Cole Deborah

Information may not be reliable

Within the Village of Kings Contrivance, the entrance to offices is across from Michael's Pub and next to the Tuxedo Store. Look for the atrium, with trees and plants inside the building. The offices are upstairs. There is an elevator as well as stairs.

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Good for you for looking for help! You have already taken the first step.
In order for psychotherapy to be effective, there needs to be a good match between client and therapist. If you choose to see me, we will try to determine whether or not we are a good match within the first couple sessions.

If you download the contract and intake forms on this website, you can save time (and money) and we can more quickly get to the work you are wanting to do. I may also ask you to complete questionnaires or to take some tests, so that I can understand better how to help you. I may give homework, suggest reading materials, or recommend that you see a psychiatrist for possible psychotropic medication. As you may know, psychiatrists, not psychologists, prescribe medication.

I use a variety of methods to try to help clients, based on the symptoms and the client's strengths and weaknesses. I use cognitive behavioral therapy for some issues. Using this method, together we examine the effects of your thoughts on your emotions, and then we ways to change your thinking so that you can be more effective and more fulfilled.
Sometimes I also use behavior therapy. I use behavior therapy primarily to treat trichotillomania (hair pulling). I generally use Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) for patients suffering with OCD. With this method, we use a gradual exposure to the feared obsession, with the response or avoidance blocked. This is only done with your express permission! There is a lot of research to support this method, and I have had the joy of seeing patients "kicking back" OCD so that they can return to more normal ways of living. (See my section on OCD if you are seeking help for OCD.)
At other times, I use psychodynamic therapy. No, that does not mean that I am “Freudian”! It does mean that I believe problems today started somewhere, and unless they are neurobiological in origin (such as OCD), they probably were at least influenced by earlier experiences in your life. In order to get better, it may be necessary to connect the dots: to look at the influence of the past on the present, so that you can have both insight and new ways of “being” in the world.
I sometimes use less traditional methods, which are difficult to explain but which I often find effective. If you are interested, you can read more about these methods in the relevant sections of my website (see buttons to the left). These include Hypnosis, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy (EMDR), and the Developmental Needs Meeting Strategy (DNMS). I only do these with your permission. If you have a problem with these or other methods, please do advise me.
Hypnosis is a method of being deeply relaxed while totally focused, and it is used for medical as well as for mental health difficulties. Contrary to the media portrayal of hypnosis, it allows the person to feel more, rather than less, in control of their lives.
EMDR is an efficient way to resolve post-traumatic stress disorder. It is particularly good for single-incident adult-onset traumas (such as a car accident).
DNMS is particularly good for clients with unmet childhood emotional needs. It is an ego-state psychotherapy. For example, if you did not have your needs for affirmation met, DNMS can help you finally know what it feels like to be affirmed. DNMS can also help you break free from maladaptive beliefs, which you learned earlier in your life.
Kinds of Issues in My Practice:
I have a general practice for adults, adolescents, and children, but I also focus on some particular kinds of problems. If you or a loved one is seeking help for these areas, you can read more about them by “clicking”
on the relevant tab. These areas include (among others):

I was a school psychologist prior to retraining as a clinical psychologist. If you or your loved one have copies of psychological reports or educational reports, please bring a copy with you when you come to see me. It would be helpful if you could make a copy which I can keep in my records.