Martin Psychological Services & Consulting, LLC

06/09/2023

Time for the insurance companies to start paying better rates to mental health providers and offer better networks - open networks- to insurance customers.

Substance abuse, homelessness and access to health services are among the issues that city officials say demand more resources in a new US Conference of Mayors survey.

06/09/2023

Growing evidence suggests consuming healthy foods and micronutrients fosters better mental health, while poor-quality diets diminish it.

06/08/2023

🆘Commonly I see many people with vitamin D deficiencies and they are LARGELY unaware of the problems this causes in their health. Vitamin D plays a huge role in our Immune system and overall bodily function.

📣Here are 10 signs that signal you may be vitamin D deficient:

Vitamin D is an essential nutrient that helps maintain healthy bones, muscles, immune system function, and brain health.

1💤 Feeling tired or fatigued: Vitamin D deficiency can cause fatigue and a lack of energy, even after getting enough sleep.

2. 😬Weakness and muscle pain: Low vitamin D levels can cause muscle weakness and pain, especially in the legs, hips, and lower back.

3🦴 Bone pain: Vitamin D deficiency can cause bone pain and tenderness, which can be especially noticeable in the shins, hips, and spine.

4👩🏽‍🦱Hair loss: Vitamin D plays an important role in hair growth, and low levels can lead to hair loss.

5🤕 Slow wound healing: Vitamin D deficiency can slow down the healing process of wounds and injuries.

6😢 Depression: Low levels of vitamin D have been linked to depression and mood disorders.

7🧠 Slow cognitive function: Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with slow cognitive function and memory problems.

8🤢 Frequent infections: Vitamin D plays an important role in immune function, and low levels can lead to frequent infections and illnesses.

9🚽 Digestive issues: Low levels of vitamin D have been linked to digestive problems such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

10🛌 Difficulty sleeping: Low vitamin D levels can interfere with sleep patterns and cause difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep.

If you experience any of these symptoms, it may be worth discussing your vitamin D levels with your healthcare provider and getting tested for deficiency.

This deficiency can lead to other problems with metabolism and if you are low, it is important to find out WHY! Is it an absorption issue? Is your body having trouble producing Vitamin D when you get natural sunlight? Do you need to get more sun ☀️ and take a supplement? Are other medications, poor diet, or dehydration affecting your ability to have proper D levels ? It is crucial for your health to find out why and address asap. Sustained low Vitamin D levels have been linked to dementia and this is helpful preventive care for physical and mental health!

06/08/2023

Assertiveness is a 🚨 CRITICAL skill in communication. 🗣️ Assertive communication is something that can be taught or coached.

☑️💭To be assertive means to confidently and effectively express your thoughts and feelings while respecting the boundaries of others.

⚠️It is important to note that being assertive does not mean being aggressive or disrespectful.

🛑Instead, it involves using clear and concise language, maintaining eye 👀 contact, and having a confident posture.

❗️It also means being able to say "no" without feeling guilty or ashamed.

🔑 One key benefit of assertiveness is that it allows you to take control of your life and achieve your goals.

💯When you are assertive, you are more likely to get what you want and need, whether that is in personal or professional relationships.

🙂Additionally, assertive communication can help build self-confidence and reduce anxiety and stress.

🎯However, being assertive does not come naturally to everyone. It may require practice and learning new communication skills.

💡Some tips for improving assertiveness include using "I" statements instead of "you" statements, expressing your needs clearly and directly, and using active listening to understand the other person's perspective.

🛑🗣️Assertiveness is a crucial skill in communication. It involves confident and effective expression of thoughts and feelings while respecting the boundaries of others.

☀️By being assertive, you can take control of your life, achieve your goals, and build self-confidence

02/13/2023

Understanding the issues concerning su***de and mental health is an important way to take part in su***de prevention, help others in crisis, and change the conversation around su***de.

06/09/2022

June is PTSD Awareness Month –
How to Support Others and Heal from PTSD

From The Rosenzweig Center for Rapid Recovery:

In 2010, the US Senate declared June 27th National PTSD Awareness Day. Since then, it has been expanded to the entire month of June. Similarly, our awareness and understanding of PTSD continues to grow and expand, since its official recognition as a diagnosis in 1980. Below is a list of ways to learn about and support PTSD awareness, throughout the month of June and beyond.

Check out the VA Calendar: Soldier’s Heart. Shell Shock. Battle Fatigue. Beginning with the American Civil War, a new name would emerge to describe the symptoms experienced by soldiers returning from each subsequent US battle.

Part of raising awareness of PTSD is recognizing that it is not a diagnosis reserved for those who return from the harrows of combat. The first murmurs of this were during World War II when it was named by the broader term “gross stress reaction.” Nonetheless, veterans remain a large percentage of those who deal with PTSD, and were the first to bring attention and urgency to the issue.

The US Department of Veteran Affairs has published a calendar with an activity for every day in June, many of which apply to the general population. June 1 invites visitors to take a written pledge to raise awareness of PTSD as an individual or on behalf of an organization. Other options are finding and hosting a virtual PTSD awareness event, links to crisis resources and coaching apps, and invitations to listen to the stories of PTSD survivors and their loved ones.

Wear Your Support on Your Sleeve: PTSD awareness is symbolized by the color teal. Beyond being appropriately soothing, there is little mention as to why the color was chosen for this cause. It’s worth considering that just as blue, green, and white combine to make teal, the traits behind each color combine to create a supportive statement. Blue represents trust, calm, faith, strength, stability, power and confidence. Green represents balance, soothing, and peace. White means hope and light.

Ribbons and gestures may seem superficial, or worse, seem to call attention to the wearer rather than the cause. Yet, so much of the misunderstanding surrounding PTSD, and the isolation suffered by those who struggle with it, is due to the emotional effects of trauma occurring underneath an otherwise calm surface. By wearing colors or pieces sufferers can signal that they are dealing with more than meets the eye, inviting people to be gentle and understanding. Supporters can wear them to show support. Either way, any conversation is one more small inroad toward awareness.

Look into Treatment Methods: As awareness grows, so do the number of treatment options. One prevalent method is Cognitive Processing Therapy, which involves weekly sessions of 60-90 minutes over a twelve-week period, most of which consists of writing and talking about your traumatic event and its resulting effects. Prolonged Exposure Therapy primarily addresses the avoidance aspect of PTSD. Clients write a list of places or things they have been avoiding and learn to face them, one at a time. Stress Inoculation Training involves light massage and breathing techniques, and for those hesitant to share their trauma stories, it focuses more on changing the resulting feelings.

One method of treatment that is quickly gaining traction is Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART). It integrates eye movements, with other therapeutic modalities such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy and Guided Imagery. Under the slogan, “Keep the memory, lose the pain,” clients report experiencing significant relief after just one session. At least in one instance, it’s being used as a method to treat troops while they are still stationed, making it possible for them to return home with a clean slate, without losing any precious time to trauma.

Recently ART trained Chief Behavioral Health Officer Colonel Chris Atkins, offers this testament to the efficacy of the training from his station in the Middle East:

“ART has been an amazing gift to the troops here struggling with nightmares, combat trauma, body image issues, and even relationship concerns. ART has dramatically increased sleep and reduced anxiety and even panic attacks. I saw complete elimination in combat stress-related nightmares of enemy attacks even after 1 ART session! I have been following the scripts in every single session. Thank you Jennifer and team for an amazing gift of healing to our service members. Because of ART, my clinic was the busiest one in the Middle East. People kept referring their friends to work on THEIR scenes!”

Nearly 150 years after the world was introduced to the word “soldier’s heart,” we are closer than ever to healing.

06/07/2022

The appearance of anger and its deeper reality are worlds apart.

02/11/2022

How Does ADHD affect interpersonal relationships?

Maybe this is you, the person with ADHD, or perhaps you can understand another person or loved one a little better.....

Interpersonal relationships define and fulfill us. But for those of us with ADHD, our symptoms can negatively impact our friends and spouses. While we know how ADHD can affect our ability to focus, remember, and get things done, we rarely talk about ADHD's impact on our ability to create and maintai...