Dr. Heather Violante, Psy.D.

Therapy for Anxiety, Stress, & Phobias:

Everyone deals with stress and anxiety from time to time. At low and moderate levels, stress and anxiety aren’t always harmful, in fact, can be beneficial. They keep us aware, motivate us, and give us the desire to perform well. But when they start to worsen and become constant, it can take on an unhealthy form and jeopardize your mental and physical health.

If you, like so many others, are experiencing unhealthy levels of stress and anxiety that are interfering with your daily functioning, relationships, and life in general, therapy can help you learn how to manage stress and anxiety to prevent them from taking over.

Therapy for Depression:

Have you lost interest in things you once found fun and enjoyable? Do you often feel worthless or hopeless? Depression is one of the most common mental health issues and can affect almost all aspects of our lives if left untreated.

Depression can interfere with our appetites, ability to sleep, relationships, and everyday responsibilities. It can become a chore just to get out of bed in the morning. In therapy we’ll work together to get you on the right track so you can achieve your goals and find inner happiness and peace.

Therapy for Bipolar Disorder:

Do you experience extended periods of intense emotional instability? Is it difficult to regulate or manage your emotions in a way that’s productive? These are signs that you may have a mood disorder, which might include bipolar disorder.

Therapy for bipolar and mood disorders focuses on relapse prevention and mood stability. Since bipolar disorder is a chronic condition, we’ll work on reducing the severity of the manic and depressive episodes to help you find balance and gain a sense of empowerment back into your life.

In therapy, you’ll learn how to recognize the early warning signs of depression and mania so you can intervene before either interferes with your daily life. Together we’ll work on setting better boundaries for yourself and others, being mindful of how your decisions affect others, and creating ongoing, stable support systems so you’re not alone in the process. You deserve to live a fulfilling and healthy life.

Therapy for Drug & Alcohol Use/Abuse:

Is your drinking or drug use interfering with your relationships, affecting your job, or preventing you from achieving your goals? Have you noticed your physical and emotional health declining? Don’t let unhealthy behaviors take you away from the things you enjoy and people you love.

Whether you’ve been sober and in recovery for years or you are just starting out on your journey towards sobriety, being sober offers many positive rewards. Therapy can help you get on the road to recovery so you can stay clean, achieve your goals, and live a healthy, rewarding, empowered, and sober life.

Coping with a Loved One’s Substance Use, Codependency, & Enabling:

Have you tried everything to get your loved one to stop drinking or using drugs? If you have a spouse, family member, adult child, or friend who is struggling with substances, trying to get them to stop can feel overwhelming, hopeless, and like you’re hitting a brick wall.

It’s common for loved ones to lose their own sense of self and not practice self-care because they are so focused on the well-being of the person struggling with substances. Therapy teaches you how to be a better support for your loved one without enabling, set boundaries to preserve your relationship with yourself and others, and prevent losing your own identity or sense of self.

In therapy, we’ll work on helping you set healthy boundaries, improve communication, and regain self-confidence and self-respect. You deserve care and support just as much as your loved one.

Counseling for Anger Management & Communication Skills:

Anger is unique from other emotions in that we often focus our anger and its energy outwards. We blame or get mad at other people, external situations, or things we’re unable to control. But this gives us a false sense of power and self-protection. Underlying our anger is a collection of unresolved issues and emotions - sadness, shame, fear, anxiety, guilt, disappointment, etc. When these feelings are left unresolved, they can build up and eventually turn into anger.

Anger is a valid emotion and can be a source for positive change. But not being able to regulate our behaviors associated with anger often leads to destructive or aggressive actions. In therapy, we’ll get to the root of your emotional pain so you can redefine your relationship with anger, create healthy outlets, effectively regulate your behaviors, and improve your communication. 

Counseling for Coping with Life Transitions: 

Our lives and the world are in constant flux. Sometimes we plan for change, other times it happens to us whether we want it to or not. However your life has changed, whether it’s a relationship change like a break-up, divorce, or getting married, becoming a caregiver for a loved one, losing your job or starting a new one, becoming a parent, or losing a loved one, it can be difficult to adjust to this new phase of life.

If you are unable to change the situation you’re in, therapy teaches you how to change your mindset so you can understand and accept your new role. Life changes, whether planned or unexpected, can be difficult to manage, but that doesn’t mean this new phase of life can’t be a period of growth and self-discovery. 

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I welcome anyone in need of therapy for other emotional and psychological issues to foster overall wellness, personal empowerment, self-confidence, and inner serenity.