| Click on the photo to the left to view a short video in which Ann McIntosh describes the client-therapist relationship.
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| Ann McIntosh, Counselor |
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Counseling With You in Mind
Hello, and welcome. As a licensed Clinical Social Worker, I provide counseling and psychotherapy services to people from all walks of life -- couples, homemakers, students, athletes and executives. My Austin, Texas, counseling and psychotherapy practice focuses on these areas:
- Counseling for Marriages, Couples and Families, including Step-families, Committed Couples; Premarital Counseling for Engaged Couples
- Weight Loss and Dieting Counseling
- Eating Disorders Treatment and Therapy for Bulimia, Binge Eating and Body Dysmorphic Disorder
- Stress, Anxiety and Depression Counseling
- Fear, Panic, Phobia Therapy
- Life Coaching and Executive Coaching; Self-esteem, Identity, Personal Growth
- Career/Financial Issues
- Health-related Counseling
- Bi-Polar Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Counseling
- Sexual Dysfunction Therapy
- Addiction, Substance Abuse, Anger, Physical or Emotional Abuse, Sexual Abuse
- Trauma Therapy, Rape Counseling
To help you understand more about counseling and therapy in general, and my therapeutic style, please view a brief video produced by Quick One Media, in which I discuss the benefits of what is called "talk therapy." In addition, please hover on the top menu bars to find articles on psychotherapy topics that may interest you.
To contact our offices, please call (512) 306-9992,
or scroll down and complete the quick form at the bottom of this page.
All inquiries are held in the strictest confidence. Please understand
that no counseling will be provided via the Internet or e-mail. Working
with you in person is the best way to help you achieve your goals.
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Working to Help You Feel Better
If you were to ask Ann McIntosh to describe her approach to providing psychotherapy and counseling services, she might in a more casual moment reply, "Whatever works." And that's because in 16 years of helping clients deal with the many different types of troubling issues that so often interfere with experiencing life to the fullest, she's learned well the lesson that forms the bedrock of her practice. Every individual is unique, and no single solution can possibly address the complexity that is both the wonder of existence and the source of personal discontent.
To meet Ann in a professional setting is to experience from the outset an immediate connection to her highly interactive and involved style. Part of the feeling derives from her attractive office, but what fills the room and envelopes her clients is what really counts. Her presence welcomes them to a comfortable and caring environment, a safe and nurturing atmosphere where stress and anxiety can melt away, where they can discover how to overcome their difficulties, calm their frustrations, and achieve their personal goals.
One of the most common questions a psychotherapist and counselor ever receives during initial contact with potential clients is, "What do you deal with?" Her answer covers an extensive list of specific mental health issues, such as: obesity and weight management; bulimia and body dysmorphia disorder; stress, anxiety and depression; marriage and couple's counseling; bi-polar disorders; lifestyle coaching and behavioral change; relationship counseling for couples, individuals, and family members; personal growth and self-esteem, and financial disarray.
Clients often enter therapy with the expectation that the process works from the outside in. Ann's approach to positive change makes short work of this misconception by emphasizing that all good characteristics of personal behavior worth cultivating must rise from the seed of necessity. The key principle of "needs" and its utility for creating good characters in novels can serve as an effective illustration of Ann's methods.
In fiction, a psychological need is described as behavior that detracts from the character's life, does not harm others, and is left unresolved in spite of the character's knowledge of it. A moral need harms others, but is left untreated because the character is oblivious.
Ann treats both with two interrelated concepts: empathy, and reconciling words with action to guide clients in accomplishing what they say they want to do.
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| Map to Our Westlake Hills Counseling Practice |
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Could You Benefit from Talk Therapy?
By: Harvard Women's Health Watch (August 2004)
"Maybe you should consider seeing a therapist..."
Every year, one in five adults in the United States experiences a mental disorder or an emotional problem serious enough to warrant treatment. Although psychotherapy is a cornerstone of psychological treatment, the initial suggestion -- whether it comes from your physician, spouse, or best friend -- can raise many questions. Are my loved ones tired of discussing my problems? Does my doctor think I'm crazy? Can talking really help? Would medicine work just as well? Will my insurance help pay? How do I find the right person to talk to? This article discusses how psychotherapy works in treating depression and other common psychological conditions.
What is psychotherapy?
Psychotherapy, often referred to as talk therapy, addresses troubling symptoms and emotions using psychological techniques rather than, or along with, medication or other physical approaches. There are many theories and styles of psychotherapy, but the two most popular forms are psycho-dynamic therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy.
Which works best? There is no simple answer. Just as many forms of aerobic exercise can help you achieve cardiovascular fitness, many types of therapy can help you understand yourself better, change behavior that is wrong for you, and help relieve bothersome symptoms. You may do better with one type than with another, or find that a blended approach, drawn from different schools of psychotherapy, suits you best.
Your regular participation in the process is more important than the type of therapy you choose. Most important is the match, or rapport, between you and your therapist.
Although most therapists emphasize one type of intervention, a good therapist can incorporate elements of others as well. Whatever approach the therapist adopts, she or he should develop a trusting alliance with you, suggest fresh ways for you to perceive your problems, and help alleviate your symptoms and your sense of isolation.
Psycho-dynamic therapy
Psycho-dynamic therapists believe that past experiences and feelings of which you are not consciously aware can influence your present emotional well-being and ability to function. Through regular discussions with a therapist, you can gain insight into your motivations and conflicts and learn more productive ways to cope with them.
"Psycho-dynamic therapy can be very helpful if you feel like your life is repeating old patterns or you are not clear what direction you want to take," says Harvard Medical School psychiatrist Margaret S. Ross, M.D.
The process of psychoanalysis developed by Sigmund Freud may be the most familiar form of psycho-dynamic therapy, but it is not the most common. Psychoanalysis is designed to uncover the unconscious roots of your symptoms and help you apply this understanding to your current life. Classic psychoanalysis is time-consuming (it requires meeting several times a week, possibly for many years) and not widely used today. However, it is still influential in the thinking behind much psycho-dynamic therapy, which can be short- or long-term, and may focus broadly or more narrowly on a particular issue or symptom.
Another common focus of psycho-dynamic therapy is an individual's interaction with other people. Psycho-dynamic therapy can help you identify what you seek in a relationship (your needs), the healthy and unhealthy ways of meeting those needs, and ways to improve your ability to communicate. Such therapy can help people cope with the loss of a relationship, conflicts within relationships, or the demands of shifting roles (such as retirement or caring for a parent).
One system of therapy with this emphasis, called interpersonal therapy, combines elements of psycho-dynamic therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and other techniques. Therapy is limited to three or four months and focuses on psychological difficulties sparked by recent conflicts or transitions. While not widely available, it is coming into more common use.
The cognitive behavioral approach
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is less focused on the underpinnings of feelings and instead emphasizes how to change the thoughts and behaviors that are causing problems. CBT can be used to alter difficult behaviors, such as smoking, procrastination, or phobias, and can also help address conditions such as depression and anxiety.
Cognitive behavioral therapists believe that you can change your feelings by changing your thoughts and actions. For example, you may have patterns of distorted thinking, such as excessive self-criticism or guilt, always anticipating the worst, or attributing untoward motives to others, that make you vulnerable to feeling bad. CBT teaches you to recognize these patterns as they emerge and alter them. The "behavior" part refers to learning more productive responses to distressing circumstances or feelings, such as relaxing and breathing deeply instead of hyperventilating when in an anxiety-provoking situation.
Body and mind
Psychological disorders have physical symptoms and many medical disorders have psychological symptoms. For example, fatigue is a hallmark of depression. And an overactive thyroid can make you irritable, depressed, and anxious, while an underactive thyroid can make you depressed and slow-thinking. It is easier to treat these symptoms if their medical basis is recognized. Otherwise, psychotherapy alone will not relieve even the psychological symptoms, and failure to treat the medical condition can be dangerous.
If you consult your primary care physician about psychological problems, a physical exam and testing can rule out a medical disorder. If you go directly to a psychologist, social worker or other therapist who is not a physician, that person should keep in mind the possibility of medical problems and suggest a medical evaluation if appropriate.
Not going it alone
Most talk therapy involves one-to-one meetings with a psychotherapist, but other configurations can be helpful, too, depending on your needs.
Group therapy. Several people meet in regular sessions with a therapist. Interacting with others and hearing their problems can support your efforts to change and reduce your sense of isolation.
Group therapy can be particularly helpful for people with difficulties in social interaction because it provides a place to practice and get feedback from others. A group may be organized around a single topic, such as anxiety, bereavement or a medical condition, or it may be concerned with more general issues on the understanding that most people cope with similar problems.
Before joining a group, you will be interviewed by the therapist and may be asked to commit to a certain number of sessions. Group therapy may be combined with individual sessions.
Family therapy. This involves the family unit. It is usually brief and focused on problem solving. It can help families correct miscommunication, change dysfunctional patterns of blame or adjust to altered circumstances, such as a chronic illness or adult children moving back home. It may be especially helpful when an individual's psychological problem affects other members of the family.
Couples therapy. Also called marital therapy and marriage counseling, couples therapy focuses on your relationship with your partner. The process may be much like individual psychotherapy, or the couples therapist may act as a mediator, finding acceptable compromises when there is conflict. The therapist helps you and your partner examine your patterns of interaction and determine what changes are needed for each person to be satisfied.
Support groups. Support groups are usually organized around a specific issue, such as bereavement, a particular illness, divorce or recovery from addiction. A professional usually does not lead them, and strictly speaking they are not a form of psychotherapy. But they can be extremely helpful for individuals or families confronting certain circumstances or striving to sustain healthy behavior changes. Like group therapy, support groups may be time-limited or ongoing. Insurance does not cover all support groups.
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Contact us for more information
Please note: This form is for new and prospective clients only. Existing clients or vendors: Please call (512) 306-9992 and leave a confidential voice mail. This form is not appropriate for cancellations, changes or solicitations. Thanks very much for your cooperation.
New or prospective clients: You may call (512) 306-9992, or send this quick form. Please be assured that all
information will be held in strictest confidence.
During a business week, we will contact you within 24 hours
after receiving your inquiry. We respond to weekend inquiries during
the following business week. Due to the nature of the Internet, we do not counsel clients by e-mail. Working with you in person is the best way to help you achieve your goals.
Space is somewhat limited on the form to the right. It's best to summarize, using brief sentences or phrases. We can communicate more fully when we return your inquiry by telephone.
Thank you for your interest in our services. We look forward to receiving your inquiry.
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