Anger Management

Anger is an emotion just like happiness, sadness, or being excited. However, does anger negatively affect your relationships, your job, or other important areas of your life? For some people, their anger leads them to be terminated from their job, alienate them from friends and family, and sometimes put them into serious legal trouble. Often times, anger and frustration gets in the way of the direction you would like to take in your life. Have you had an isolated incident with anger which concerns you or is anger a pattern that plagues multiple areas of your life? Learning about your own relationship with anger, how it affects your life, and how to cope with it effectively is skill that is very attainable and valuable to learn and maintain. My method of counseling uses a strong Cognitive Behavioral model of treatment to address anger by creating a targeted individual plan of treatment unique to the needs of each client.

Teenagers

Adolescence (teenage years) is a unique stage of growth. It is often a time when teens crave two seemingly opposing needs: independence and support. Developmental needs of adolescents are unique in that they have “grown up” in many ways and yet in other ways; they are still children. For many, they have the body of an adult, but the brain’s development is still a few years behind. Along with being in between childhood and adulthood, there is the emergence of hormones and changing body chemistry, intense social pressures, and the natural desire to individuate from parents, combined with the stresses of modern life. It is no wonder that so many adolescents have trouble during this time of life.

 When teens are going through a rough time, such as family troubles or problems in school, they might feel more supported if they talk to a therapist. They may be feeling sad, angry, or overwhelmed by what's been happening — and need help sorting out their feelings, finding solutions to their problems, or just feeling better. It is normal for teens to begin to separate from their parents emotionally as they begin to develop their own sense of independence and identity. Your relationship with your child often changes significantly in adolescence. Teenagers can be moody, critical, combative, and absent-minded, but they are also creative, energetic, and impassioned about the world and their place in it. I have worked extensively with teenagers and their families, and have worked in day treatment, residential, school-based, probation, and community based programs. I collaborate with both child and parent to understand the issues that are causing difficulties and concerns and work collaboratively to develop plans of care and action to improve the well-being and relationship of both parties. I have extensive experience in working with adopted youth and children who have experienced significant abuse or trauma in their development.

Life Transitions

One of the most difficult realities of life is that change is the only constant. Seasons change, people come and go, all that lives dies. We often spend so much of our lives trying to achieve our goals, arrange our lives in the manner we desire, and hang onto pleasant situations and avoid unpleasant ones. Sometimes, what is good lasts and what is hard ends quickly; at other times, the reverse is true. One thing to remember is that change is often a stressor, and if you have experienced major changes in your life – such a losing a job or relationship, moving, or entering a new phase of life like your “first adult career”  or “the empty nest” – stress is a near certainty, and quite normal. Therapy can help you make changes in yourself to adjust to changes outside yourself. It can also help you get in touch with what is enduring, such as your values, strengths, and close social support system.

Relationships

Humans are relationship seeking beings and after food, shelter, and basic psychological safety- it is the relationships we choose that most determine the quality of our lives. That being said, the importance of relationships in our lives is crucial to our personal well being. Have you recently ended a significant relationship that held great meaning for you or are you in a current relationship that you’d like to gain better understand of or develop new skills to be successful?  Often times, people don’t know where to start when they think about ways that they can better communicate with or relate to others. People need a space to process these relationships and can get exceptional value from developing these skills by utilizing therapy. One of the most overlooked relationship a person has is with themselves and gaining a better understanding of your own processes, values, and feelings enable a person to take a more confident approach to the way they live. Carl Rogers, one of the founders of Humanistic Theory, stressed the value of “getting to know your lifelong roommate (you).” A great number of my clients’ careers are in very high-stress industries in the Bay Area and benefit greatly from directly addressing the career fatigue that they experience and how that affects their lifestyle and relationships.

Bradford also treats individuals for Depression, Childhood Trauma/Abuse, Anxiety, Self-Esteem Issues, Motivation, Grief/Loss, Adjustment, Career Issues.

Please contact Bradford for a 20-minute complimentary
phone consultation if you are considering therapy.