It is a pattern of behavior by one partner designed to establish power or control over the other partner. It can take the form of physical, verbal, sexual, emotional or psychological abuse. Most people think of physical violence as the only type of relationship abuse. But in fact, more than 30 years of relationship violence research has indicated that the verbal and emotional abuse has as much or more negative impact on survivors of violence than physical abuse. Watch Kati Morton's video to learn more.

Acts of Physical Violence Examples:

• Holding partner down
• Pushing or shoving partner
• Keeping partner in one room against their will 
• Threatening to use force
• Breaking, throwing or damaging partner's belongings
• Blocking exits
• Hitting or punching 
• Squeezing and leaving bruises
• Pushing out of car or keeping someone restrained in a car
• Abuse, or threatened abuse, of children or pets
• Forced sex or unwanted touching
• Driving recklessly while you are in the car
• Twisting arms or tearing clothes
• Standing or sitting on you​

Acts of Psychological Abuse

• Isolating another from family & friends
• Being irresponsible with money
• Controlling access to money
• Withholding sex
• Criticizing a partner's looks
• Unwanted sexual demands
• Making fun of partner
• Keeping partner up all night
• Blaming the other partner for all relationship problems
• Threatening breakup, divorce or separation
• Having affairs
• Constant questioning about activities
• Using alcohol and/or drugs
• Refusing to work
• Keeping partner from working

​Acts of Verbal Abuse
​

• Unwarranted accusations of cheating
• Calling you names (i.e. whore, slut, bastard, etc.)
• Leaving nasty voicemails
• Harassing text messages
• Giving you the "silent treatment" as punishment
• Making insulting and critical comments about you (e.g., "you're so dumb", "you're fat", etc.)
• Yelling or screaming at you
• Being sarcastic
• Threats to use violence against you
• Threats to children or pets
• Telling you that nothing is good enough
• Criticism of your memory-- telling you what you remembered did not happen

If you feel you are in danger, immediately call 911. 

If you would like to take a free assessment used by law enforcement to determine the threat level, click here. You can also call the National Domestic Violence Hotline 24 hours a day, 7 days a week or check out the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence website to learn more.

For more local resources on domestic violence, check out the Center for Family Safety and Healing resource page. To reach out to a counselor at Columbus Behavioral Health that specializes in relationship issues/challenges, please call our office at 614-360-2600. 

NATIONAL HOTLINES

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or call 1-800-273-TALK
• National Domestic Violence Hotline or call 1−800−799−7233​
• Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline or call 1-800-422-4453

LOCAL CRISIS/INPATIENT FACILITIES

• Netcare Access: 24/7 Crisis Stabilization or 614-276-2273 for Franklin County
• Nationwide Children's Hospital
• OSU Harding Hospital
• Dublin Springs
• Ohio Hospital for Psychiatry
• ​Riverside Hospital​

​
LOCAL AREA RESOURCES

• Center for Family Safety and Healing​: An invaluable resource for domestic violence survivors in Central Ohio
• Franklin County Children Services
• Sexual Assault Response Network of Central Ohio (SARNCO)

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If you are seeking help for a mental health condition, therapy may be the best option for you. Therapy gives people a long-term solution to help manage feelings that may affect your daily routines or functions. If you are trying to manage or find support for current circumstances, counseling may be a good fit for you and may provide a short term fix to an issue you are dealing with. 

Common Misconceptions about Attending Therapy or Counseling 

Often times, people believe if you go to therapy, you will automatically be referred for medication. While it is true that some people who go to therapy end up taking medication, the majority of people do not. And even if you do take medication for a time, you probably will not need to be on it forever. Everyone is different, and if that is a concern for you, then you need to disclose that to your provider.

Other misconceptions about therapy include believing other people might think you are crazy if you attend therapy. Therapy is often vital to get healthy and stay healthy just like you go to the dentist to keep your teeth healthy and prevent other dental issues. It is not a sign of weakness that you get your teeth cleaned every 6-12 months, it is a sign of taking your health seriously and preventing bigger problems before they occur by being proactive. The same is to be said of your mental, psychological health! 

Another misconception we often hear is how difficult it can be to find a counselor/provider. This is sometimes because many providers are in solo private practice and do not have full-time administrative office help. So, if you call or email and don’t get a response, that could be the reason for the difficulty. At Columbus Behavioral Health, we strive to make it easy to schedule an appointment by having an office staff to assist you with the process. We recommend being open with your availability. You will have fewer options of therapists to work with if you are only willing to be seen at 5 PM or on the weekends. The more availability you can provide, your willingness to use to the online scheduler or patient portal, the more likely it is that you will be able to find a counselor quickly.  

We Believe Finding a Therapist is Easier than Ever

It is easier than ever to find a therapist, because most therapists these days have websites, most are seeing patients in person and virtually, taking insurance and accepting new patients. The best place to start when searching for your therapist or counselor is by being honest with yourself about two or three issues that are really causing you emotional pain, and looking for a provider who specializes in these issues. Most people do not know that different therapists specialize in different presenting mental health challenges. So, if you go to a therapist to talk about your work stress, when what you really need to talk about is your obsessive compulsive disorder or OCD, you may or may not get help that you need. OCD requires some amount of specialization, as do eating disorders, infertility, substance abuse, chronic pain, etc.

At Columbus Behavioral Health, we offer information about each of our therapists and what they specialize in. We work hard to match you up with a therapist that we feel is the best fit to help you reach your mental health goals. To learn more about our therapists in the Central  Ohio area, visit our provider directory or call our office to speak with our office staff about which therapist may be best for your mental health journey.

It can be really intimidating when one begins looking for a therapist, especially when there are so many to choose from, as there are here in Columbus, Ohio! 

There are different degrees and acronyms to refer to when searching for a therapist or counselor, so we've developed a quick therapist tip sheet to help you with your search:

• Ph.D. = a therapist with a doctor of philosophy in psychology, which usually means at least seven years of training beyond the Bachelors Degree. They may have completed their Masters Degree during their training, a dissertation, and passed a written national licensure exam, as well as a state oral and written exam in order to practice. Psychologists usually have expertise in psychological testing.
  
• Psy.D. = someone with a Doctorate in Psychology, which means probably 5 to 7 years of graduate training beyond the Bachelors Degree.
  
• LISW = a therapist is a licensed independent social worker, which means they have a Masters Degree in social work, and completed the necessary hours and exam to work independently.
  
• LPCC = Masters Degree in counselor education, completed the 2000 supervised hours and passed the written exam to work independently.

Psychologists, counselors, and social workers do not prescribe medications. Only psychiatrists, who are medical doctors, and psychiatric nurse practitioners prescribe medicine. Some psychiatrists offer talk therapy as well, but this is the exception and not the rule.

During therapy or counseling sessions, the first session is usually about telling your story, and the second session is about filling in some of the gaps you didn’t get time for during the first session. If by the end of the third session, you do not feel some amount of connection with your therapist and/or help in some meaningful way, you either need to begin the fourth session with a discussion about more specifically what you were looking for out of your treatment or you need to find a new therapist.

Therapists tend to know that patients sometimes feel as though they aren't progressing and often times, therapist feel the same way too! It’s important to have an open and honest dialogue about what your challenges are so that the therapy may be beneficial to you. 

The other thing to note is that there is no way to fail at therapy. The time is yours to use or not use as you see fit. But you should know that you are likely only going to get out of it what you put into it. Meaning, if you choose to adapt a more active style, by taking notes, asking specific questions, having agenda items to discuss at each session, asking your therapist for what you need - you are likely to get more out of the work than if you just sit on a couch and listen to yourself talk for an hour.

At Columbus Behavioral Health, we are here to assist you with making the most out of therapy sessions and will offer any support or advice to assist you with your mental health journey. For a list of counselors in the Columbus, Ohio area at Columbus Behavioral Health, please visit: ​https://www.columbusbehavioralhealth.com/provider-directory.html 

We understand life happens and with that comes stress at times! We want to support you through your mental health journey by staying stress-free. Our counselors and medication management prescribers are here for you if you need extra support through life's busiest and most stressful times. For more information about our providers, visit our provider directory: ​https://www.columbusbehavioralhealth.com/provider-directory.html 

What is ADHD?

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is one of the most common neurodevelopment disorders of childhood. Children with ADHD often have trouble with being easily distracted and with sustaining attention, as well as behaving in ways that are disruptive to others or harmful to themselves.

So how do you know when your child’s attention difficulties necessitate treatment?

Does your child?

• forget or lose things a lot (inattention)
• fidget or squirm constantly (hyperactivity)
• talk too much (hyperactivity)
• make careless mistakes with schoolwork or chores (inattention)
• procrastinate on homework or chores (inattention)
• avoid tasks s/he does not enjoy (inattention)
• have trouble getting along with other children or siblings (hyperactivity)
• have trouble remembering what to do or not to do (inattention)
• have a hard time resisting urges to do things parents have said not to do (hyperactivity)
• daydream or appear lost in space (inattention)
• run or play in ways that are reckless (hyperactivity)

There are three subtypes: predominantly inattentive, predominantly hyperactive, and combined inattentive and hyperactive. Symptoms might change over time as the child ages.

How is ADHD diagnosed?

There is no single test for ADHD and no single type of provider who diagnoses it. Pediatricians, psychologists and psychiatrists can all diagnose ADHD but might use different methods to do so. Physicians might use checklists and clinical interviews of symptoms while psychologists tend to use cognitive tests.

I think my child might have ADHD. What do I do?

1. Keep a log. One place to start is by logging when you notice behaviors that seem inattentive or hyperactive. Is this occurring just at home or just at school or is it happening across settings? Is it worse on school days or on the weekends? With this, you want to rule out that it is one setting where your child is under-stimulated or having more trouble with behavior.
2. Rule out other factors. Just like adults, kids behavior is complex. Is food, sleep, anxiety, depression, boredom, vision or hearing contributing to the attention problem? Note those things in your log too. Did this only come to light after a parental divorce, job change or move or were these behaviors chronic?

How does ADHD impact how my child thinks?

1. For example, some children with ADHD process information more slowly, so it might take them longer to solve problems. 
2. Other children might have trouble with their memory as a result so although information is processed quickly, it might not be getting encoded into short or long term memory. 
3. Still others might process quickly and remember, but it might have incomplete processing. One way to think about this is when you have ADHD it’s as though someone is switching channels on your TV several times so if you were watching four different shows for an hour how much would you know about what happened and the plot of each of those four shows? You might know loosely what happened but the details of how and when it happened might be challenging to Recount if you were asked. That is how attention lapses affect most people.

What kinds of treatment exist for ADHD?

Like other disorders, ADHD is best treated with a combination of medication and therapy. 
Therapy with younger children usually involves meeting with the parents to identify ways to reinforce positive behaviors and school intervention. With older children, therapy might involve play or strategizing ways to cope with distractions.

Medicine might include psychostimulants such as amphetamines and methylphenidate. In pre-school age children, amphetamines are the only FDA-approved medication. In older children, Clonidine, Guanfacine, Atomoxetine are some of the many other FDA-approved options. The goal of medicine is to improve symptoms in order to restore functioning at home and at school.

Therapy can help with organizing one’s environment to make it less distracting and and coping with secondary difficulties such as low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, assertiveness, and performance anxiety— all of which are common comorbidities with ADHD.

While we do not offer ADHD testing at CBH, we do have many skilled child therapists who can help you and your child. Please check out our provider directory to find out more.

EMDR or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy is a structured type of therapy that encourages the patient to briefly focus on the memory caused by a specific trauma while simultaneously experiencing bilateral stimulation (typically eye movements), which is associated with a reduction in the vividness and emotion associated with the trauma memories. EMDR therapy has proven that the mind can heal from psychological trauma. (https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/treatments/eye-movement-reprocessing)

​According to the APA, EMDR uses a structured 8 phase approach for treatment. The therapist begins with history-taking, then prepares the patient, finds the target memory causing trauma for the patient, works on processing the memory to adaptive resolution, and then finishes with evaluating treatment results. Unlike other treatments that focus on changing the emotions, thoughts and responses caused from trauma, EMDR therapy focuses directly on the memory, and is intended to change the way that the memory is stored in the brain, with a goal of reducing and eliminating the symptoms causing pain or challenges for the patient.  

If you are interested in learning more about EMDR Therapy, please view the Mental Health with Kati Morton video. ​ For more information on how the process of EMDR works check out this video or the animation video of how EMDR works. Your therapist at Columbus Behavioral Health may also be able to help you better understand how EMDR therapy works, or refer you to another provider for more information.

For more EMDR resources, please visit the following websites. 
​

• EMDR.com
• EMDRconsulting.com
• EMDR Video Resources & Featured Phases 1-8 Demo (instituteforcreativemindfulness.com)
• EMDR International Association Home | EMDR Practitioners (emdria.org)

If you or a loved one have been affected by trauma and would like to try EMDR therapy at Columbus Behavioral Health, visit our Provider Directory for a therapist that offers EMDR services. 

It’s normal to have parenting frustrations with our kids’ behavior. There’s a difference however between things that bug us and things that rise to the level of behavior problems.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO CHANGE YOUR CHILD'S BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS?

1. EXAMINE THE PROBLEM.

• Make a list of all the behaviors you want to change and then rank the order most to least troublesome. Work on ONE problem at a time.
• What times of day and what days of the week are the problems occurring? 
  • Typical triggers for behavior problems are illness, fatigue, hunger, boredom, or frustration. 
  • Are negative behaviors occurring during the week or on the weekend? At night or in the morning?
• How are you or your partner responding? How does the child respond? Are you accidentally reinforcing the negative behavior by giving the child the attention s/he wants?

2. NOTICE WHEN IT IS BETTER OR WORSE

• When are behaviors better? 
• Are there ever times when you do not have the problem behavior? 
• What is different about those times? 

3. WHAT REINFORCES YOUR CHILD?

• Complete the 5 love language quiz for you and your child. Typically people feel closer to those in the family whose love languages mirror their own. 
• Try not to use food or gifts as reinforcers. A child who loves time together might love playing with you as a reinforcer. A child who loves hugs might love some extra cuddle time. 
• In order to change behavior, you have to be very mindful of what reinforces your child and know that that answer might change as your child grows.

CAN BEHAVIOR THERAPY HELP?
YES! Research shows that therapy is an effective first line treatment for behavioral problems. You can get the guidance you need by working with an experienced therapist. Regular sessions will help you better understand what triggers your child's behavior and skills on how to respond differently.

If you are searching for a child behavior specialist for your child, the following therapists work with children specifically at Columbus Behavioral Health:

Diana Webb 
Lara Uher
Carla Morris
Ethan Briggs

If your child is in need of medication, Jessica Witkin, PMHNP (Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner) sees children ages five and older.