Therapists in Iowa
Today you are one step closer to achieving your goals and beginning a positive path toward growth and well-being. While we can't change difficult situations of the past, we can work to better understand and resolve challenges in life. Applying complementary therapy approaches and techniques, we will begin to change long-standing behavior patterns or negative perceptions holding you back from a more fulfilling and meaningful life.If you're looking for extra support and guidance through a challenging situation or ready to move in a new direction in life, I look forward to assisting you to achieve.
Today you are one step closer to achieving your goals and beginning a positive path toward growth and well-being. While we can't change difficult situations of the past, we can work to better understand and resolve challenges in life. Applying complementary therapy approaches and techniques, we will begin to change long-standing behavior patterns or negative perceptions holding you back from a more fulfilling and meaningful life.If you're looking for extra support and guidance through a challenging situation or ready to move in a new direction in life, I look forward to assisting you to achieve.
Elizabeth Koshatka
Pre-Licensed Professional, MA, tLMHC, LPC-IT, SAC-IT
Verified Verified
West Des Moines, IA 50266
Beth is an empathetic, passionate, and driven counselor who strives to create a welcoming and safe space for her clients where they can feel empowered to make meaningful changes in their lives. She creates individualized treatment plans with her clients using a variety of evidence-based theories and practices to attend to their specific goals. Beth uses a systemic lens, meaning she will work with her clients to explore all systems and areas in life that may be impacting the client. Beth has experience with and utilizes Acceptance and Commitment therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Psychodynamic, Gestalt, and other theories.
Beth is an empathetic, passionate, and driven counselor who strives to create a welcoming and safe space for her clients where they can feel empowered to make meaningful changes in their lives. She creates individualized treatment plans with her clients using a variety of evidence-based theories and practices to attend to their specific goals. Beth uses a systemic lens, meaning she will work with her clients to explore all systems and areas in life that may be impacting the client. Beth has experience with and utilizes Acceptance and Commitment therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Psychodynamic, Gestalt, and other theories.
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Dementia Therapists
Can dementia patients benefit from counseling?
Dementia patients can often benefit significantly from counseling. While neurologists typically treat dementia itself, counselors provide crucial emotional support for patients and their families. Therapists specializing in dementia can help clients navigate aging, end-of-life issues, social isolation, sleep challenges, and grief. They can also assist clients in adapting to the disease by addressing caregiving concerns and supporting family members. Counselors will often also collaborate with a patient's neurologist or other medical providers to manage dementia symptoms and medication needs.
How can you tell if someone has dementia or Alzheimer's?
To determine if someone has dementia or Alzheimer's disease, there are several signs and diagnostic methods that medical professionals use. Early signs of dementia often include memory loss, difficulty with problem-solving, and challenges in completing familiar tasks. Diagnosing dementia or Alzheimer's requires a comprehensive approach, as there is no single definitive test, and initial diagnosis can sometimes be difficult as symptoms tend to worsen progressively over time. To make a diagnosis, medical professionals typically use a combination of methods, including standardized questionnaires and cognitive tests to assess memory, attention, and problem-solving skills, psychiatric evaluations to understand mental health status, brain scans to look for physical changes in the brain, as well as other medical tests to rule out other conditions.
What are the first-line treatment options for Alzheimer’s disease?
There is no cure for Alzheimer's disease, but catching the disease in its early-to-moderate phases can be beneficial in order to initiate first-line treatments to help manage symptoms. Medications such as galantamine, rivastigmine, and donepezil are examples of cholinesterase inhibitors that are commonly prescribed for Alzheimer’s disease. In addition, working with a therapist or social worker can also often help patients with the disease address common behavioral and lifestyle concerns, such as anxiety, depression, irritability, sleep problems, social support, and housing changes.
When to seek treatment for Alzheimer’s?
It’s best to seek treatment at the first signs of Alzheimer's. Early warning signs of Alzheimer’s include memory problems, such as forgetting appointments or directions, as well as trouble concentrating, paying attention, retrieving words, and carrying out daily household tasks. An early diagnosis can help people slow the progression of the disease with medication and plan for the future in terms of housing, social/caregiving support, and finances.