Counseling in Nashville

Mental health symptoms can arise following life-changing events, like the death of a loved one, a breakup, or losing a job. In addition, some people have chronic mental health disorders that can get more or less severe depending on a person’s current circumstances. Our mental health counseling in Nashville, Tennessee, can teach clients healthy coping skills, how to manage symptoms, and how to maintain mental wellness.

Freeman Health Partners provides mental health and addiction services to people in the Nashville area. We are here to help people learn to thrive despite their mental health symptoms. If you or someone you love needs therapy in Nashville, we are here to help.

What is Mental Health Counseling?

Mental health counseling occurs when a licensed professional helps their client manage symptoms. Most often, counseling occurs in a clinical setting, like an outpatient or inpatient treatment facility. However, unlike medical clinics, counseling services generally have a more inviting and home-like atmosphere.

During therapy in Nashville, a person will talk to their therapist about concerns and symptoms. The sessions can focus on issues relating to specific circumstances. These situations could include grief and loss, substance misuse, or addressing a phobia. Furthermore, counseling, along with psychiatric medications, is the most common treatment for mental health disorders. There are several types of counseling available, including individual counseling in Nashville, TN.

Individual, Group, and Family Counseling

Therapy in Nashville might involve one-on-one sessions, group therapy, or family counseling. One-on-one or individual counseling is the most common of these types. During individual counseling, clients meet one-on-one with a therapist or other mental health professionals to work through their symptoms or a specific problem.

Group therapy combined with individual sessions allows a client to practice their coping skills with others facing similar issues. That way, the person can gain feedback and support that can help them improve their mental health. Groups can vary based on the topics, symptoms, diagnosis, or demographics of the individuals. For instance, many inpatient treatment facilities offer men’s and women’s groups as well as LGBTQ+ groups.

Family counseling helps clients develop healthy relationships with their loved ones. This can also involve family members attending individual therapy themselves. Most often, family counseling includes the entire family unit or couples.

The Benefits of Counseling in Nashville

Our counseling services in Nashville offer several benefits for those with mental health and substance use disorders. Counseling can even help those with serious mental illnesses (SPMI) find new ways to cope and manage symptoms. In addition, counseling is most effective when it is part of a comprehensive treatment plan. These plans can also include things like medications, community support groups, experiential therapies, medical interventions, and holistic approaches.

The benefits of counseling include the following:

Improved communication skills to express thoughts and feelings
Better conflict resolution skills in relationships
Increased self-confidence and self-esteem
Develop healthy strategies to cope with everyday stressors
Decreased severity of symptoms
Ability to change self-defeating thoughts and behaviors
Safe environment to process challenging emotions
Replace unhelpful coping strategies with healthy ones
Prevent a worsening of symptoms when dealing with unexpected life events

One of the primary goals of counseling is to help a person thrive despite having mental health symptoms. While mental health disorders cannot be cured, our counseling services can effectively treat these symptoms. Clients find relief from symptoms and a better outlook on life due to counseling.

Signs a Person Needs Counseling

Sometimes, a person doesn’t know they could benefit from therapy in Nashville. They could be minimizing their issues or unaware of a problem. Others are masking their symptoms with substance misuse or other unhealthy behaviors. Also, some with long-term mental health disorders could experience a “flare-up” or relapse in symptoms.

The following are signs that a person could benefit from our counseling in Nashville, Tennessee:

Difficulty focusing or concentrating
A decline in performance at school or work
Overwhelming feelings of shame, guilt, or anxiety
Problems dealing with grief and loss
Trouble managing stress resulting in anger issues or health problems
Having panic attacks
Relationship problems with a partner or other loved ones
Feeling a lack of motivation
Loss of interest in pleasurable activities
Difficulty stopping compulsive behaviors
Emotional problems resulting from traumatic events
Misusing drugs or alcohol to manage stress or other mental health symptoms

Oftentimes, significant life changes can trigger mental health symptoms. These can be both negative and positive events. For example, becoming a parent can be life-changing and bring joy to a person’s life. At the same time, this can be challenging and cause increased stress. Individual counseling in Nashville, TN is beneficial to anyone who is having a difficult time navigating a specific situation or set of emotions.

Types of Counseling Approaches

There are many different approaches to mental health counseling. Some approaches are a better match for specific diagnoses. Alternatively, some clients respond better to one approach than another. That is why we offer different types of counseling, including individual counseling in Nashville, Tennessee.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT is one of the most common evidence-based treatments for several mental health disorders. In addition, many other types of therapy are variations of CBT for specific issues. During CBT a counselor helps a client change unhelpful thought patterns and beliefs that influence their behaviors.

CBT can help with common mental health symptoms, such as depression and anxiety. It can also help with specific challenges, such as accepting change and coping with loss.

The following are some other common variations of CBT:

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)
Rational emotive behavioral therapy (REBT)
Mindfulness-based stress reduction

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

DBT is a type of therapy developed specifically for symptoms of borderline personality disorder (BPD). However, DBT can help people with other disorders as well. DBT is best for people with symptoms like:

“Black-and-white” or “all-or-nothing” thinking
Severe and sudden mood changes
Significant relationship problems
Self-harming behaviors
Difficulty regulating emotions
A low threshold to tolerate distress

DBT teaches clients that two seemingly contradictory thoughts or beliefs can co-exist. For example, a loved one could unintentionally hurt a person’s feelings, yet still care for that person.

Trauma-Informed Care During Individual Counseling in Nashville, TN

Trauma-informed care is more of an underlying principle of our counseling services than a specific therapy. Essentially, our treatment professionals assume that most people have experienced some form of trauma in their lives. This is because traumatic experiences tend to be a common underlying factor in mental health disorders.

With trauma-informed care, counselors are careful not to unintentionally overwhelm or re-traumatize their clients. That way, clients can feel safe to open up about their symptoms and experiences during individual counseling in Nashville, TN.

Find Mental Health Counseling in Nashville Today

Freeman Health Partners understands that mental health symptoms can impact a person’s overall health and quality of life. In addition, they could develop unhealthy coping mechanisms that lead to co-occurring disorders, like substance use or other addictive behaviors. We ensure that we provide the best counseling services to our clients for these reasons.