Jacqueline Bonelli Smith, MFT

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist

Seeking Psychotherapy

All of us throughout life have had to cope with stress one way or another. Talking to friends, reading books that relate to our experience, getting physically active and trying to break unhealthy habits are some of the many ways we can cope with stress.

People tend to seek professional help when their capacity to cope is overwhelmed or they are feeling stuck; when their attempt at handling things is becoming more of a problem than a solution; when they’ve tried everything but the mental pain and behavior problems persist.

Some examples of mental pain include anxiety, grief, depression, confusion, excessive shame or guilt, fear of being abandoned, obsessive thinking, indecisiveness, feelings of emptiness, frequent dissatisfaction with the way one looks, flashbacks of distressing memories, and excessive anger. The amount or intensity of pain is unique to you, and depends on your resilience, life experience and current situation.

Mental pain which is not addressed tends to develop into behavior problems such as constant arguments, addiction, defensiveness, isolation, interpersonal struggles, withdrawal, insomnia, compulsions, avoidance, anger outbursts, lack of assertiveness or impulsivity.