​​​WHAT IS A LICENSED PROFESSIONAL COUNSELOR (LPC)?

A licensed professional counselor (LPC) is an individual who has satisfied all Texas law requirements for licensure as follows: 

• A master's degree in counseling from an accredited institution consisting of at least 60 graduate semester hours, including 300 hours of supervised clinical experience with 100 hours of direct client counseling.

• Passing the National Counselor Examination (NCE) as administered by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC), the Texas Jurisprudence examination, and a criminal background check.

• Applying to the Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors for an LPC-Intern (LPC-I) Title.

• Completing 3000 hours of supervised counseling by a Texas Board-approved supervisor as an LPC-I,  including 1500 hours of direct client care and 1 hour of direct supervision weekly.

• The Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors approved LPC licensure.​

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Once a counselor is licensed (LPC), renewal must be applied every two years, earning Continuing Education credits and retaking the Texas Jurisprudence Examination. In addition, LPC individuals are expected to abide by the profession's ethical standards as determined by the state's licensing board.

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WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN “CHRISTIAN” AND “BIBLICAL" COUNSELING?

Depending on the counselor, Christian counseling may or may not consist of a formal counseling model. 

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A Biblical counseling designation refers to a counselor who practices within a formal and robust counseling model (theory and application) which has been developed by leading counseling and theological scholars and finds its origin in the Bible.  Biblical counseling seeks to answer the foundational questions of psychology, such as “Who are we?”, “Why do we do the things we do?”, “How do we change?” and “What is the purpose and meaning of change?”.  While Biblical counseling will draw from research, it interprets within a Biblical worldview.

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DO YOU ONLY SERVE CLIENTS WHO EMBRACE THE CHRISTIAN FAITH?

Neuro Health and Counseling Services operate from the divine ethic to love God by loving others. We firmly believe all people, everywhere, are created in His divine image and therefore have inherent worth.

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Regardless of your beliefs, anyone suffering from mental health issues will receive professional care reflected through authentic love, compassion, and sensitivity. While you may not embrace the Christian faith, that in no way limits the effectiveness of treatment, care, and consideration. 

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WHAT IS TRAUMATIZED?

Most of the time, our bodies routinely manage new information and experiences without our being aware of it. However, when something out of the ordinary occurs, and we find ourselves without sufficient experiences and/or resources to overcome it, we can become overwhelmed (e.g. a car accident, job loss, etc.) or series of repeatedly subjective distressful events (e.g. neglect, abuse, etc.). Trauma originates as a response in the nervous system, a bodily experience. I.e., the "trauma" is not in the event. It occurs in our bodies. Our nervous systems become overloaded, resulting in disturbing responses (symptoms) as the experience remains 'frozen' in our bodies and unprocessed in our brains. Such unprocessed experiences and associated feelings are stored 'stuck' in the nervous system in a "raw" and emotional form rather than in a correctly processed story mode. It leaves us unable to move forward completely, regardless of how much time passes. The limbic system maintains these traumatic experiences in an isolated memory network that is associated with emotions and physical sensations, which are disconnected from the brain’s cortex where we use language to store memories. Because these experiences don't have a time/date associated with them, they can be continually triggered when we experience events similar to the traumatic event(s). Often the memory itself is long forgotten, but the painful feelings (or symptoms of the event), such as anxiety, panic, anger, or despair, are continually triggered in the present. The person's ability to live in the present and learn from new experiences becomes inhibited.

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Counseling and treatments, such as Eye Movement Reprocessing and Desensitization (EMDR), IASIS Micro-Current Neurofeedback (ICN), and Somatic Experiencing (SE), help normalize the symptoms of trauma, resolve activation, and create the connections between our brain’s memory networks, enabling our brain to heal and process the traumatic memory in a very natural way.

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EMDR

WHAT IS EYE-MOVEMENT DESENSITIZATION AND REPROCESSING (EMDR)?

The mind can often heal itself naturally, in the same way as the body does. Much of this natural coping mechanism occurs during sleep, particularly during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Francine Shapiro developed Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) in 1987, utilizing this natural process to successfully treat Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Since then, EMDR has effectively treated a wide range of mental health problems.

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EMDR is evidence-based. It is an innovative clinical treatment that has successfully helped over a million individuals. The validity and reliability of EMDR have been established by rigorous research. There are now nineteen controlled studies into EMDR, making it the most thoroughly researched method used in the treatment of trauma (Details on www.emdr-europe.org and www.emdr.org) and is recommended by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) as an effective treatment for PTSD.

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During EMDR treatment, the client remains in control of themselves and is fully alert and wide awake. This is not a form of hypnosis; the process can be stopped anytime. Throughout the session, the therapist will support and facilitate the client's self-healing and intervene as little as possible. Reprocessing is usually experienced as something that happens spontaneously and organically, and new connections and insights are felt to arise naturally from within. As a result, most people experience EMDR as being a natural and very empowering therapy.

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WHAT CAN I EXPECT DURING AN EMDR SESSION?

A significant benefit of EMDR is that the client is not required to retell or relive the entire event to produce successful results. EMDR can be brief-focused treatment or part of a more extended therapy program. Typical sessions last for a minimum of 80 minutes and begin after a comprehensive assessment is conducted where the client is assisted to become aware of how they are experiencing their 'past' in their 'present' day-to-day life. Additionally, this enables the counselor to begin developing the treatment plan as target memories are identified. Next, the EMDR treatment process utilizes eye movements similar to those observed during REM sleep. Depending on the client's response, a bar of moving lights, pulsators in each hand, and/or headphones may also be used or incorporated. These stimulations, known as bilateral stimulation, comprise a 'set' that occurs for a short while and then stops. The client is then asked to express what they noticed during each set. Experiences during a session may include changes in thoughts, images, feelings, emotions, or blanks. With repeated sets, the target memory tends to change so that it loses its painful intensity and becomes a neutral memory of an event in the past. Other associated memories may also heal at the same time or over time. This linking of related memories can lead to a dramatic and rapid improvement in many aspects of the client's life.

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IS EMDR FOR EVERYONE?

EMDR can accelerate therapy by resolving the impact of your past traumas and allowing you to live more fully in the present. It is not, however, appropriate for everyone. The process is rapid, and any disturbing experiences, if they occur, last for a comparatively short period. Nevertheless, you need to be aware of, and willing to experience the intense feelings and disturbing thoughts which sometimes occur during sessions.

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IASIS (MCN)

HOW DOES IASIS MICRO-CURRENT NEUROFEEDBACK (MCN) WORK?

IASIS Micro Current Neurofeedback (MCN) consists of simple, non-invasive, drug-free, sequential treatments designed to relax and help the brain rebalance and reorganize itself. When brain wave patterns are healthy, they are balanced and predictable. An adequately regulated brain will produce the appropriate brain waves at the appropriate times. In contrast, the brain becomes dysregulated when the brain and nervous system are injured or stressed. Brain wave patterns can become chronically unhealthy, imbalanced, and unpredictable. They can result in various conditions, including depression, chronic pain, ADHD, anxiety, PTSD, memory, lack of focus, lower performance, and many more. 

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The IASIS MCN treatment is near-homeopathic in nature, using imperceptibly low-energy pulses which directly correlate with the measured dominant brainwave frequency. The IASIS MCN system provides a nano energy level 'offset' signal that requires no conscious effort (passive) by the client and, therefore, cannot produce a wrong signal. The dysregulated brainwave state is influenced by this low-energy signal such that the brain and Central Nervous System respond with a greater ability to auto-regulate themselves. Additionally, the brain and CNS adjust their chemistry to release the brain from its fixed patterns. By promoting (allowing) the brain to reorganize itself and shift from its formerly fixed patterns, the "refreshed" brain develops new neural pathways (neuroplasticity), allowing the brain to break free from its "stuck" state over sessions. 

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The MCN System is a Class 1 FDA Registered device, 510K approved, and has been used for over 15 years with over 75,000 patients. In clinical use, MCN has been observed to be significantly helpful in treating various conditions. 

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WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT DURING AN MCN SESSION, AND HOW MANY WILL I NEED? 

The process involves applying small sensors to the forehead and neck area that detect and monitor brainwaves. The IASIS MCN system sends the resulting qEEG signals to a computer and a specialized EEG processor. The IASIS MCN system determines the proper response to target the dominant brain wave. It returns a tiny impulse, virtually a mirror image of the brain’s waves, with a simple offset. The extremely low-energy electromagnetic pulses provided through the EEG cables are neither visible nor “feel-able” yet produce a measurable change in the brainwaves. For reference, a cellular telephone generates a signal at least a million times greater power than the IASIS MCN energy pulse (a trillionth of a watt (3pW)). It is 'on' for only a few seconds during each session.

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Most clients notice improvement after one session. While results may be realized in a few sessions or even just one, results have shown that consecutive sessions are highly effective for sustainability.  Due to the cumulative nature of the sessions, the improvements last longer with each one; over time, the improvements often lead to enduring sustainability. Lower-activated clients typically see sustainable results in as few as 5-10 sessions. Higher activated clients with lifelong symptoms require more sessions and are, on average, around 15-20 for the same results.

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WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT AFTER AN MCN SESSION?

The most commonly reported responses to include mental clarity, clearer vision, more restful sleep, increase in motivation, improved focus and clarity, decreased anxiety and depression, increased ability to read, absence of irritability, absence of impatience, and the absence of anger.  

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Possible side effects (or reactivity) include feeling spacey, wired, tired, lightheaded, head pressure, nausea, or a temporary symptom exacerbation. Very rarely, but possibly, some individuals may have increased anxiety, irritability, or a lack of energy for a few hours following a session. These reactive symptoms and readily resolved with a follow-up micro-treatment. Additionally, clients had demonstrated that staying hydrated and resting alleviated these symptoms as well.