INDIVIDUAL THERAPY

Many individuals seek the support of psychotherapy at some point in their lives, whether to have a safe space to process thoughts, feelings, and events, to work on a specific issue, or to receive particular tools and insights from a trained professional. Some areas of focus might include:

  • Cultivating balance and mental & physical health in relationship to food, movement, and body
  • Improving self-esteem and self-acceptance
  • Developing strategies to reduce anxiety, depression, self-criticism, behavioral problems, or mental rigidity
  • Improving awareness and regulation of thoughts, emotions & behaviors
  • Identifying values and ensuring choices are aligned with these values
  • Processing and learning how to cope with traumatic experiences such as loss or abuse
  • Learning effective communication skills and boundary setting in relationships
  • Strengthening one’s support system
  • Connecting with a sense of meaning in life

At Olson Counseling Services, we offer individual therapy for pre-teens, adolescents, young adults, and adults of all ages.  We do not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, color, national origin, sex, religion, sexual orientation, age or disability.  Currently, the therapist is unable to offer communication assistance to primary clients who have limited English proficiency.

Individual Service Areas: [Will these be clickable/drop down?]

  • Eating Disorders/Disordered Eating
  • Anxiety & Stress Management
  • Mood Difficulties
  • Relational Issues
  • Self Esteem/Sense of Self
  • Grief/Loss
  • Faith/Spirituality

Please note that if your area of concern or need is not listed, this does not mean that we do not provide or have experience in these services.  Please contact us [link to Contact Us page] with inquiries or to schedule an initiation consultation.

EATING DISORDERS

Recognizing that you are struggling with disordered eating and choosing to make a change takes courage and strength.  Given pervasive societal messages about diet, exercise, and appearance, you might find yourself questioning whether you have an eating disorder or whether it’s “bad enough” to get help. You might feel tired or preoccupied by pursuit of body ideals, find yourself in a negative cycle with food and exercise, or overemphasize the value of appearance.  Some signs of disordered eating include:
  • Excessive concern with food, body, weight, and/or shape. Often accompanied by excessive planning, body-based obsessions or compulsions, and/or intense emotions. 
  • Eating compulsively when not hungry, using food excessively for coping, or eating large amounts in one sitting with a feeling of loss of control.  
  • Restriction of intake, including counting calories, following rigid rules, and limiting food variety.
  • Compensatory behaviors to eliminate calories, lose weight, or maintain shape.
Whether or not you have an eating disorder, these signs are cause for concern.  If you’d like to schedule an Eating Disorders Evaluation to get help with diagnoses and appropriate treatment recommendations for you or a loved ones, click here. [Link to ED Evaluation Service description.]
 
Through our work together, we will explore the role that food, exercise, and body image plays in your life, and contributing factors to the onset of issues.  We will learn about how the eating disorder has helped manage emotions and challenges and learn new skills for coping.  We will focus on reducing behaviors, identifying underlying emotions and needs, and revising unhelpful thoughts to help free you from negative and obsessive thoughts and patterns. 
 
Eating disorders treated include but are not limited to: Bulimia, Anorexia Nervosa, Obsessive Healthy Eating (“orthorexia”), Binge Eating Disorder, Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), Compulsive Exercise, Unspecified Eating Disorder.  For specific questions, please contact the therapist here. [click to Contact Us page.]
 
Common approaches for eating disorders include Family Based Therapy (FBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT).  Kira Olson, LMFT is specifically certified in FBT and has 5+ years of clinical experience working with eating disorders at multiple care settings.  She specializes in work with adolescents, college-aged students, and their families and also enjoys working with athletes, with background in Exercise Science and Personal Training.  Further, she is a certified Mindfulness Based Eating Awareness Training Qualified Instructor (MB-EAT-QI).  For more information on MB-EAT, developed by Dr. Jean Kristeller, please visit: https://www.mb-eat.com.  You can learn more about these services in the FAQ page here [clickable].  
Anxiety & Stress Management

Anxiety is one of the most common struggles and fortunately is very treatable.  Whether you suffer from panic attacks, OCD, specific fears, social anxiety, or general stress, anxiety can occupy excess energy, effect concentration, negatively impact sleep, lead to avoidance of certain activities or “safety behaviors,” interfere with relationships, and impact ability to be present and enjoy life. It is important to understand that anxiety often emerges when difficult feelings are not being addressed.  What complicates anxiety further is the tendency to run from our inner experience, rather than “sit with it” and seek understanding, which exacerbates the anxiety cycle. Our goal is to help reduce anxious feelings and thoughts using a variety of tools, include mindfulness, physical interventions, cognitive restructuring, and emotional processing to understand driving factors to anxiety.  Using evidence-based approaches and behavioral experiments at home, many people can experience anxiety reduction within a few months, depending on engagement and willingness.    

Self-Esteem/Sense of Self

Low self-esteem can interfere with mood and relationships and contribute to a number of other issues. Self worth issues often show up through perfectionism, Imposter’s Syndrome, reliance on achievement, status, or appearance for self-worth, self-criticism or blame, and shame.  You might not be able to identify any positive quality about yourself due to intense self-loathing.  Though some people believe they need to be hard on themselves to maintain motivation, self-criticism has been proven to drain energy and increase stress.

Mood Difficulties

Mood disorders, including depression and bipolar disorder, may involve extreme sadness, feelings of emptiness or irritability, periods of depression alternating with excessive happiness, or mood changes occurring as a result of hormonal issues, medications/substances, or illness.  Mood disorders can be debilitating and may include self-harm, suicidal ideation, withdrawal and isolation, apathy, poor hygiene, loss of interest/pleasure in activities, low mood, impulsivity, or excessive irritability/angry outbursts.  If you have a variable or intense emotional state, it may interfere with your view of self, relationship with others, and school or occupational functioning.  Treatment often involves a combination of therapy and medication, depending on the type and severity of mood issues and underlying factors.  Our focus will be to help you express thoughts and emotions effectively, engage socially and with interests, identify and alter automatic negative thoughts, increase support networks, and improve overall engagement and satisfaction with life.  There is hope that you don’t have to continue to feel this way!

Relational Issues

Relational issues are common.  Communication challenges, conflict, and emotional stress can impact mood and other areas of life.  Connections, including sense of belonging and community, are vital for a happy, meaningful life. If you are struggling in relationships with a friend, family member, or significant other, you are not alone.  At Olson Counseling Services, we will help build your confidence in navigating relationships through a combination of learning and practicing communication and emotional skills, understanding and addressing unhelpful patterns, setting boundaries in order to get your needs met, and making mindful relational decisions.  The approach we use is experiential and concrete, involving possible role play and at home practice.

The story we carry about ourselves and our lives has profound impact on the expression of our lives. Developing a stronger sense of self can serve as a buffer when we make mistakes, experience hurts in relationships, or receive constructive feedback from a coworker, teacher, or loved one. We at Olson Counseling Services strive to help you understand experiences and internalized messages contributing to self-esteem, embrace inherent worthiness based on shared humanity, identify personal skills and strengths, access self-compassion, and connect with your sense of value.   
Grief/Loss

Most people experience loss at some point in their lives. Grief is a reaction to any form of loss, which can include job, home, or pet loss, a school or work transition, identity changes, death of a loved one (bereavement), or separation from a loved one.  Grief can vary between individuals and includes a variety of emotional experiences, including denial, sadness, guilt, anger, yearning, and regret. Thoughts and behaviors are also likely to vary as a person processes and attempts to cope.  There is no right or wrong way to grieve, but it is important to get support with your processing.  Treatment might include verbal processing, art or writing interventions, development of rituals or use of symbolism, referral to grief support services, and/or re-establishing sense of purpose.  

Faith/Spirituality

We believe that effective counseling addresses the body, mind, and spirit.  There is increasing interest and research in the role of spirituality in both assessment and treatment.  Though we will not incorporate religion or spirituality into the work unless a client specifically requests it, we are equipped, through specific graduate level training, to incorporate these matters into the work, as clinically relevant.  Religion and spirituality can be a part of a client’s problem, such as with religious trauma or guilt, and also a part of the solution, providing a source of meaning, hope, and community.  It may be helpful to examine how certain beliefs and practices might be reflected in your thoughts and behaviors.  We remain non-judgmental and compassionate, with focus on helping a client clarify and live in congruence with personal beliefs and values.  For specific questions about the therapist’s training or approach, please Contact Us.