When Should I Seek Counseling?
If any of these things are interfering with your personal or professional life then you should consider advice/counseling:
1. Addictions - overeating, drugs, alcohol, sex, shopping, gambling, or workaholic behaviors
2. Emotional issues - grief, depression, excessive jealousy, anxiety, phobias or panic attacks
3. Relationships - problems with co-workers, couple or family relationships
4. Stress - Difficulty with major life events or other life stressors
5. Low Self-Esteem- insecure, shy, worthlessness, unhappy with physical looks
6. Life Changes- illness, parenting, career changes, midlife issues
How can you help me?
Asking for help is one of the bravest things you can do for yourself. Its very difficult for people to ask for help. It shows strength in your character that you have acknowledged a problem and want to fix it. And we want to help you. Therefore, we have created a variety of ways to do so; Such as with our advice column - Ask Girlshrink, our resource room for informative articles & books, our ezine Better Choices™, & lastly with our core service -- expert advice/counseling sessions. We offer some of the most affordable, comprehensive, and dependable help on the web.
What kind of advice/counseling do I need?
We offer a "light" dose of advice through our advice column -- Ask GirlShrink. If you have a brief question that doesn't require immediate attention then you may want to consider submitting a question to our column.
If you are having feelings or are experiencing situations that are overwhelming you, it's best to seek more in-depth counseling to address the issue(s) before it snowballs into something dangerous for yourself or someone else.
At some point in most peoples' lives - they could use some professional, unbiased counseling. Most people will experience at least one episode of depression (event related - such as a death), and many others will suffer from clinical depression and not really know what to do about it.
Also, if you are just plain "stuck" in your life, our advice/counseling services are a great way to direct you towards solutions or resolutions.
What are my advice/counseling options?
We offer three advice/counseling options: email exchanges, real-time chats, or phone consultations.
Is it expensive?
Absolutely not. Traditional face-to-face therapy can range from $90-$150 for a 45 minute session! Also, many online therapists try to charge the same prices they would charge in their offices. We charge a fraction of that. The mission of GirlShrink is to reach people who normally couldn't afford traditonal therapy or who haven't been able to fit traditional therapy into their busy lives. Therefore, we offer our premium services at realistic 'online' rates.
How long does it take?
It is not our strategy as clinicians online or in traditional office practices to string clients along for years of therapy! Its simply not ethical and is really unnecessary unless you are doing long term treatment with a seriously mentally ill patient. i.e. schizophrenia
But we are very aware that it is vital for us to build a relationship with you in order to effectively help you. What's great about relationship building on the web is we can choose to speak several times a week and not just once a week like traditional therapy. Therefore, we can work at a much faster pace. It's really up to you.
How does this work?
If you don't know exactly where to start...we suggest that you cruise around the site for a little bit and get to know us, and then when you're ready go Get Advice with us. Our service is easy to use and we will guide you every step of the way.
What are your qualifications?
GirlShrink.com was founded by Lisa Angelettie M.S.W., a psychotherpist with a very clinical educational background and degree from New York University and traditional experience working as a clinician with a: Private foster care agency in the Bronx, NY; Training, counseling, & job placement program for young inner-city women; and with individual clients under the umbrella of a New York City Psychoanalytic Institute. Lisa is also a published author and her articles have appeared in such publications such as The New York Times & Gannet (syndicated) Newspapers.
Can you prescribe medication?
No. Only a medical doctor (M.D. or Psychiatrist) can prescribe medication. If you are presently in therapy, please go to that therapist or physician to address any prescription matters. GirlShrink provides support - we are not a substitute for psychiatric treatment.
