Therapists in 99503
Mike Blakey
Psychologist, PsyD
Verified Verified
Anchorage, AK 99503
I work at Greatland Clinical Associates located in Anchorage. As a therapist, I strive to provide a supportive, respectful and collaborative therapeutic environment where you can fully explore your concerns, challenges, and values. I support the humanistic principles that people are best helped by a therapist who is psychologically present and establishes a therapeutic environment that is accepting, empathic, and authentic. The relationship the client and therapist build is itself an important agent of change and therefore, is an integral part of the therapy focus.
I work at Greatland Clinical Associates located in Anchorage. As a therapist, I strive to provide a supportive, respectful and collaborative therapeutic environment where you can fully explore your concerns, challenges, and values. I support the humanistic principles that people are best helped by a therapist who is psychologically present and establishes a therapeutic environment that is accepting, empathic, and authentic. The relationship the client and therapist build is itself an important agent of change and therefore, is an integral part of the therapy focus.
H B Acker
Psychologist, PhD
Verified Verified
Anchorage, AK 99503
Confidentiality, trust, and therapeutic compatibility are essential for the successful resolution of a person's problems in counseling and psychotherapy. They form the foundation for an honest dialogue between client and therapist that enhances a person's ability to deal with what is true in their life. As a therapist, my job is to help clients identify and resolve those truths and move on, feeling better about themselves and more confident in their ability to handle the difficult problems and challenges that life presents.
Confidentiality, trust, and therapeutic compatibility are essential for the successful resolution of a person's problems in counseling and psychotherapy. They form the foundation for an honest dialogue between client and therapist that enhances a person's ability to deal with what is true in their life. As a therapist, my job is to help clients identify and resolve those truths and move on, feeling better about themselves and more confident in their ability to handle the difficult problems and challenges that life presents.
Jeff Brakhage
Licensed Professional Counselor, LPC
Verified Verified
Anchorage, AK 99503
Jeff works with clients who are beginning with counseling for their emotional, relational, life transition, mental health, medical, end-of-life, grief/loss, and/or addiction issues, as well as those who have been to counseling and are looking for new, more effective approaches and treatments for their concerns. Not only does Jeff have training for the issues above, he also continued to study, receiving certifications in the specialization of treating PTSD, C-PTSD, Developmental Trauma, 'Little t' trauma, abuse, and deprivation.
Jeff works with clients who are beginning with counseling for their emotional, relational, life transition, mental health, medical, end-of-life, grief/loss, and/or addiction issues, as well as those who have been to counseling and are looking for new, more effective approaches and treatments for their concerns. Not only does Jeff have training for the issues above, he also continued to study, receiving certifications in the specialization of treating PTSD, C-PTSD, Developmental Trauma, 'Little t' trauma, abuse, and deprivation.
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Chronic Pain Therapists
How does chronic pain therapy work?
Engaging with a psychotherapist to help treat chronic pain does not mean that one’s pain is all in their head. Therapy for chronic-pain patients has been shown to benefit both the mind and the body, targeting physical symptoms and increasing daily functioning. In other words, for many, addressing their emotional health through therapy affects their physical health. A therapist can help a client challenge unhelpful thoughts about pain and develop new ways to respond to it, such as distraction or calming breathing techniques. Studies have found that therapy can be as effective as surgery for certain cases of chronic pain and many doctors recommend trying psychotherapy in advance of considering invasive surgery.
What are the most effective treatment options for chronic pain?
Stress, anxiety, depression, catastrophizing, ruminating, lack of activity, and social withdrawal all make chronic pain worse. Addressing these issues, research shows, can help people gain control over their pain symptoms. Therapeutic approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy, biofeedback, and mindfulness-based stress reduction, along with greater pain-management education, have been found to help people reduce fear and disability.
Are there new treatments for chronic pain?
Many cases of chronic pain, particularly those involving back pain, remain medically unexplained. But there is evidence that changes in the brain or nervous system are caused by previous physical ailments such as tissue damage; in such cases, the brain may continue to send out pain signals despite the physical cause having healed. To aid patients under these circumstances, a recently developed treatment known as pain reprocessing therapy (PRT) is designed to help the brain “unlearn” this response. A PRT practitioner helps individuals to reduce the “threat value” of their ongoing pain signals until they can reappraise them as less threatening and fear-inducing. They also help an individual to develop new emotional regulation skills.
How long does therapy for chronic pain take?
There is no set timeline for recovery from chronic pain, especially as there may be a range of physical and psychological causes for any individual’s discomfort, but most patients should expect to see a therapist for a number of weeks or months, typically spanning at least 12 sessions. Studies of pain reprocessing therapy found that many individuals’ experience of pain lessened in eight sessions over four weeks.