Behavior Management Associates PC

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Behavior Management Associates, P.C.
Since 1981, Behavior Management Associates has provided Southwest Missouri, Southeast Kansas and Northwest Oklahoma with high quality diversified professional mental health services, including:
Individual and Family Therapy

Individual therapy provides a confidential one-on-one contact between an individual and a therapist to address a variety of clinical problems ranging from mild adjustment disorders to more treatment intensive disorders requiring a combination of medication and psychotherapy. Common problems that are frequently treated with individual therapy include disorders of childhood and adolescence, anxiety disorders, stress related physiological disorders, depression, and disorders associated with exposure to traumatic situations. Typical Anxiety Disorders include Simple Phobias such as fear of snakes, Social Phobia which involves feelings of anxiety in social situations, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in which rituals are used to reduce anxious feelings, Panic Disorder or the overwhelming feeling of fear for no apparent reason, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder which is characterized by being worried and anxious much or most of the time. Depression typically consists of feeling very sad, discouraged or disheartened too intensely and too often. People who are depressed may withdraw from other people or cry for little or no apparent reason. Depression is often accompanied by the irrational belief that what a person does is not good enough or that people will not like them. Victims of emotional, physical or sexual abuse or other trauma such as exposure to life threatening situations often develop a variety of symptoms including most of the above. These disorders are also seen in children and adolescents. Other disorders in this age group which can benefit from Individual Therapy include Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and behavior problems. The symptoms of ADHD include the inability of a child to concentrate and often includes excessive physical activity. A child or adolescent may have behavior problems if they disobey, talk back, have temper outbursts or fight with their siblings at an excessive rate. A wide variety of treatment techniques are available in Individual Therapy. Typical techniques include Medication Management, Psychodynamic Therapy, Behavior Modification, Brief Therapy and Hypnosis. Individual Therapy as well as other therapies is appropriate when a person has feelings or behaviors which cause them discomfort or problems in their daily living activities.

In family therapy, the family is seen as a unit to provide intervention strategies to promote positive changes within the family system and the various relationships that co-exist. Family therapy focuses on changes within a family, and recognizes that changes in one member of the family may be better accomplished by using the power of the family as a whole. Instead of meeting with one individual, all or most family members are included in the therapy process. Family therapy is often the treatment of choice when children or adolescents are having problems. However, family therapy is also utilized when an adult family member has significant psychological problems which impact other family members. For example, a family who has a member suffering from depression, chronic pain or substance abuse problems might benefit from family therapy to address the impact of that family member's problem on family relationships and how the family members can most effectively help the suffering family member.

Marriage Counseling is utilized when individuals in a couple relationship want to improve the quality of their relationship. Pre-marital counseling can also provide a positive start for individuals beginning to share their life together. Marital therapy focuses on using the couples strengths and improving problem solving skills to address areas that might result in an improved relationship. Improving methods of communication often makes a significant difference in the quality of a couple's relationship. If one of the individuals in a relationship has a problem such as substance abuse or difficulty in experiencing intimacy, those problems are identified and addressed.

Psychological evaluations are available to assist in determining personality functioning and intellectual functioning. Personality evaluations are often used in association with therapy to assist in making a diagnosis or identifying issues which need to be addressed. Intellectual evaluations are typically used to assess intelligence and achievement or difficulties associated with intellectual functioning such as ADHD and Learning Disability.
Eating Disorders Outpatient Treatment
Eating Disorders such as Anorexia, Bulimia, and Binge Eating Disorder include profound emotions, attitudes, and behaviors surrounding weight and food issues. They often associated with serious emotional and physical problems that can have life-threatening consequences. Anorexia Nervosa is characterized by extreme weight loss and self-starvation. Symptoms of Anorexia Nervosa include an inability to maintain a healthy weight, an intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, a feeling of being “fat” even when excessively thin, frequent dieting, and an interruption of the normal cycle of menstrual periods. Bulimia Nervosa is characterized by periods of binge eating and purging. Symptoms of Bulimia Nervosa include inappropriate behaviors to compensate for binge eating episodes such as vomiting, the use of laxatives or diuretics, excessive exercise, periods of uncontrollable binge eating, frequent dieting, and a preoccupation with body shape and weight. Binge Eating Disorder is characterized by recurrent episodes of uncontrolled, impulsive, or continuous eating and significant distress about the binge eating without the regular use of compensatory behaviors. Other eating disorders can include some combination of the signs and symptoms of Anorexia, Bulimia, and Binge Eating Disorder. While these behaviors may not be clinically considered a full syndrome eating disorder, they can still be physically threatening and emotionally draining. Eating Disorders affect adolescents, adults, men, and women. All eating disorders require professional help.

The most effective and long-lasting treatment for eating disorders includes counseling in conjunction with medical and nutritional interventions. Counseling involves addressing both the eating disorder symptoms and the underlying psychological, social relationship, family, and cultural forces that contribute to or maintain the eating disorder. Patients with eating disorders also often suffer from other psychological difficulties, such as depression and anxiety. Counseling can include art, music, dance, and other expressive therapies through individual, group, and family counseling or some combination of each depending on the patient’s individual problems and needs. Medical interventions may be necessary in light of the effects of malnutrition. In addition, some patients also require some type of psychiatric medication prescribed and monitored by a psychiatrist. Nutritional counseling educates the patient about his or her nutritional needs, planning or monitoring food intake and exercise choices of the patient. All treatment is tailored to meet the needs of the individual patient and varies according to the severity of the patient’s eating disorder. For more information about eating disorder, see the website for the National Eating Disorder Association, www.nationaleatingdisorders.org.

BMA provides consulting services for industries for personnel selection, improving the workplace to maximize productivity, to minimize on-site accidents/errors and to improve personnel management practices within the workplace.

Research has shown that for many individual problems a combination of medication and psychotherapy is the most effective treatment. For some disorders medication is the primary treatment. Recent advances in pharmacological rescearch have produced medications which are much more effective in treating disorders such as depression, anxiety, ADHD, bipolar disorder, etc, while reducing the side effects often associated with previous medications.

Angie Trish Office Manager Receptionist
Trish or Angie will be happy to schedule an appointment and answer questions about fees and insurance. Our professional staff will be happy to address questions about our services. Please call or you may contact us by E-mail at dabrooks@joplin.com