Counseling & Life Challenges
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Life Challenges
Making the decision to reach out for help is an important way to support significant change in one’s life and Therapy2Thrive® is here to support that change. Sometimes people are concerned about a loved one and seek family counseling on his or her behalf. Other times, people seek counseling for themselves because they’re no longer able to tolerate what feels intolerable but have no idea why or how to change it. This is where counseling with Therapy2Thrive® comes in. At Therapy2Thrive® Leslie a marriage and family therapist and board-certified counselor can help with disentangling all of the factors (mental, physical, emotional, stressful circumstances of life, etc) that contribute to what affects you and to help you understand how to manage the stress of these challenging situations.
Please take a moment to read through the signs, symptoms and circumstances of life that may reflect your own situation of life. They may give you some indication as to why you are feeling the way you are feeling. Leslie at Therapy2Thrive® is here to help you with the “how” of managing and coping with it.
At Therapy2Thrive® I am here to assist you in building your strength and courage to manage personal pain, and build strength from surviving to thriving as you define these concepts in your life. Therapy2Thrive® includes assessment, treatment planning, goals and interventions developed on a case by case basis. Your treatment is based on your individual needs.

Anxiety:
- Do you frequently experience extreme unease or excessive worry about a variety of situations, experiences and/or objects?
- When you feel anxious are you sometimes unable to reassure yourself?
- Do you sometimes feel uncomfortably restless or irritable?
- Do you sometimes experience extreme fear or panic with physical symptoms accompanied by the feeling that you’ve lost control or may die?
- Do you worry that you will have another experience of extreme panic?
- Have you changed your behavior in an attempt to avoid panic brought on by a situation, experience and/or an object?
- Do you sometimes feel trapped or in danger when you are in certain places or situations?
- Do you sometimes avoid places, situations and/or objects if you anticipate feeling trapped or panic?
- Consider getting a counseling help from our family therapist in Pleasanton
Couples Contemplating Marriage:
- Have you and your partner explored your opinions and values regarding money, children, workloads, in-laws and matters of faith?
- Do you have concerns regarding your sexual compatibility for the long term?
- Do you lack confidence in your ability to fight well without emotional long-term consequences?
- Is one of you experiencing difficulty in committing to marriage?

Families in Distress that may need counseling:
- Does your family struggle with communication in managing and resolving conflicts?
- Do you and your partner have challenges with parenting and discipline?
- Are the Siblings experiencing serious concerns getting along with each other?
- Is one family member struggling with a chronic challenge such as chemical use, mood disorder and/or major illness?
- Is your family coping with the aftermath of an extreme loss, (death, suicide, or homicide) change of life circumstance and/or life threatening illness?
Men and Work Challenges:
- Do you feel what you contribute is overlooked, dismissed or devalued?
- Are your feeling overworked to the point of exhaustion?
- Do you feel that the necessity of a paycheck is keeping you in a job or work environment that is oppressive?
- Do work demands keep you from taking care of yourself and your needs?
- Have you successfully climbed the corporate ladder but still feel empty and unfulfilled?
Women and Work Challenges:
- Do you feel what you contribute is overlooked, dismissed or devalued?
- Are your feeling overworked to the point of exhaustion?
- Do you feel overwhelmed trying to balance home and work life?
- Do work demands keep you from taking care of yourself and your needs?
- Have you successfully climbed the corporate ladder but still feel empty and unfulfilled?
Obsessive and/or Compulsive Behavior:
- Are there moments when you can’t prevent certain persistent and distressing thoughts from popping into your head?
- Are you sometimes unable to control the obsessive thoughts created by your mind?
- Do you feel compelled to perform and repeat certain actions or rituals that seem excessive?
- Do you engage in behaviors and/or thoughts that interfere with your life and/or cause you concern?

Attention Deficits With or Without Hyperactivity:
- Do you experience difficulty concentrating on important tasks?
- Do you struggle with organization?
- Do you get very restless when you sit or work for long periods of time?
- Do you sometimes lose items and struggle to keep track of your belongings?
- Do you sometimes overlook details and make careless mistakes on projects or paperwork?
- Do people sometimes tell you that you don’t seem to be listening to them?
Co-Parenting Challenges:
- Do you and your ex-partner have challenges with parenting and discipline?
- Is the interaction with your ex-partner affecting your current co-parenting relationship?
- Are the children struggling with discipline differences in the two homes?
- Are you having challenges with how to manage visitations, extra-curricular activities and scheduling challenges?
- Are you challenged by moral, values and/or religious differences in raising your children in two homes?
Couple Relationships in Distress:
- Are you frequently experiencing painful emotions in your relationship?
- Are you feeling trapped in the relationship?
- Do you experience great difficulty when communicating and trying to solve problems together?
- Are you relying on your partner or your partner on you for sole emotional support and self-worth?
- Are you fighting about the same things over and over?
- Is your sex life more like roommates or business partners than a couple?
Therapy2Thrive® Pleasanton Counseling brings Hope for Healing
Depression:
- Do you feeling sad, unhappy or low for most of the day?
- Do activities that used to give you pleasure no longer do?
- Do you experience trouble with your sleeping, eating or weight?
- Do you feel physically weighed down or slow for no clear reason?
Mood Disturbance:
- Are you experiencing an unusually elevated mood where you are extremely happy, energetic or elevated?
- Are you engaging in risky behavior without thinking of the consequences?
- Are you experiencing a need for little or no sleep?
- Do you have distracting or unwanted thoughts that pop into your head?
- Are you feeling a sense of great importance and an intense sense of focusing your attention on the success of your plans?
Post-Trauma Difficulties:
- Do you have disturbing memories of a traumatic event you experienced in the past?
- Do you have disturbing dreams of a traumatic event you experienced in the past?
- Do you sometimes have physical symptoms when you recall a traumatic event you experienced in the past?
- Do you feel distressed and/or experience physical symptoms when you’re reminded of a traumatic event you experienced in the past?
- Do you avoid situations, images, and/or conversations that remind you of a traumatic event you experienced in the past?
- Do you have difficulty relaxing, sleeping, concentrating and are more easily startled after a traumatic event in the past?
Step-Family and Blended Family Challenges:
- Does your Step and/or Blended family struggle with communication in managing and resolving conflicts?
- Do you and your partner have challenges with parenting and discipline?
- Are the Siblings experiencing serious concerns getting along with each other?
- Is one of you feeling not included in the “new” organization of the family?
- Are some of the children/teens adjusting “well” to the new living arrangements but one or two youth struggle to engage?
- Is the interaction with your ex-partner affecting your current relationship?
Counseling on Sexual Difficulties:
- Do you have little or no desire to have sex?
- Do you have difficulty in becoming sexually aroused?
- Do you sometimes have difficulty or is it impossible to have an orgasm?
- Do you sometimes orgasm too quickly with a sexual partner?
- Are you concerned your sexual challenges are leading to problems in your relationship?
- Do you use chemical substances or medications that interfere with your sexual desire?
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