Our Curious Path, Psychological Services, Inc.

Our Curious Path, Psychological Services, Inc.Our Curious Path, Psychological Services, Inc.Our Curious Path, Psychological Services, Inc.

(925) 695-7494

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    • Home
    • Main menu
    • about the work
    • Pre/Adolescent Services
    • Adult Services
    • Social Anxiety Groups
    • Contact
    • About Me
    • FAQs
    • Blog

(925) 695-7494

Our Curious Path, Psychological Services, Inc.

Our Curious Path, Psychological Services, Inc.Our Curious Path, Psychological Services, Inc.Our Curious Path, Psychological Services, Inc.
  • Home
  • Main menu
  • about the work
  • Pre/Adolescent Services
  • Adult Services
  • Social Anxiety Groups
  • Contact
  • About Me
  • FAQs
  • Blog

Pre/Adolescent therapy

Some signs your teen or tween might need support...

Opening disclaimer: This section was written for parents, since parents are likely the ones reaching out for support for their tween or teen. If you happen to be a tween or teen reading this, I invite you to read through my list below to determine if some of the below descriptors resonate with you. If so and you need support, please reach out to a parent or trusted adult to get yourself the support you need.  


If you notice that your tween or teen's mood and behaviors have deteriorated since hitting puberty or frankly, since they entered the lion's pit also known as middle school, and things just continue to devolve, keep reading.   Let's start with what you might be noticing, which may or may not indicate a problem that needs to be addressed in therapy:  

  • increased isolation or withdrawal at home
  • appetite or changes in sleeping habits
  • increased irritability
  • declining academic performance
  • school avoidance or refusal
  • appearing sad, gloomy, angry, tearful more often than not for at least two weeks
  • declining motivation or energy
  • spending an inordinate time on electronics and if you try to limit their screen time, you are met with any combination of negative responses
  • lack of interest or enthusiasm towards activities that historically made them happy
  • preoccupation with peers who are also in the same cycle of existential turmoil
  • withdrawal from social activities, especially unstructured ones
  • making a lot of self-deprecating or judgmental statements about others
  • has been a victim of bullying or has been accused of bullying others
  • discovering or hearing them say that life is not worth living or they wish they were      not alive
  • Noticing your child is wearing clothing that covers their arms AND is inappropriate      for the weather. Now this may be just your child wanting to wear their favorite outfit in spite of the weather, but it could also suggests they're hiding their body, which could indicate body dysphoria or self-harm

A common question I hear from parents is whether their child's erratic mood and behaviors are related to 'normal' coming-of-age stressors, or if there's a mental health disorder happening that is bound to worsen if they don't get treatment. My question to parents is then: "what was your experience as a tween and teen?"  Nothing really feels 'normal' when you hit this stage of life; it can be a very cruel time to be alive. Some roll through this time relatively unscathed, some crash and burn and need strong support to help them make it to adulthood. A lot of people fall along the spectrum of these polarities. One thing that is constant however is the sheer amount of internal factors and external stressors seemingly inherent during this stage of development that makes it a chaotic, turbulent time.  If you haven't already, ask your tween or teen. If they need support, believe them. If they say they don't but you are still very concerned, it is better to have your child evaluated by a mental health professional to be sure. Consider asking them to complete the questionnaires below while you complete one for them based on your observations. This might help you know whether it's time for your tween or teen to be evaluated further:  


PhQ-9 (Depression)

https://www.apa.org/depression-guideline/patient-health-questionnaire.pdfPhQ-9 

Total scores of 5, 10, 15, and 20 represent cutoff points for mild, moderate, moderately severe and severe depression, respectively. If your teen scored higher than a '0' on question 9, immediate support is likely warranted. 


GAD-7 (Anxiety)

https://adaa.org/sites/default/files/GAD-7_Anxiety-updated_0.pdf

score cutoff points listed on link above


Parents, you are not alone with this. There is support to help you and your child get through this tough time. Think about what you want for them and how you want them to feel, while also suspending any beliefs that your hopes  for them are aligned with who they are and their deepest needs. While you have the wisdom of age and experience, they are the only ones who look out at the world from their eyes, and as they get older, they will need more space to stretch their wings, while you remain at the ready to provide a soft landing when they get stuck. 


 With time and support, your tween or teen will learn to better cope with their emotions and the stressors that come their way, they will learn to be more confident in who they are and what they stand for, they will find their motivation and passion to pursue the interests they used to enjoy, be more able to tolerate stress, interact with others in a more authentic way, and feel more confident in their future. 

My Scope of Practice

Areas of Clinical Practice:

Disorders Addressed Within My Scope of Practice

Disorders Addressed Within My Scope of Practice

  • Life Transitions/ Coming of Age Stressors/ Shift In Roles
  • Identity issues (Including but not limited to gender and sexuality)
  • Existential Issues
  • Social Withdrawal and Alienation
  • Relationship/ Attachment issues
  • Parenting Challenges
  • Family Conflict
  • Grief and Loss
  • Divorce
  • Work Stress/Career Shift
  • Academic or Occupational Stress
  • Codependence
  • Women's Issues
  • Men's Issues
  • Victim of Bullying/Harassment
  • Unhealthy Patterns of Communication/ Victim of Covert Manipulation or Passive Aggression
  • Discrimination
  • Immigration and Acculturation Issues
  • Intergenerational Trauma
  • Addiction
  • Abuse
  • Chronic Pain
  • Physical Health/Medical Issues
  • Generational issues 
  • Contextual Nature of Power and Privilege

Disorders Addressed Within My Scope of Practice

Disorders Addressed Within My Scope of Practice

Disorders Addressed Within My Scope of Practice

I'm not a huge fan of labeling or diagnosing people with a mental health disorder. However, assigning a diagnosis is the most efficient way to capture the collection of symptoms you're experiencing to guide treatment. So until we come up with a better way to understand and treat ailments of the human condition, this is how we do it. Just remember, YOU are not your diagnosis. My scope of practice includes experience in treating or managing the following disorders:  

  • Neurodevelopmental Disorders:* (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, social pragmatic communication disorder, Tourette's Disorder): management of executive dysfunction, social thinking support
  • Gender Dysphoria
  • Bipolar and Related Disorders
  • Depressive Disorders
  • Anxiety Disorders
  • Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders
  • Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders
  • Dissociative Disorders
  • Eating Disorders – currently medically stable patients only for maintenance support (i.e. meeting with me would be a step down from a higher level of care) 
  • Borderline Personality Disorder
  • Avoidant Personality Disorder
  • Dependent Personality Disorder
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder



*I do not provide autism assessments or offer ABA services.

Types of services

Individual and Family Therapy

Dr Caruso-Maxey provides individual therapy services for preadolescents, adolescents, and adults.  As appropriate, she may also provide family therapy to help improve relationship dynamics impacting her clients. Dr Caruso-Maxey offers consultation as needed with schools and other providers for care coordination. Many of the issues that arise in families are related to intergenerational attachment traumas that are passed through generations. Dr Caruso-Maxey also offers support to couples experiencing challenges within their relationship related to unhealthy attachment patterns often inherent in intimate relationships.


Individual Therapy:

Initial Intake Evaluation                                                             60 minutes                              $275

Individual Therapy (per session rate)                                       50 minute therapy hour        $250

Family Therapy (per session rate)                                             50 minute therapy hour        $275

EMDR Therapy (per session rate)                                              90 minutes                               $350


Family Therapy:

Initial Intake Evaluation                                                            90 minutes                              $350

Couple's Therapy (per session rate)                                         90 minutes                              $350


Couples Therapy:

Initial Intake Evaluation                                                            90 minutes                              $350

Couple's Therapy (per session rate)                                         90 minutes                              $350

Group Therapy

Currently Offering: Middle School Social Anxiety Group 

                                   High School Social Anxiety Group

Find out more

Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR)

Dr Caruso-Maxey is certified in EMDR therapy, which is an evidence-based therapy built upon cognitive-behavioral therapy combined with bilateral eye stimulation to help aid in processing of trauma. 


https://www.emdr.com/what-is-emdr/

Modalities

I use various evidence-based therapies appropriate to conditions treated/managed and patient characteristics. Therapies include:


  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
  • Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
  • Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
  • Exposure-Response Prevention
  • Principles of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
  • Psychodynamic Therapy
  • Emotion-Focused Therapy
  • EMDR Therapy

Payment and Insurance

Dr Caruso-Maxey accepts Lyra, Modern Health, and Aetna insurance, as well as clients who are our of network. For clients out of network, payment is processed in full after each session. If requested, a monthly superbill can be provided to submit to your insurance provider for reimbursement; please note that anything not covered by your insurance is considered an out-of-pocket expense. 


Accepted Forms of Payment:

-Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express, and other forms of payment via Stripe

-check

Protecting Your Private Health Information

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, (HIPAA)  was issued by the Department of Health and Human Services to establish a set of national standards for the privacy protection of certain health information. All of your health information is documented and stored through a HIPAA-compliant, data encrypted client portal. All information related to your credit card is encrypted once you enter it into the client portal. If you would like to know more about Dr Caruso-Maxey's privacy practices, please ask.


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