What is Psychotherapy?

What is Psychotherapy?

Here at the Relationship Center of Albuquerque, we utilize various types of treatments to help our patients, including psychotherapy. Psychotherapy is a type of treatment that treats mental and anxiety disorders, as well as various psychological disorders.

 

Our therapist, Dr. Marji Prefontaine, assesses each patient’s individual needs and bases her treatment plan on what the patient is struggling with, to what degree it is affecting his or her life, and what the patient feels most comfortable with.

 

There are several types of psychotherapy offered, including cognitive behavioral therapy, humanistic therapy, and psychoanalytic.

 

We encourage patients experiencing any of the following situations, to see us for psychotherapy:

• Not being able to concentrate on school or work activities.
• Not finding relief, regardless of self treatment activities.
• An overwhelming feeling of sadness or helplessness.
• Constantly worrying or being on edge.
• Participating in self-harming activities like drinking alcohol or doing drugs.

These are only a few of the commonalities we see in people that visit us in our office.

Any time you are having difficulty with issues in your life that are making a significant change in how you live your life, psychotherapy is recommended. When you’re ready, make an appointment with our office in Albuquerque, NM by calling 505-821-1948.

Self Esteem & Life Transitions

Self esteem is extremely important to us as it affects how our patients live their everyday life. There are a lot of life transitions that can cause a lack of self-esteem, and a lot of ways that low self-esteem affects people in a negative way.

 

From not wanting to meet new friends to avoiding social situations, low self-esteem is damaging to a person’s self-worth. We have discovered that not getting help for self-esteem can lead to social anxiety and clinical depression in some patients.

 

That’s why we here at the Relationship Center of Albuquerque help our patients find their confidence and improve their self-esteem through counseling and therapy. No matter what the situation, there are ways to improve a person’s self-esteem. In some patients, behavioral therapy to teach the person about their own worth and value is high.

 

It is our job to determine the best course of treatment, and we treat each of our patients individually and uniquely. Regardless of the cause surrounding the self-esteem and life transition issues, we encourage all patients to seek help in our therapy office.

 

Patients can schedule an appointment here in Albuquerque, NM with Dr. Marji Prefontaine. In addition, call us today for a free telephone consultation.

Social Anxiety

While it is very common for people to be nervous or shy in new social situations,social anxiety is something else entirely. It is not simply a matter of being nervous around people, but having extreme difficulty with social situations.

 

Having social anxiety can be debilitating, keeping the person who has it from forming or maintaining friendships or relationships. Many people with social anxiety avoid speaking in public, fail to take jobs because of the interview, and rarely go out in public when there will be others around. It keeps them from everyday activities, which is why we feel it is important for patient to start getting treatment as soon as possible.

 

There are many treatments for social anxiety from Dr. Marji Prefontaine can help, including:

• Speaking in public.
• Dating and romance.
• Being more assertive.
• Building self-confidence.
• Making new friends.
• Building interpersonal skills.
• Advancing at work.

We help in a variety of ways, including identifying the overall cause of the anxiety, providing one-on-one counseling sessions and behavioral therapy, and helping with individual desires, like relationships or learning interpersonal skills.

 

If you have social anxiety, visit the Relationship Center of Albuquerque in Albuquerque, NM today. For our patient’s convenience, we offer morning Saturday hours.

Compulsive Disorders

Here at the Relationship Center of Albuquerque, we provide treatments for patients for a variety of conditions, including compulsive disorders. A compulsive disorder is an addiction to anything, whether it is sex, shopping, drugs and alcohol, smoking cigarettes, or eating. With an addiction, the sufferer feels like they need to do something and do not have control over it. It goes beyond abusing drugs, alcohol, or cigarettes, and becomes a need, rather than a desire.

We understand how damaging compulsive disorders can be not only to the individual, but others involved as well. This is why we offer counseling to help the individual and their loved ones get through the disorder without permanent damage.

Through regular visits, Dr. Marji Prefontaine provides behavioral therapy sessions, group counseling, and individual cognitive counseling to work through the cause of the compulsive disorder. This helps the individual identify where the problem started, in order to devise a proper way and treatment plan to manage it.

We recommend calling us at 505-821-1948 if you or someone you love is dealing with a compulsive disorder and is ready to get help.

Social Anxiety Disorder

Here at the Relationship Center of Albuquerque, we treat a variety of anxiety issues, including social anxiety disorder. While many people experience some level of nervousness in social situations, people with social anxiety disorder find themselves to have a deeply-rooted problem that causes them to avoid most social functions. These individuals find that the social situations are so stressful, it becomes debilitating to them.

Having social anxiety disorder can also affect everyday situations sufferers need to be involved in, such as:

1. Eating or drinking in public.

2. Working in front of other people.

3. Using public restrooms.

4. Speaking on the phone.

5. Being the center of attention.

6. Working in an office environment.

Social anxiety disorder prevents itself through a variety of symptoms, including not being able to introduce yourself to others, constantly worrying about embarrassing yourself, and avoiding social situations just so you don’t deal with these intense emotions.

Dr. Marji Prefontaine treats social anxiety disorder, including diagnosing this disorder and helping patients with a wide range of situations. In particular, this includes helping patients in a one-on-one environment with dating, public speaking, making friends, gaining confidence at work, working on interpersonal skills, being more assertive, and being more confidence in social situations overall. If you are experiencing social anxiety in Albuquerque, NM, don't hesitate to call us directly and confidentially at 505-821-1948.

Health Anxiety or Hypochondria

Health anxiety or hypochondria is a type of anxiety that affects the way people feel about their health. They often become obsessed with their own health, assuming every symptom, sore throat, headache, ache, or pain is due to a serious illness or disease. Dr. Marji Prefontaine treats this type of anxiety through different methods, including counseling, medication, and education about what hypochondria is.

The common symptoms of health anxiety or hypochondria include:

• Believing minor symptoms can lead to a serious illness.


• Seeing doctors repeatedly for these minor symptoms.


• Having intense anxiety about having a serious disease.


• Switching doctors often because the previous one did not provide a diagnosis.


• Doing health research on an obsessive level.


• Checking vital signs frequently.


• Checking your body for sores or lumps frequently.


• Thinking you have a disease you read about.

Here at Relationship Center of Albuquerque, we treat different types of anxiety, including health anxiety or hypochondria. It is a common occurrence, even though many individuals feel there is nothing wrong with them on a psychological level. If you are experiencing any of the above symptoms, call our office at 505-821-1948 to schedule an appointment.

Couples Counseling

At Relationship Center of Albuquerque, we provide counseling and therapy for individuals, couples, and families experiencing issues in their lives. Couples counseling is one of our more common types of therapy, which helps couples of all kinds with issues in their relationship. But it isn’t just couples with problems that visit us; we also believe in couples counseling for improving the relationship and helping the bond become even stronger.

Children do not participate in couples counseling if the couple has children. Couples counseling here at Relationship Center of Albuquerque is only for improving the couple and providing them with a healthier relationship. We help our patients improve on their communication, find resolution, and give them a free space to talk about their emotions, feelings, worries, and concerns. Some couples need help with intimacy issues, while others are having struggles with their parenting styles or financial situations.

Dr. Marji Prefontaine opens up the line of communication in the couple, assessing any issues they are facing and helping them to heal. In many cases, just having a neutral third party to listen to them helps both people in the couple come to better understanding with what the other person is going through. If you’re considering couples counseling, learn more by calling us at 505-821-1948.