes more than one person in a session. Typically, family therapy involved multiple members of a family unit participating in each session together along with a therapist. This is not restricted to family members and can include couples counseling or even friendship counseling. This maybe therapy between siblings, parents, cousins, or friends. There is specific education and licensure for a therapist to be ethically able to provide family therapy. You might see a therapist say they are trained in the Gottman method, which is a specific method of conducting couples therapy which research has shown is quite effective.

Parent Coaching: is therapy geared to address specific concerns that parents have about either their parenting style or their communication between one another as couple. Common concerns addressed in parent coaching include setting boundaries, disciplinary concerns, and communication difficulties with children or spouse. There are many reasons to seek parent coaching. Parent coaching consist of a handful of sessions ment to address a specific concern and is not expected to last over a year. Most parents find their concerns addressed within ten sessions. Your child does not participate in parent coaching. I am happy to work with parents regardless if I see your child or not. My goal is to provide support and guidance to you as a parent and an individual.

Play Therapy: Because play is a primary way children express what they're thinking, with or without words, a therapeutic approach has been developed that interprets their needs by observing and working through play. Play therapy usually focuses on children ages 3 to 11 who are experiencing social, emotional, or behavioral difficulties. However, certain aspects of Play Therapy work well across the age span (even into adulthood). It’s a bona fide therapy that uses play as its method of intervention. There are many methods and theoretical appreocahces to play therapy including Child-Centered and Adlerian Therapy. Play Therapy for young children often works better in a physical setting with a play room (a room full of toys and sandtrays). However similar principals have been able to translate to a virtual setting through tele-therapy. Therapeutically Applied Role Playing Games is a type of Play Therapy which works virtually quite well. There is a licensure for play therapists through the A4PT (Association for Play Therapy), however there are trainings and education provided to allow proivers to offer play therapy. Aleeza Zocchi has completed such education and training through her Master’s Program.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): is defined as a form of therapy in which, while working with a therapist, an individual is able to address psychological concerns by changing thinking and behavioral patterns. In the field of Psychology, CBT is considered to be one of the most researched and most evidenced-based forms of therapy, which is why most therapists elect to use this method. CBT places an emphasis on helping individuals learn to be their own therapists. While other forms of therapy can be extremely useful, the basis of CBT has shown the best outcomes for individuals who stick with treatment over the course of a year. The corner stone of CBT involves:

1. Psychological problems are based, in part, on faulty or unhelpful ways of thinking.

2. Psychological problems are based, in part, on learned patterns of unhelpful behavior.

3. People suffering from psychological problems can learn better ways of coping with them, thereby relieving their symptoms and becoming more effective in their lives. (APA, 2017).

   I enjoy using CBT because it offers a way to change thought and behavioral patters which can contribute to long term growth and reduce the likelihood of relapsing in a particular area.

Dialectal Behavioral Therapy (DBT): is an off shoot of CBT. It builds on the idea of challenging the way we think, though also encourages the therapist, and the client, to validate the thought they are having, and acknowledge there is another way to think or behave. DBT is also unique in it focuses heavily on the connection between thoughts and emotions, even if these are not aligned, and focuses on emotional regulation and exploration.‍ ‍In DBT, it refers to the idea that two opposite things can be true at the same time. For example, someone who self-harms may believe they are not worthy of connection or support, however they still seek out counseling. Rather than viewing things in extremes of black and white, DBT encourages people to recognize there's more than one way to view a situation and to try to "walk the middle path”. DBT has four core tenants in which the skills are made to address. These are:

1. Emotional Regulation: involves recognizing, accepting, and managing intense emotions.

2. Distress Tolerance: the ability to manage emotional distress in the moment, using techniques such as distraction.

3. Mindfulness: More then just breathing, In DBT, the idea is to observe these thoughts as separate from yourself without identifying with their meaning

4. Interpersonal effectiveness focuses on improving communication with other people to strengthen relationships and improve your self-esteem. (Corliss,

The goal is to find understanding of your thought pattern, and through skill development learn to live more flexibly and with a larger toolbox to handle daily struggles. I enjoy DBT because it has shown effective when working with individuals with Eating Dirsoers, and Obesssive-Cumplusion Disorder. I also enjoy the actionable skills which can be easier to implement during the longer process of CBT.

Mental Health Crisis: A Mental Health Crisis is defined as when someone’s thoughts or behaviors put themselves, or others at risk of further psychological distress or physical harm. This could look like self harm (Cutting, burning), suiside attempt, damage to property, or misusing weapons, tools, or medication for the purpose of harming self or others. Typically, this is the result of prolonged stress or as a result of a traumatic event. When one is in crisis, the best thing to do is to reach out to someone you feel comfortable talking to. Remove anything they would use to harm themselves, and seek professional help from a mental health counselor. If needing immediate assistance, call or text 988 to reach the national suicide prevention hotline. It’s free and confidential. You can also go to your nearest emergency room. It’s important when you reach out to a mental health counselor, you let them know you are in crisis immediately. You don’t need to do this alone.

Self-Esteem: confidence in one's own worth or abilities; self-respect. Many things can contribute to lower self-esteem. Such as, others opinions, others or self expectations, comparisons we make between ourselves and others. We may highlight attributes we do not like about ourselves, such as our looks, intelligences, social skills, or talents. Having higher self-esteem, is not the same as bragging or being arrogant. Having higher self-esteem means being able to motivate ourselves, feeling competent and capable, and feeling self-assured. A harder task than most. Therapy is a wonderful place to challenge negative self-esteem and work towards higher self-respect.

Evidenced-Based: Evidenced based refers, on this site, to evidenced-based treatment. These are treatment modalities in therapy which have been extensively studied in the field of medicine and science to ensure safe and effective results at treating certain diagnosis. While not all treatment used in therapy are evidenced-based, I strive to only use evidenced-based practices in my work to ensure best practices. This does not mean all non-evidenced based treatments are ineffective. Due to the nature of research in the field of Psychology, research takes many years, even decades to ensure accurate data. The best gauge for effectiveness in treatment is you. Make sure you keep your counselor of what is working, and what is not!

Non-Judgmental: A non-judgmental lens is a foundational principle of a universal ethical code for mental health counselors. It states that I will do my best to show empathy and respect towards all my clients regardless of their views. It is a common misconception that I will not judge any of your actions, instead I will ensure I do not place my values and word views on you, and instead work with you as a partner to view your thoughts and feelings through different angles if your own views, you believe, is contributing to discomfort. This is one of the principals I enact to ensure ethical decision making in my practice. The other core tenets of ethical decision making is Autonomy, Justice, Beneficence, Nonmaleficence, and Fidelity (Forester-Miller & Davis ). Remember, a counselors job is not to make you change your mind, our job is to provide different angles to view the problem from, and offer tools to increase growth and change.

In-Network (INN) with Insurance: When a provider is in-network with your insurance company, that means you only need to pay a co-pay (if you have not met your deductible) instead of the full rate with the provider. The provider will bill your insurance for you and collect your copay. This means your provider has agreed to contract with your insurance plan to offer their services at a rate negotiated by the insurance company. The insurance company will pay the provider directly. This is ideal, though not every provider takes your insurance. Some providers do not work with insurance companies at all as the rate paid towards providers is typically lower than the private pay rate. I ebelvie in offering affordable therapy and am in network with Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, United Healthcare/Optum, Carelon, and Cigna plans. I also offer sliding scale rate (A rate negotiated between the counselor and the client). When you use your insurance with an in-network provider, sessions will count towards your deductible.

Out of Network (OON) with Insurance: Being out of network means your provider does not accept your insurance. This could be for a variety of reasons. If you choose to still work with this provider, you will pay your provider at their standard rate (or sliding scale if offered). Some insurance companies allow members to submit superbills for services paid and provide a reimbursement. Meaning, you can call your insurance company and ask what their reimbursement rate is for out of pocket care. Most insrunaces will pay you 20-60% back for the services you sought. Ask your provider if they can provide a superbill. I offer superbills for clients who have insurances I do not accept. Most often, paying for services OON does not count towards your deductible.

Private Pay: private pay is when you pay for services yourself instead of billing your insurance company and do not seek reimbursement.

Please reach out with questions or to seek clarification. I am available for a free 15-minute consultation call to discuss.

Thanks for taking time to learn something for yourself. Have a great week!

~Aleeza

“Room To Root and Rise”

References

American Psychological Association (APA), 2017. What is cognitive behavioral therapy. PTSD Clinical Practice Guidline, https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/patients-and-families/cognitive-behavioral.pdf

Corliss, Julie, 2024. Dialectical Behavrioal Therapy: What it is and how it can help. Harvard Health Publishing, https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/dialectical-behavior-therapy-what-is-it-and-who-can-it-help-202401223009

Forester-Miller, H. and Davis, T. ND. Practitioner’s Guide to Ethical Decision Making, American Counseling Association https://www.counseling.org/docs/default-source/ethics/practioner-39-s-guide-to-ethical-decision-making.pdf

Starting…

It’s hard to start something new.

Whether you are just trying to start the laundry, a new project at work, or a blog for your counseling practice, it’s really hard. Even things you want to do and are interested in doing can be hard. Attention-Deficit, Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) does not make it any easier. As I worked over the last few weeks to build this website, I always knew I wanted to have a blog section to highlight current research and best practices to try and cut through the misinformation online. However, I have procrastinated creating this section because I knew it would require the most attention and focus from me. As someone with ADHD, it’s hard to do something even though I want to do it.

My intention with this blog is not to give advice, but to instead invoke self-reflection and critical thinking.  Bringing in evidenced-based research, current events, and daily struggles to the forefront of our minds. As you continue to read my blog, or anything you see online with social media, I hope you take into account how learning new information makes you feel. Yes, a very traditional statement from a therapist. Though, I really mean it. Does it make you question yourself, or the author of the information? Do you agree with it right away, and if so, what specifically do you agree with, or disagree with? Even with my blog here, I want you to find things you disagree with, and agree with. It means you're paying attention and making up your own mind. It can be very scary to do so; however, I encourage you to remove that judgement and embrace the newness. This by itself can be hard. If you have been a client with me before, you might have already heard my spiel on a non-judgmental stance. The idea that we look, with a neutral perspective, at what’s in front of us. Easier said than done, I know. However, once we can achieve this, working through our challenges will become that much easier. For me, I had to remove my own self-doubt around this blog. I started to think about it as a vehicle for information I was consuming and processing in my own way. I can’t think about it in terms of what you, the reader, will think or feel about my blog. That will only increase my anxiety.

My goal in my sessions with clients is to only work on skills I would feel comfortable doing when I'm in the thick of emotions. That’s why I know when I am anxious, sometimes taking a deep breath will not cut it! It couldn’t hurt, but sometimes we need to get creative in our strategies. It’s also worth noting that not every strategy works for every person.

So how did I start this blog?

Well, honestly, I finished every other aspect of this website but this page. This page was the only thing holding me back from publishing my website, despite me being most interested in this section. I scheduled a block in my calendar. I gave myself an hour to sit here and write this out with the intention of finishing a short blog post which will serve as my introduction. Though what this turned into was opening a conversation around task initiation and ADHD. How meta of me!

Task initiation, or the ability for one to start a task, whether it is small or big, is an executive functioning skill that can be hindered in individuals with neurodivergence. Think of kids in middle school struggling to start their book report, or adults having trouble doing the dishes. It’s not avoidance, it’s difficulty with task initiation. An article out of Stanford University included a good PDF on tips and tricks which can help you start tasks. I’ll include that here [1]; however, my go-to strategies are the “Start with Five” and “Body Doubling.”

Start With Five.

Start with five involves setting a timer and sitting down (or standing up) by your task for five minutes. If you are having trouble doing the laundry, locate your laundry pile and maybe collect some clothes around the pile for five minutes. You may find you are more likely to complete the task once you start it. Keep in mind this is only one strategy and may not work for every situation.

Body Doubling .

Body Doubling relies on the accountability measure. By having someone around you, it does not matter if they are doing the same task as you; they can create a sense of accountability. If you are trying to start a paper for your class, go sit in the library with others or ask a friend to sit with you on FaceTime while you work. Just try not to talk too much. Some research suggests body doubling works as it activates our mirror neurons, making it easier to stay on task [2]. i.e. seeing another person working reminds us to keep working when we get distracted.

These are two great skills we can discuss further in our sessions together. I do encourage you to look at the handout below from Stanford for other ideas.

My intention is to post a blog once a month covering a different topic. I hope you will come along with me as I begin this journey, and I look forward to working with you on yours.

I am currently accepting new clients, and you can request a free consultation call with me here.

Thanks for taking time to learn something for yourself. Have a great week!

Aleeza

“Room To Root and Rise”

References

[1]Standford University, Center for Teaching and Learning. https://ctl.stanford.edu/students/getting-started-tasks

[2]Attention Deficit Disorder Association, (2025) The ADHD Body Double: A Unique Tool For Getting Things Done. https://add.org/the-body-double/