Therapist in West Orange, New Jersey

Shirley Court Gonzalez LCSW BCD endeavors to provide responsive and accessible mental health service in West Orange, New Jersey to people who are experiencing behavioral and mental health issues, such as anxiety, depression, anger management issues, marital conflict, and more. We offer a range of recovery-focused services and treatments intended to help our clients live happier, healthier lives.

Individual and Couples Psychotherapy

Maintaining a healthy and fulfilling relationship is not something that comes easy. We are here to help guide couples through difficult situations and repair or strengthen their bonds through professional and intimate counseling. If you are finding yourself at odds with your partner, then it is time to address the situation before it gets worse. We will work with you and your partner to help you better communicate and work through the issues impacting your relationship.

Anxiety and Depression Therapy

We work to help patients better understand and manage the physical and psychological effects of anxiety and depression. Through proven treatment methods, we seek to examine the root of your anxiety and/or depression, analyze the emotions associated with it, and reveal how you can change the resulting negative thoughts and behaviors. It is common for people to feel anxious from time to time, but when that feeling of anxiety begins to interfere with your daily life, it’s time to consider professional anxiety treatment. Our goal is to help you experience freedom from the debilitating effects of anxiety and depression and improve your quality of life.

Anger Management

Coping with anger and frustration is never an easy task, which is why we offer an anger management treatment. We provide anger treatment for individuals battling persistent and unmanageable feelings of rage. Utilizing a variety of techniques, we teach patients to control their anger for better relationships and happier, more productive lives. Persistent feelings of intense anger can have far-reaching consequences, including acts of aggression or violence, the destruction of important relationships, and an increased risk of health issues such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and depression. If you are having difficulties controlling your anger, or if someone you know has this problem, let us assist you. Learn how to control your anger before it controls you.

Cognitive Therapy

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a form of present-oriented psychotherapy which can be used to address a range of psychological problems, including anxiety, anger, marital conflict, depression, behavioral issues, and substance abuse. Unlike traditional Freudian psychoanalysis that focuses on childhood experiences to identify the root causes of conflict, CBT focuses on encouraging patients to identify present-time destructive behavior and negative patterns of thinking. Once these negative thoughts and behaviors have been identified, the CBT therapist will guide patients to change and overcome these negative thoughts and behaviors.

Bio Feedback

In general, we can control voluntary bodily functions like waving our hands, chewing food, standing up, sitting down, and more. However, we usually cannot control involuntary functions like our heart rate, temperature, or blood pressure because these are controlled by our nervous system. This is where the Bio Feedback technique can be used. By learning the technique, we can control bodily functions better. It involves the use of wearable electrical sensors that monitors heart rate, skin changes, temperature, and even brain activity. Because we have visual data of our bodily functions, we can decide how to respond to negative sensations like stress, anxiety, pain, etc. There are many techniques that can be learned such as deep breathing or muscle relaxation.

Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) Tapping

Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) Tapping is an alternative approach to treating different kinds of emotional distress and physical pain. This is also referred to as “tapping” because it tries to utilize techniques on psychological acupressure. This technique is effective in treating individuals who are suffering from anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This treatment focuses on applying pressure to different meridian points (or energy hotspots) in the body in order to restore the natural balance of your body’s energy. By restoring this balance, symptoms from negative experiences can also be relieved. Unlike acupuncture, the acupressure method of EFT uses tapping to apply pressure to energy points. If you are experiencing different kinds of psychological distress, you can try EFT Tapping to help relieve you of your symptoms.