Frequently Asked Questions

Therapy at Irving Mindful Therapy, LLC can benefit anyone who is struggling with trauma related depression and/or anxiety or who is ready to move beyond early substance recovery to address root causes or contributors to their dis-ease.  Mary Kay works with men and woman from their 20's through post-retirement years.    

In your first therapy session, we will discuss your reasons for seeking therapy and your goals for treatment. We will also talk about your medical history and any current symptoms you may be experiencing.  We'll discuss what has worked or not worked for you in previous therapy or support groups.  

At Irving Mindful Therapy, LLC we teach or help clients expand on their habits and emotion regulation skills using mindfulness, DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) and lifestyle practices that are shown in emerging science to be beneficial the the brain, mood and happiness.  

The frequency of therapy sessions will depend on your individual needs and goals. Many clients attend therapy once a week, while others may attend less frequently. We will work with you to develop a personalized treatment plan.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing or EMDR Therapy is an 8 stage comprehensive psychotherapy approach that has been researched extensively and is highly recommended by many experts in trauma treatment including the American Psychiatric Association and the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.

In addition to being a recommended treatment for trauma recovery, EMDR therapy is also helpful in reducing and eliminating anxiety, stress, addiction, disturbing memories, complicated grief and in the enhancement of performance. It has also been helpful for many in reducing depression associated with negative belief patterns.

A combination of CBT and Humanism with a mindfulness foundation, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) was developed by Marsha Linehan, PhD in the 1970's.  The principles of dialectical thinking allows us to synthesize two seemingly opposing experiences that helps us to move out of conflicted emotional experiences and move beyond black and white, all or nothing thinking.  The approach helps us to develop compassion for ourselves and others, identify and change maladaptive beliefs that have kept us stuck in pain and allows us to set and assert boundaries where we most need them.  This approach emphasizes the learning of 4 areas of skills including mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance and interpersonal effectiveness.  

The practice of being mindful means to be intentionally aware of your present moment experience.  Some develop this ability through meditation practices or other mindfulness based exercises.   Both meditation and mindfulness practices are greatly helpful to reducing anxiety, calming the nervous system, reducing depressed mood, enhancing memory, cognition and improving sleep. Mindful awareness practices can be practiced anywhere, at any time such as while you are shopping, or driving, hiking or biking.  Developing your capacity for present moment awareness will enhance your ability to use and apply knowledge and skills you learn, to calm your nervous system, regulate your emotions and communicate more effectively with others.  Learning and practicing mindfulness is one of the foundational practices of DBT.